Ryerson Library finds novel ways to support students during COVID-19
The Ryerson Library has found innovative ways to provide most of its services, programming and resources virtually, with pre-booked access to on-site spaces, equipment and physical collections.
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck in March 2020, gathering at the Library was no longer an option but, thanks to the foresight of the Library team, students and faculty could still benefit from most of its resources and services.
鈥淭he Library has been operating seamlessly in both the digital and physical worlds for about 15 years now so we were well prepared for this unanticipated transition,鈥� says Carol Shepstone, chief librarian. 鈥淥ur existing technical infrastructure is robust and was in place to be expanded, enhanced and leveraged, thanks to the creativity, expertise and commitment of our team.鈥�
Pandemic preparations
The university鈥檚 $2.5 million investment in the Library鈥檚 acquisitions budget in 2019/20 meant that digital content has expanded considerably this year. 鈥淲e were able to accelerate and expand our digital content over the last few months in response to new remote needs because of COVID-19,鈥� says Shepstone. 鈥淲e actually have more ebooks than print books in our collection, and far more digital journals than print journals. We continue to expand digital content and remote access options for our collections.鈥�
In the spring, the Library also invested more than $250,000 to purchase additional laptops and WiFi hotspots to loan to students.
鈥淲hile most students are providing their own laptops and internet connectivity, this fall ,鈥� says Shepstone.
Other new services necessitated by the pandemic are the and initiatives. When there are no electronic versions, the Library can provide copyright compliant digital copies of articles and chapters, and students can request print items through the contactless pickup service.
鈥淲e had to quickly build the Scan and Deliver service,鈥� explains Kelly Kimberley, head of borrowing and lending services. 鈥淚t required a combination of customer service skills, knowledge of our material and copyright requirements, and solid IT skills to do the programming. It was a great example of teamwork.鈥�
Maintaining safe connections
Even though the Library鈥檚 virtual offerings are extensive, Shepstone acknowledges that nothing can fully replace the in-person experience and personal connection that the physical Library and its team provided pre-pandemic.
鈥淭he in-person contact is absolutely critical and that personalized support and expertise that we offer 鈥� we鈥檙e this balance of experts, information, the tools to work with the information and the physical space to learn in,鈥� says Shepstone. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been hard for our team to lose that in-person contact, so it鈥檚 wonderful to see the other ways and new services that help us all stay connected.鈥�
Although Library patrons are not encouraged to visit campus facilities, the building is still open to those who need in-person services (such as study space, and in-person research in the Archives and Special Collections and Library Collaboratory). and a range of protocols and adaptations have been put in place for the safety of both library patrons and staff, says Kimberley.
鈥淲e work with a robust team on-site that includes health and safety, security and facilities staff that help staff to safely do the work they need to do physically on site,鈥� says Kimberley. 鈥淚've only heard good things from our staff about how safe they feel while in the Library.鈥�
Adaptations include easier-to-clean furniture, hand-sanitizing stations, clear safety-protocol signage, meticulous cleaning, adapted furniture layout to ensure people are two metres apart, and modifying the room-booking system so students can and know mask and health screening protocols
Recent innovations
This fall, the Library team continues to explore innovative ways to ensure students and faculty have access to all the resources they need during this challenging time. These include:
- 鈥� search by subject or name of publisher/package .
- 鈥� materials, including textbooks, that can be used freely.
- - access material from more than 17 million digital volumes.
- are working with faculty to teach online research skills to classes
鈥淭he more we can do to make research materials more affordable, accessible and equitable to everyone, the better,鈥� says Shepstone.
Services and programs
Other digital resources include:
- librarians from 12 Ontario libraries work collaboratively to offer this real-time research assistance service.
- one-on-one assistance for more in-depth research needs.
- and virtual programs.
- , providing virtual digital-skill appointments.
- : make an appointment for virtual research help.
- : virtual research drop-in sessions are available.
- : for virtual research appointments and training sessions.
- help ensure that high-demand course readings are available to the maximum number of students over the duration of the courses.
If you have questions about how to access these resources, email: refdesk@torontomu.ca. For hours of operation and more information, visit .