Elena Springall will be serving a 6-month extension as Interim Assistant Director for Education & Information Services at Gerstein, through June 30, 2019
While Don McLeod is on research leave from December 1 – May 31, Weijng Yuan will act in his place and will supervise both the print and electronic acquisitions.
There are several staffing changes at the University of Toronto Scarborough Library. Thank you to all for their patience and support during this season of transition.
Dear all,
With regret that we are losing a very fine colleague, and with heartiest congratulations for Lisa Gayhart, I'm writing to let you know that Lisa has accepted the exciting new role of Head, User Inquiry Experience, at New York University. Lisa joined UTL as our Digital Communications Librarian in 2013, and has been our User Experience Librarian since 2015. Her last day at UTL will be Friday November 2. After taking a little time for moving and vacation, she will take up her new position in New York in January 2019.
Please join me in congratulating Lisa for this wonderful new step in her career, and in thanking her warmly for all that she has contributed and achieved in her time with us. And please stay tuned for arrangements to celebrate with Lisa and wish her well!
All best,
Sian Meikle
Director, Information Technology Services
It is with mixed emotions that I am announcing the retirement of Tony Kwakkenbos. After 11 years of dedicated service to the University of Toronto Libraries and the community, Tony has decided to retire. Tony has served an integral role by providing outstanding finance and budget support to many staff, including myself, the CAO and the Chief Librarian. Tony’s last day at the library will be Thursday, October 11. Tony has graciously offered to make himself available via email over the coming months in order to smoothly transition his role. You can continue to contact Tony as you have done in the past at tony.kwakkenbos@utoronto.ca.
As is our current practice, please continue to forward all approved invoices and expense reimbursements to:
Attn: Finance
2nd Floor
Robarts Library
If you are dropping off items, please place them in the far left mail slot labelled “Items for Payment and Processing”.
We will be organizing a celebration for Tony at a later date and we will provide further details at that time.
Once again, I would like to thank Tony for his many years of committed service. His enthusiasm and cheerful outlook will be thoroughly missed.
On behalf of everyone at UTL, I wish Tony much success and happiness in all his future endeavours.
Peter Wilson
I am pleased to announce that Angela Hamilton will be taking up the position of Interim Chief Librarian, University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC), effective 1 September 2018 to 31 August 2019.
Angela holds a Master of Library and Information Studies from the University of Toronto with a focus on Health Information. She joined UTSC in 2011 as a Liaison Librarian. She has worked in this role with the Social Science, Psychology, and Biological Sciences departments and currently is coordinator of the Liaison Librarian Program and Acting Deputy Chief Librarian.
Angela has been involved in many library initiatives at UTSC, including serving as Chair of the Foundational Skills Environmental Scan Research Project Group, Chair of the Data Librarian Hiring Committee and Chair of the Learning Objects Working Group. Her service outside of the UTSC Library includes membership on the UTSC Research Advisory Board, the ORCID Task Force and the University of Toronto Library Advisory Committee.
I want to take this opportunity to thank Angela for taking on the service as Interim Chief Librarian. Her experienced leadership and knowledge of the UTSC Library will provide valuable continuity while we search for the new Chief Librarian. Please join me in welcoming her to her new role.
William Gough
Vice-Principal Academic & Dean
Office of the Vice-Principal Academic & Dean
As of September 1, Victoria Owen will become Information Policy Scholar-Practitioner at the Faculty of Information. Victoria has had many outstanding accomplishments during her time as Chief Librarian at UTSC, particularly related to her well-recognized, international work related to copyright.
Professor Gough details these terrific achievements in the announcement, below. We wish Victoria all the very best in her new role.
To: Faculty, Staff, Students, University of Toronto Scarborough
From: Professor William Gough, Vice-Principal Academic and Dean
Date: 27 August 2018
Re: Announcement – Chief Librarian
I am pleased to announce that Victoria Owen will be taking up the position of Information Policy Scholar-Practitioner at the Faculty of Information. She will be leaving her role as Chief Librarian, effective 31 August 2018.
Victoria joined the University of Toronto Scarborough as Chief Librarian in 2004. Prior to this, she held the position of Director of Library Services at the Canadian National Institute of the Blind. She holds a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Western Ontario and a Masters in Laws with a Specialization in Intellectual Property Law from Osgoode Hall Law School, York University.
