Madeleine Lefebvre, Chief Librarian

Ryerson University Toronto, Canada

IFLA LBE Satellite Meeting,

Chicago, June 2016

Multiple Stakes in the Ground

Ryerson University Student Learning Centre:

collaboration in action

2

The Context: Ryerson University

• Once a polytechnic, now a large comprehensive university

• In the heart of downtown Toronto, Canada’s largest city (pop. >6 million)

• Almost 40,000 undergraduate and graduate students

• Over 100 programs

• 440 PhD students

1. Enable Greater Student

Engagement & Success through Exceptional Experiences

2. Increase SRC Excellence, Intensity & Impact

3. Foster an Innovation Ecosystem

4. Expand Community Engagement & City Building

5

The Library (2014)

• Built in 1974 for 9,000 students

• Brutalist architecture • Good environment for books,

not users • Over 11,000 visits per day at

busiest times • Strong user dissatisfaction

reflected in Library as Place LibQUAL+ scores

6

Reference & technology advising

Instructional services

Student Learning Support Services

Library: The Ronald D. Besse Commons (2004)

The SLC & Library(2015)

• Architects: – Snøhetta

– Zeidler

• In the busy heart of downtown Toronto

• Building upwards in a small footprint

• Buildings connected on two floors

8

9

SLC Collaboration schematic

10

SLC Academic Stakeholder Units

DMZ Launch Zone

Under Review Student Engagement (SEAL) Team

Responsibilities: Under Review Student Learning Support (SLS)

Responsibilities: Under Review Library (RULA) Digital Media Experience Lab (DME)

Responsibilities:

Under Review…

SLC Academic Stakeholder Units

11

RULA / DME

Revised responsibilities: • Collaborate with academic partners to deliver innovative services that encourage productive

multidisciplinary interactions and intensify students’ out-of-class learning experiences.

• Foster digital innovation, support faculty and student technology based projects, and provide students with experiential learning opportunities to explore emerging technologies.

• Collaborate with the SEAL Team in maintaining a sustainable, effective staffing model. • Explore and implement RULA-led programming & activities in the SLC. • Facilitate programming for the Seminar Rooms.

• Oversee technology infrastructure and support of CGWRs and Seminar Rooms. • Collaborate with SLS on developing and delivering programs and services that foster student

academic success.

GOVERNANCE GROUP Membership: • Chair • Academic Stakeholder

unit leads • Student reps • Exec Dir, VPAF

ACCOUNTABILITY Provost

WORKING GROUP Membership Chair

13

SLC Stakeholder Collaboration

REPORTING COMMITTEE

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT COMMITTEE

TECH / AV COMMITTEE

LAUNCH ZONE

RULA / DME

SLC SEAL TEAM

SLS

CONSULTING Student Leaders

SLC Governance and Working Groups

SLC GOVERNANCE GROUP Chair: Executive Director, Provost’s Office Membership: • Student reps • Chief Librarian • Director of Launch Zone • Director of SLS • Strategic Projects Liaison [Student

Engagement] • Facility Supervisor SLS & LIB • Executive Director, VP Admin/Finance

Office

SLC WORKING GROUP Chair: Executive Director, Provost’s Office Membership: • Student representatives • RULA –Associate Chief Librarian • RULA –Head of Borrowing & Lending Services • RULA –Head of Library Information Technology Services • DME –Coordinator • Operations representative from Launch Zone • Assistant Director of SLS • Strategic Projects Liaison (Student Engagement) • Facility Supervisor SLS & LIB • SLC Building Officers

SLC Governance Group

Responsibilities: • Operating Principles • Policies and priorities • Recommend to Provost on organizational design and reporting structure • Make high-level recommendations to the Provost • Recommend to the VPAF on any design enhancements and changes • Oversight, management, accountability, authority and responsibility for SLC and SLC Working Group • Recommend and establish the SLC Working Group and reporting mechanisms, ensuring all

academic stakeholders are represented • Disseminate information to SLC Working Group • Develop a process for consideration and submission of awards

Terms of Reference: • Accountability to Provost and senior administration • Tasked with decision making (reputational-impact decisions to be brought to the attention of the

Provost, and as needed the VP Administration/Finance & President)

SLC Working Group

Responsibilities: • Provide input and recommendations to the SLC Governance Group regarding the operation of the SLC (i.e.:

timely and relevant, data-driven/based, experience-based, etc.) • Enable existing SLC stakeholders to meet their objectives and uphold the SLC’s principles • Ensure that student feedback and point of view is incorporated into our work • Find ways to innovate and profile Ryerson student ideas/concepts/projects (maximize and leverage the

innovation and talent on campus) • Work-through interdependent issues that might not need to go to the SLC Governance Group • Accountable for 3 committees:

Reporting Committee Community Engagement Committee Tech/AV Committee

• Make and execute recommendations • Disseminate information across all stakeholder groups Terms of Reference: • Be accountable to the SLC Governance Group • Act as a forum for the Academic Stakeholders to share relevant updates • Oversight, management, accountability, authority and responsibility for Committees, their structure and

charters • Establish committees and accountability mechanisms

SLC Working Group and Committees

SLC WORKING GROUP - Accountable to Governance Group - Accountable for 3 committees

Reporting Committee Responsibilities: • establish mechanisms for aggregating

and sharing stats • establish clear reporting structures

and communication process and vehicles for sharing the data

• schedule frequent evaluation • Provide recommendations to SLC

Working Group on possible trends identified in data analysis

• provide frequent data updates and reports to the SLC Working Group

• gather data and provide analysis to SLC Working Group, per their requests

Community Engagement Committee Responsibilities: • forum to share upcoming

engagement and collaborate on initiatives including: events, programming, tours, etc.

• work to leverage existing University/community partnerships and relationships

• Collaborate on Major Campaigns (Back2School; Convocation; Recruitment/March Break)

• external: Doors Open Toronto • work with SLC SEAL Team to

maximize the use of the SLC

Tech / AV Committee Responsibilities: • Report on work done (such as: install

status, training, maintenance, monitor of use, effectiveness, etc)

• Amphitheatre • Digital Signage • Collaborative workrooms • Seminar Rooms • express stations For work outside of existing Service Level Agreements: • Develop recommendations for

possible enhancements and continuous adoption of technology solutions

• Integrate innovations developed at Ryerson

Student Feedback

The SLC has a sense of welcome… Now I spend almost every day on campus… We learn more in that building than in any of our classes.

Marissa Frost, 3rd Year Creative Industries student

18

Faculty Feedback

The SLC has become more than a “gateway” to the campus; it has emerged as the epitome of Ryerson University's new academic plan… The innovations that we as faculty develop [in the DME Lab] spur our students to take their own initiative to participate in this innovation ecosystem. ..

Vincent Hui, Associate Professor, Architectural Science

19

Building relationships…

…is just as important as building a building

20

Thank you! @MJLibrarian

mjlefebv@ryerson.ca www.library.ryerson.ca