The Maamwi Hub, a collaborative initiative of the Indigenous Peoples Education Circle (IPEC), College Libraries Ontario (CLO) and The Learning Portal, provides access to user-focused Indigenous data, reports and research that will help each of our colleges on our path towards Truth and Reconciliation. When it launches in 2023, the Hub will provide increased access to culturally competent Indigenous-specific learning resources with the aim to create one centralized repository of content for all users.

The Hub is designed around four themes, ‘Discover’; ‘Inquire’; ‘Inspire’; and ‘Empower’.

The Discover section aims to build awareness and educate on Indigenous People’s history, culture, and perspectives with a focus on the geographical areas of the 24 colleges. Most of the content is still in development, but the Maamwi Treaties of Ontario Database, a part of the Discover section, is now available to use.

The Inquire section aims to help students and faculty research respectfully and responsibly, as well as to appreciate Indigenous knowledge and worldviews.

The Inspire section will aid in the decolonizing of the curriculum by providing resources for faculty to support curriculum development that promotes Indigenous awareness in the classroom.

The Empower section will include resources to connect and collaborate, share ideas, learn from one another, and support each other on the path to reconciliation.

… often all in the same place.

It has also helped the eResource team automate price entry, thus minimizing the risk of human error from having to enter the same data in multiple places; track our workflows natively in-app as opposed to in a manually updated Excel tracker; and streamline other internal processes, thus creating time efficiencies.

Finally, the team is still learning our way around the platform and how to best leverage it. We are grateful for the patience and buy-in that the college library staff have shown for Consortia Manager.  

2021 and 2022 were record-breaking years for askON! With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the need for virtual student support has continued. Over the past three years, the askON service has kept up with demand by pivoting the service model with, among other changes, increased hours and a change in shift ratios across the colleges.

With sixteen weeks in operation, the Page 1+ colleges are now settling into the new system. It has been a steep learning curve, but library staff have been able to take advantage of the newly forged network of support developed for Page1+.

OCLS unveiled the Page 1+ support framework available to colleges from Helpdesk@ocls.ca. OCLS staff are available to assist libraries in the shared implementation of Alma and Primo VE including the centralized management of electronic resources, active support for high-quality metadata in shared bibliographic records within the system, and other value-added services that support the colleges participating in the Page 1+ Consortium.

Additional support for improved discovery and access to learning materials in libraries has also been introduced by the Metadata and Cataloguing Subcommittee as the CLO Cataloguing Program. This program includes revised CLO metadata standards designed to take advantage of facets and filtering in Primo VE, shared resource management workflows to ensure consistency and ease the work of technical services staff in libraries, and learning opportunities for staff to improve cataloguing skills.

Peer-to-peer support is now a thriving and valuable source for Page 1+ colleges as well. Through the implementation, colleges collaborated and worked together. This gave everyone the opportunity to form new partnerships and contacts across colleges. These relationships have become valuable to the libraries as they help each other explore new features and customizations in Alma and Primo VE. Peer-to-peer support became so important to the colleges that a new Community Discussion Forum was launched to ensure libraries continue to have easy access to each other. The forum is already a thriving source for discussion.

The Ex Libris Support Center is also a valuable resource for colleges using Alma and Primo VE. Each Page 1+ college has direct access to product experts via the Support Center.

The implementation of a new shared library services platform across eighteen colleges was no small feat. There will be adjustments as the colleges settle into the new system, and this extended network of support for Page 1+ is in place to ensure success.

Liz joined OCLS in January 2022 as a Services Support Associate, Library Systems and Metadata. Prior to working at OCLS, she was the Circulation Coordinator and Acquisitions Technician at the Dorothy H. Hoover Library at OCAD University. She graduated from Toronto Metropolitan University with a BFA in Theatre: Performance Production and completed the Library and Information Technician program at Seneca College.

Fun facts: Liz is passionate about everything to do with textiles and enjoys spending time with her family.

This past summer, Stacey Boileau, Library Systems & Metadata Coordinator celebrated her 10 year work anniversary with OCLS. Stacey began her career here as a part-time Metadata and Cataloguing Technician. As her knowledge expanded into other services, she eventually moved towards help desk duties. In 2018, she became the IT Systems and Services Coordinator organizing a library and technical team around OCLS technical services. With an internal restructure and the Page 1+ migration, her position was renamed Library Systems and Metadata Coordinator where she took on leading the LSM team into a redefined suite of services: RA, Metadata Management and Page 1+ Systems.

 

In Stacey's words, "I have always enjoyed working across teams and wholly believe in the work OCLS and the college libraries do. Getting to know people over the years has also been a blessing!"

Please join us in congratulating Stacey on this very important milestone!