As Chief Librarian at UTSC, Victoria has transformed the UTSC Library from a traditional service unit into a vibrant, highly valued member of the campus scholarly and curricular environment. Most notably, she has led the successful launch of the Liaison Librarian Program, the Digital Scholarship Unit, the UTSC Library Finance & Trading Lab, and its upcoming re-launch as The Bridge, and the Undergraduate Research Forum; she created the User Services Unit by merging the Circulation and Reference units, the Library Instruction Lab to facilitate information literacy instruction, and the City Studies Lab. These and other innovations have enabled the Library to reflect successfully its mission to “enhance research, enrich instruction and engage knowledge with the UTSC community and beyond.”
Victoria has been key member of several high-level committees at the University, including the Campus Leadership Forum, Research Advisory Board, Dean’s Indigenous Working Group, MEAD (Mentorship, Excellence and Diversity @UTSC), and the UTL Executive Committee. She also is a leading national and international expert on Copyright and Information Policy. Currently, she is Chair of the Copyright Committee of the Canadian Federation of Library Associations, a Board Member of the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Accessible Book Consortium, Governing Board Member of the International Federation of Library Associations and a member of the Policy Committee of the Canadian Association of Research Libraries. She has been the keynote speaker and made presentations at a number of national and international conferences and meetings, including the Canadian Parliamentary Committee, and the World Intellectual Property Organization, and she has served as an expert advisor for UNESCO’s Recommendation for Digital Cultural Heritage.
In her role as Information Policy Scholar-Practitioner at the Faculty of Information, Victoria will be working with faculty and students to connect scholars and scholarship to the practices that students will be required to fulfill as Information Practitioners once they graduate. Victoria’s extensive connections with information policy and decision-makers world-wide will serve as a rich resource for them to understand more deeply the development of information policy and its vital connection to the fundamental tenets of democracy and civil society.
I want to take this opportunity to thank Victoria for her service as Chief Librarian at UTSC. While I will miss her leadership and energy, I am very pleased she has this opportunity to dedicate herself fully to her passion for and leadership in Information Policy. Please join me in wishing her the very best in her new role at the Faculty of Information. An announcement regarding the Interim Chief Librarian will be sent shortly.
We are very happy to announce that Jess Whyte has accepted a position as Digital Assets Librarian in Information Technology Services.
Jess has been with UTL in various capacities for a few years, beginning with her time here as a TALint Intern and on to a contract position over the last year as Digital Preservation Intake Coordinator.
In this new position, Jess will be continuing many of the initiatives she was instrumental in getting started - working with media-bound digital content (aka obsolete media), accepting and ingesting streams of born-digital content, and more in the digital preservation space.
On September 1, Oday Khaghani is moving into the position of Supervisor, Evenings/Sundays in the Access and Information Services Department. Oday has held the position of supervisor of the Extended Hours Service, for the past 4 years, and has worked for UTL for 12 years.
Please join me in welcoming Oday to this new assignment.
Susan Stone, Head of the Resource Sharing Unit at Robarts Library, is retiring this fall after 52 years of service. Susan began her career in the University Library on King’s College Circle before Robarts was built. When Robarts opened in 1973, Susan moved in to work in the Circulation Department where she oversaw many services, including Interlibrary Loan, the Carrel Office, and Loan Services.
In 1993, the Resource Sharing Department was established and Susan served as the Assistant Head, then Acting Head and, over the last few years, as Unit Head when the department merged into Access and Information Services. She launched many new services over these years, and became a trusted expert in this area. Susan can claim many UTL “firsts” in her long career, such as being the first Chair of the Circulation Services Committee and the first Chair of the Resource Sharing Committee.
We would like to honour Susan’s many contributions by donating to a charity of her choice. If you would like to support planting a tree in her name, please contact/visit Lari Langford at Robarts Library (8-2898) before September 18, 2018.
Danielle Van Wagner will be joining the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library on September 1 as a Special Collections Librarian for a limited term appointment.
Danielle is a graduate of the Masters of Information program at the University of Toronto Faculty of Information. She also holds an MA in Art and Visual Culture and a BA in Art History and European Studies from the University of Guelph. Danielle is very familiar with UTL. She was a TALint student from 2015 to 2017 and then more recently a contract archivist at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library. We are very pleased to have Danielle continue in this new capacity.
During Roma Kail’s Research Leave from July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019, Agatha Barc and Colin Deinhardt will be serving as Co-Heads, Reader Services and based at E.J. Pratt Library; Karen Wishart, Theology Librarian at Emmanuel College will be serving in an administrative capacity at the Emmanuel College Library.
I’m pleased to announce the promotion of Agatha Barc to Librarian III with Permanent Status as of July 1, 2018. Congratulations Agatha!
