Engaging with the OCUL Strategic Plan: Share Your Thoughts!
Through interactive Zoom sessions, online surveys and one-on-one interviews with partners and past OCUL leadership, we received feedback from a wide range of community members.
The diverse ideas gathered by Sayid Consulting – plus the hard work of the Strategic Planning Committee – have developed into a draft strategic plan, ready for your input.
You can complete this two-question survey to view the draft plan and share how you see your consortial contributions reflected in the four-year strategies and outcomes. The survey closes March 21, 2025.
Thank you for the time and insights contributed throughout this planning process so far. It is because of the community’s collective wisdom that our shared roadmap for 2025-2029 embodies the collaboration at the heart of OCUL.
Exploring Neurodivergence in Academic Librarianship
Joanne Rumig was a 2024 OCUL Visiting Researcher while on sabbatical from her library role as the head of access services at Carleton University.
The inspiration for my sabbatical project started many years ago. I have always felt that libraries are the heart of our community, and as such, should create a welcoming, respectful and safe environment for all people. My original goals for my sabbatical were to examine how academic libraries can incorporate and create a culture of equity, diversity and inclusivity in their spaces and services, with a particular focus on neurodivergence in academic librarianship.
While exploring the corpus of research material for my literature review, I focused on three areas of distinct interest. The first was to examine physical library spaces including lighting, sensory rooms, signage and furniture. The second was to examine our service points and training opportunities for those working on our service desks. Despite many studies reporting that over 20 per cent of our student population identify as being neurodiverse, this is a topic we rarely discuss. Being able to adapt our interactions and communications with our library users has become a prominent focus of my research. Finally, the third area was to explore academic library culture to determine if we are truly inclusive through universal design practices and accepting of our neurodivergent staff. For example, I wanted to examine if training or coaching opportunities were provided to staff or if we have created policies and procedures that have unintentionally created barriers for neurodivergent staff. The latter part of my sabbatical focused on the second and third areas of interest.
In addition, I have further explored ways that librarians in management or leadership roles could create meaningful opportunities for staff, by embracing creativity, flexibility and respect in the workplace.
One of the plans for my sabbatical was to visit all OCUL libraries. However, due to the challenges that many of our universities have faced this year and the extra time to narrow down my focus, I decided to delay travel.
My research on this topic is far from over, though. Shortly, a toolkit and best practices will be made available for all staff in our OCUL community. In addition, I will be circulating a survey shortly that will help to define next steps.
My sabbatical has been a year of reflection, a chance to re-energize, and an opportunity to use this year to create a foundation for further research that I hope will benefit all of our OCUL libraries.
Our thanks to Joanne for her research update and for being one of the first Visiting Researchers at OCUL. Learn more about the OCUL Visiting Researcher program.
Announcing the 2025 New Initiatives Fund Recipients
Three projects are the recipients of 2025 funding via the New Initiatives Fund:
Data Discovery, Curation, and Access to Government Survey Data in Odesi: Global Affairs Canada Pilot
Through a collaborative project between OCUL, Scholars Portal, University of Ottawa, Carleton University and Global Affairs Canada (GAC), this pilot aims to curate and preserve public opinion poll data made available from GAC in Odesi, with the goal of supporting access to these important data for future scholarship and research. As part of the pilot, workflows will be explored and processes and documentation developed to facilitate collaborative opportunities with other potential future federal partners.
OCUL Truth and Reconciliation Committee Speaker Series
This speaker series hosted by the OCUL Truth and Reconciliation Committee aims to advance understanding and increase awareness of truth and reconciliation efforts and initiatives in the academic library community. The aim is to focus on the "Truth" element of Truth and Reconciliation, taking the time to learn the truths of past and current injustices to move forward with reconciliation efforts. Event dates and details to come.
OCUL Accessibility Symposium 2.0 – Save the Date!
The OCUL Accessibility Community is thrilled to announce the return of the Accessibility Symposium, taking place online June 17, 18 and 19 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET.
