OCUL Information Resources Committee (OCUL-IR)

Purpose

OCUL-IR advances OCUL’s strategic plan by acting as a catalyst for information resources (IR) initiatives which generate ideas and implement both one-time projects and ongoing strategies.

  1. Supports the development and management of IR at the consortia and local institutional level. Activities include the following:
    1. Initiate, assess and select online information resources, which provide excellent financial value for members.
    2. Collaborate to share staff expertise and leverage collective resources in negotiating and licensing electronic resources.
    3. Analyze the impact and value of IR collections on faculty and students’ teaching and research.
    4. Collaborate with Scholars Portal staff to establish tools, best practices and policies to support the licensing, local loading, and use of electronic resources.
    5. Serve as an information forum to share, promote and act on:
    • issues in digital publishing
    • best practices for licensing electronic resources
    • managing print and electronic collections at both the consortium and institutional levels
    • incorporating electronic resources into an integrated virtual research environment
  2. Engages colleagues within OCUL, and with external partners and vendors, on issues relating to academic collections and scholarly communication.
  3. Provides a forum for discussion on broad collection-related issues in academic and scholarly publishing.

Download the OCUL-IR terms of reference

Membership

One official member from each OCUL member institution, with no fixed term, plus Scholars Portal Associate Director (or designate).

  • Harriet Rykse (Western University) - Chair, 2023-2025
  • Lisl Schoner-Saunders (Algoma University) - on leave to fall 2023 
  • Alicia Zorzetto  (Brock University) 
  • Sally Sax (Carleton University) 
  • Paul St. Pierre (University of Guelph)
  • Alaa El-Talmas (Lakehead University)
  • Dan Scott (Laurentian University)  
  • Janice Adlington, (McMaster University)
  • Rebecca Kasperavicius (Nipissing University)
  • Susan Kun (OCAD University)
  • Jeffrey Bennett (Ontario Tech University)
  • Monica Ward (University of Ottawa)
  • Ian Robson (Queen's University)
  • Lisa Bechard (Royal Military College of Canada)
  • Coralee Leroux (Trent University) 
  • Weijing Yuan (University of Toronto)
  • Lei Jin (Toronto Metropolitan University)
  • Sarah Hersh (Toronto Metropolitan University)
  • David Gall (University of Waterloo)
  • Lauren R Byl (University of Waterloo)
  • Elizabeth Mantz (Western University)
  • Matt Thomas (Wilfrid Laurier University)
  • Roger Reka (University of Windsor)
  • Aaron Lupton (York University)
  • Leigh Jackson (York University) 
  • Jacqueline Whyte Appleby (Scholars Portal)

Ex officio:

Amy Greenberg - OCUL Executive Director
Christa Foley - OCUL Assistant Director, Information Resources and Collections

Established 1999
 

Subcommittees

Previous Subcommittees