We also congratulate Bev Branton, Circulation Supervisor as she retires following a career of 30 years here. Bev retires officially as of October 1 but her last day at Pratt Library will be July 31, 2018.
Halyna Kozar, Reader Services Library Technician at the Pratt Library has been promoted to Circulation Supervisor and begins officially in this role on August 1, 2018. Well done Halyna!
On September 1, 2018, Askari Husain will move into the position of Supervisor, User Services in the Access and Information Services Dept. Askari has been our evening and Sunday supervisor for the past few years, but has worked in the U of T Libraries in various positions since he was an undergrad.
Please join me in welcoming Askari to this new role.
Lari Langford
Head, Access and Information Services
I am delighted to inform you that Debbie Green has been reappointed as Head, Research & Reference Services, for a five year term. Debbie has done wonderful work leading her department. She is exceptionally user-focused and under her leadership, the ways in which we support our many students and faculty have flourished. She is highly collegial and supportive of her team and is always willing to explore cross-departmental projects and initiatives. I value Debbie’s contributions and look forward to more in the future.
I would like to thank the consultative committee for their careful consideration and attention to this important work. The committee members were: Julie Hannaford, Catherine Duff, Judy Young Chong, Neil Romanosky, Margaret Wall, Kyla Everall, Ksenya Kiebusinski and Hana Kim.
Please join me in congratulating Debbie.
With best regards,
Larry P. Alford
Chief Librarian, University of Toronto Libraries
I am pleased to announce that P.J. Carefoote has been appointed the Department Head of Rare Books and Special Collections at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library starting July 1, 2018.
P.J. has been the Interim Department Head since January 2017. In that time, he has had significant management and outreach successes. Further, extraordinary archival and rare book collections, including the remarkable 1481 Caxton, continued to be added to the Fisher Rare Book Library. P.J. holds a doctorate in Theology in Church History from the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium and a Master of Information Studies from the University of Toronto. In addition to serving as medieval manuscripts and early books librarian at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, he also teaches the “Rare Books and Manuscripts” graduate course for the Faculty of Information. P.J.’s exhibition catalogue, “Struggle and Story Canada in Print”, received the prestigious 2018 ALA Leab Award for Best Catalogue.
I am thrilled to have P.J.’s leadership in this very important area. Please join me in congratulating him upon his new appointment.
Best Regards,
Loryl
Interim Associate Chief Librarian for Special Collections and Director, Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library and University Archivist
Jordan Hale will be leaving the Map and Data for a professional librarian position at the University of Waterloo. Jordan has worked at the Map and Data Library for ten years, first as an SLA, GSLA, and for the last five years as Original Cataloguer and Reference Specialist.
Jordan’s many talents are going to be greatly missed in the MDL. Professionally we will miss Jordan’s genuine and deeply-rooted desire to help researchers and students. And personally we will miss Jordan’s friendliness, good humour and their endless wealth of Seinfeld trivia, cat photos and Dupont stories!
We wish Jordan good luck and safe travels to Waterloo! Their last day at U of T is June 22.
It is with mixed of emotions that I share with you the news that Lauren Williams will be leaving the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library as of June 11, 2018.
Lauren has accepted the permanent position of Curator of the Blacker Wood Natural History collection at McGill University. I am very grateful to Lauren for her tremendous work over the last four years, first as a student and then as the Dewan Librarian.
Please join me in wishing Lauren the best in this exciting new chapter in her life. Congratulations, Lauren!
Loryl MacDonald
Interim Associate Chief Librarian for Special Collections
Director, Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library
University Archivist
Gail Nichol will be retiring at the end of June after a long career at the University of Toronto Libraries in various capacities, most recently in a split role in both Collection Development and Gerstein, where she has served as a Reference & Instruction librarian.
Although we offered, Gail is not interested in a big library-wide bash to mark her retirement. Gail’s last day at work will be June 8, at which time she will be on vacation until her official retirement date of June 30. Many of you will want to take time between now and June 8 to wish Gail the best in her retirement. In addition, Gail has made it clear that she does not want a traditional gift. She would appreciate donations to Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders http://www.doctorswithoutborders.ca/.
If you would like to contribute to a collection for MSF and write a message to Gail, there is a currently a book making the rounds at Gerstein (moving to CDD on June 4) and both Vidya and Sandy Sun will be taking donations.
Elena Springall
Interim Assistant Director for Education & Information Services
Gerstein Science Information Centre
On July 1, 2018, John Bolan will begin a six-month assignment as Acting Chief Law Librarian at the Bora Laskin Law Library, while Gian Medves is on research leave.