The aim is to explore critical topics shaping accessibility in Ontario's post-secondary landscape, including:
- AODA and other accessibility legislation
- The state of accessibility post-AODA deadline
- Alternative formats and their evolving role
- Post-Secondary Education standards and compliance in higher education
- Addressing physical barriers and creating accessible spaces in libraries
- Advancements in assistive technologies, including artificial intelligence
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and beyond
- Accessible procurement
- Employment: Recruitment, retention, and thriving in libraries
- Lived experiences and user-centered perspectives
Stay tuned for further details, including a call for presentations, registration, and the full event program!
Join the OCUL Resource Description Community
The brand new Resource Description Community brings together OCUL members who have roles in cataloguing, metadata, and resource description of physical and electronic bibliographic resources, as well as other formats and media types.
Trina Grover (Toronto Metropolitan University) is the Community’s moderator. To join the Resource Description Community, please email Trina at tgrover@torontomu.ca to indicate your interest.
Collaborative Futures Check-In
Making metadata better: More than 500,000 Network Zone records have been cleaned up, improving discoverability and making records more accessible for users. A shout-out to the Collaborative Futures Network Zone Metadata Maintenance Working Group for their incredible work to improve MARC data!
New automated workflow solution: OCUL recently rolled out a new automated solution to improve Alma resource sharing workflows and reduce issues with shipments and checking in/out resources. Our co-op student, Michael, developed an API that verifies each OCUL member’s resource sharing library for active hours indicated in the Institution Zone. The API performs a check and if no active hours are detected, it will send an automated email to the resource sharing library asking for updated hours. Read more about this solution on the OCUL Resource Sharing Hub in SPOTDocs (login required).
Improving onboarding and training: The Collaborative Futures Onboarding and Training Working Group is completing a needs assessment to identify consortial tools and resources to support schools as they onboard and train staff on the shared library network. A survey to Omni libraries is coming soon, for added feedback on what is needed to support work in Alma, Primo VE and Omni and how OCUL can help.
Information Resource Updates
The Collective Collecting Working Group is finalizing a report for the OCUL-IR committee that will recommend next steps OCUL can take to develop and implement pilot projects or strategies related to consortial collaborative collection development. The group’s report is based on their analysis from an environmental scan and consultations with OCUL members about what would be of interest regarding collaborative collecting. Following the presentation to the OCUL-IR committee, the recommendations will be brought forward for Council approval at the spring Directors Meeting.
The Open Access Working Group is concluding their mandate. The group has created guidelines and assessment criteria for evaluating information resource licenses that incorporate open access. The group has also drafted a position statement to guide open access initiatives for OCUL, which will be presented first to the OCUL-IR Committee and then to Council for approval at the annual spring Directors Meeting.
Schools have been offered several new e-resources: 4 Canoes Digital Bookshelf, Can-Core, Taylor and Francis, Policy Commons, and Canadian History and Culture. Year-end offers are being considered and OCUL members can expect additional offers soon.
ICYMI: What’s Happening at OCUL
OCUL Award Recipient Announced – Matt Van Ast from the University of Guelph is the recipient of the OCUL Outstanding Contribution Award.
Ontario University Libraries Explore Collaboration and Capacity Building in AI and Machine Learning – The OCUL AI and Machine Learning Program released its latest update in January.
OCUL Welcomes Three Visiting Researchers in 2025 – Learn more about this year’s Visiting Researchers and their projects that explore a variety of technologies and library systems.
Governance Group Engagement Opportunities – A variety of OCUL committees and subcommittees are seeking new members, with most roles starting in June. Submit your nomination by April 1!
Your Feedback
- Have a story you think would be a fit for the OCUL Newsletter? Email us to share your idea
- We are committed to providing equitable access to OCUL online publications. To provide feedback on the accessibility of our newsletter or to request an alternative format, please contact ocul@ocul.on.ca
- Next newsletter issue: August 2025