SPEC Kit 339: Innovation and R&D · 25
Development of a Collaborative Technology Lab System in the Libraries. The Libraries have created a number of
reservable spaces for student collaborative activities. The rooms provide furniture, computers, software, and equipment
(such as smart boards and cameras) designed to facilitate a variety of collaborative activities including group projects,
practicing presentations, webinar participation, and teleconferencing.
Development of a new library website to 1) integrate eight individual library websites, 2) promote activities and
resources in the library, 3) be more coherent with university web presence, 4) provide easy discovery of resources,
including knowledgeable library staff, and 5) be “mobile friendly.”
Digital Preservation Curriculum
Digital Scholarship Consulting Services: a non-service-point based service designed to assist faculty with any of
their digital efforts. We are able to offer educational and consultative services now with an ultimate goal of offering
infrastructure or support. A wide range of staff and librarians from across the library’s organization provide assistance,
so that someone needing metadata help talks to a metadata person or someone wanting advice on preservation speaks
with a knowledgeable staff person.
Establishing the Freedman Center for Digital Scholarship to provide a range of services to support all aspects of
e-research. Its purpose is to stimulate &sustain innovation at the university by connecting people physically &virtually.
It will serve as the hub to connect faculty &students with tools and services they need to develop their ideas and to
stimulate and sustain innovation.
Guide on the Side open source software
Implementation of a single search box on the library’s homepage that covers all library collections and services.
In 1995, the university libraries at the University of Waterloo, University of Guelph, and Wilfrid Laurier University
came together to form the Tri-University Group. Initial efforts were in areas of shared library systems, remote storage,
and information services and resources. The intended outcome was to share expertise, reduce costs, and achieve a
“seamlessly integrated programme of library collections and services.”
In 2008, the Nunn Center, in partnership with the Digital Library Services unit, developed OHMS (Oral History Metadata
Synchronizer) to enhance online access to oral history. OHMS provides users word-level search capability and a time-
correlated transcript or indexed interview connecting the textual search term to the corresponding moment in the
recorded interview online. Through assistance from a National Leadership Grant from IMLS, OHMS is currently being
prepared for open source, free distribution.
In 2011, our library launched a new service to support the data management planning needs of our researchers. The
service helps researchers prepare data management plans and also provides data archiving services and support. The
goal is to support better stewardship of research data products.
Library Technology Prototyping Service
In 2013, the library committed resources to support a three-year pilot Technology Prototyping Service, focused on
developing light-weight software application prototypes to support library operations and services. The service is based
in the Undergraduate Library, and is led by the Orientation Services Librarian, in collaboration with library faculty and
staff colleagues in the Undergraduate Library and Library IT. The funding supports hourly employees. It is supplemented
by at least two federal agency grants.
National Archives Transcription Pilot Project facilitates public participation in transcribing historical records of the
National Archives.
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