Stephanie Orfano has been appointed as the Head of the Scholarly Communications and Copyright Office. Stephanie has served as the Interim Head since August, 2016. In that time, she has developed strong expertise and has provided invaluable input and advice to her colleagues, as well as senior administration, both within the library and the University itself. She has participated in a wide-range of initiatives; under her leadership the Syllabus Service has flourished to become an essential service for many faculty. She has been a highly collegial leader and has developed strong relationships with Collection Development, the Director, Online Learning Strategies, the University’s Legal Counsel and many other campus partners.
Alexia Loumankis has accepted the permanent status stream position of Reference and Research Librarian at the Bora Laskin Law Library commencing May 1, 2018.
Alexia is a graduate of U of T and comes to us with more than 8 years experience working at the Ministry of the Attorney General. From September 2015 until June 2017, Alexia worked with us as a contract reference librarian. She was a very valued member of our team as she filled in for various librarians on research leave and helped us tremendously as we planned and executed our move from our temporary location at Birge-Carnegie back to the new Bora Laskin Law Library.
The library staff at Bora Laskin look forward to having Alexia back as a permanent member of our team.
Navroop Gill has accepted the permanent status stream position of Instruction and Outreach Librarian at the OISE Library starting April 1, 2018.
In this role, Navroop will continue her exemplary work at the OISE Library as Head of Circulation, Coordinator of Library Instruction, Education Liaison Librarian, and Selector for the Library’s Curriculum Resources (K-12) Collection. Navroop has been a valued member of the OISE Library team since September 2015 and has already made many outstanding contributions to the OISE Library, to UTL, and to the OISE community. Navroop has played a key role in supporting OISE’s Master of Teaching students through information literacy instruction and the personal librarian program; she has led a variety of innovative projects to support student learning and wellbeing including Makerspace Pop-Ups, mindfulness meditation and yoga sessions, the OISE UnStudy Spot, and Typewriter Tuesdays.
Navroop earned her B.A. in English Literature from Queen’s University, her B.Ed. in Primary / Junior Education from OISE, her M.Ed. in Curriculum Teaching and Learning and Comparative, International Development Education from OISE, and her M.I. from the University of Toronto.
Effective April 11, Lanie Treen, Advancement Officer, has accepted a secondment to Arts and Science Advancement, where she will be filling a term position as an Associate Director with responsibilities for donor stewardship.
Following Lanie’s departure and until UTL Advancement has made arrangements to cover Lanie’s role, you may direct any inquiries related to donor stewardship and communications to Megan Campbell, Director of Advancement, University of Toronto Libraries.
Eden Rusnell, Inforum Librarian, Public Services, has had her contract extended through June 30, 2018.
It is my great pleasure to advise you that Shelley Hawrychuk has been appointed Chief Librarian at the University of Toronto Mississauga Library for a five year term beginning on March 1, 2018.
Shelley has been with the UTM Library since 1993, and has most recently served as its Interim Chief Librarian since January 1, 2017. She has previously served as Manager, Technical Services; Coordinator, Collection Services; Associate Librarian, Collections & Scholarship, and as Deputy Chief Librarian. In her many years of service, she has consistently displayed dedication, insightfulness and enthusiasm, and has taken on the leadership of several significant projects in the Library with great success in effecting positive change. She has collaborated with members of the Library's senior team to promote a vision for the Library, and to develop a strong and vibrant strategic plan, closely aligned with both UTM's and UTL' plans. Shelley will be leading the UTM Library to embrace new opportunities to support research at our campus, and will be maintaining and building its present excellent services to all users.
Please join me in congratulating Shelley on this appointment.
Ulli Krull,
Vice-President, University of Toronto & Principal, University of Toronto Mississauga
Christina Kim has accepted the Entrepreneurship Librarian position, effective immediately and continuing through January 31, 2019, while Carey Toane is on maternity leave. Chris will be dividing her time between UTL and her role at MaRS through the end of March 2018, after which time she will be based full-time for the remainder of this appointment in the Research & Innovation Services Unit at the Gerstein Science Information Centre.
For the past seven years Chris has been cross-appointed with UTL and MaRS, where she is the Senior Manager in the Market Intelligence Department, supporting entrepreneurs and startups. Her significant initiatives at MaRS have included the creation of the Startup Library, a free online resource of common market research questions; securing partnerships with innovation centres across Canada; and collaborating with the MaRS Education team to develop online courses and services to support entrepreneurs. Prior to MaRS/UofT, Chris worked as a Reference & Instruction Librarian at George Brown College. Chris has a Bachelor of Science (Honours BSc) and an MLIS from the University of Toronto.
On behalf of Yvonne Ramcharan
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
I have been with the libraries for over 45 years and they have been quite wonderful years. Thank you to the many who have made my time here so enjoyable.You have been excellent, warm and generous colleagues from whom I have learned a great deal about libraries and many other things besides.
There are a few U of T books I can call my own and can't wait to delve into. The many notes, gifts and beautiful cards from Admin, especially Larry' s, Carole Moore's and Julie's, the clock, ITS, Scholars Portal and from Campus staff. The flowers are lovely too. Most of all the picture book that was bound because of your talents Stephen, Maureen, Sian and other organizers. My sincere gratitude to all.
With very warm regards and best wishes.
Yvonne Ramcharan
Terry Correia, Loan Services Supervisor, Robarts Library, is retiring from the University of Toronto Libraries after 45 years of service.
January 11 2018
I'm writing to let you know that Yvonne Ramcharan is retiring, after a career of nearly 45 years that has touched so many of us throughout the library system. Through her work, she has made a wonderful contribution to the smooth functioning of many departments, starting in the Technical Processing Department under Ritvars Bregzis, then moving to the Sigmund Samuel Undergraduate Library, and for the past 25 years, it has been our great privilege to have Yvonne with us in the Information Technology Services department. In addition, she has played a pivotal role in supporting our integrated library system, most recently through her unflagging work with Sirsi accounts and hours, and also through several previous system migrations. And beyond her many contributions to the library, she has been a wise and kind friend whose presence will be dearly missed at the library. Yvonne prefers not to have a retirement party, but please let me know if you would add your regards to her card.
Please join me in congratulating Yvonne for such a wonderful career, and in wishing her all the very best!
With sincere gratitude for all of Yvonne's many contributions,
Sian Meikle
Director, Information Technology Services
Sent on behalf of Peter A. Wilson
It is with mixed emotions that I announce Anne Keillor’s resignation from the University of Toronto Libraries. Anne has accepted a new position in another Division at U of T. While we are sad to see her leave, we wish her great success in her new role. Anne’s last working day at Robarts will be January 12, and the Finance and Administration department will hold a small farewell gathering that day.
I would like to thank Anne for her over 30 years of dedicated service to the U of T Libraries. She has worked in numerous areas here at the Central Libraries and her roles have involved dealing with all departments and the majority of staff. For the last 13 years Anne was the Procurement Specialist for UTL and provided valuable expertise in dealing with purchases and coordinating with internal and external clients. Many staff will miss the excellent support and assistance Anne has provided.
December 7, 2017
On January 1, 2018, Elena Springall will begin a one-year assignment as Interim Assistant Director for Education & Information Services at the Gerstein Science Information Centre. All of us at Gerstein look forward to working with Elena in this interim role and wish her the best!
November 13, 2017
Posted on behalf of Loryl MacDonald
Dear colleagues,
It is with mixed emotions that I share with you the news that Karen Suurtaam will be leaving the University Archives as of November 13, 2017. Karen and her young family will be moving to Peterborough.
Karen joined the University Archives in 2012. During her time here, Karen made many contributions to the University Archives and to the UofT archival community including conducting archival outreach, working with Ursula Franklin on her archival records, and serving as co-chair of the Discover Archives Steering Committee. Karen always inspired me to be a better archivist. Karen was a wonderful colleague and her UTARMS family will miss her greatly.
Please join me in wishing Karen and her family the best in this exciting new chapter in their lives.
October 31, 2017
Posted on behalf of Neil Romanosky
It is with a distinct mix of emotions that I’d like to share with you the news that Allison Bell will be leaving UTL at the end of December 2017 to start a new position as Library Services Manager for Peterborough Public Library. Allison takes on her new role in January 2018.
As most of you know, Allison has been with Gerstein Science Information Centre since 2009, originally as Manager of the Research and Reference Unit, and then as Assistant Director for Education and Information Services. She also served as Acting Director of Gerstein from July 2010 to January 2011.
Allison’s contributions to Gerstein and UTL have been numerous. Some highlights of her time here have included starting our popular therapy dog program, founding a mentoring interest group for librarians, and spear-heading Gerstein’s Book Stop leisure reading program.
Please join me in thanking Allison for being such a splendid colleague, for her lasting contributions to UTL, and in wishing her the best in this exciting new chapter in her career.
October 2, 2017
A Message from Josie Siao
Dear friends,
I was truly blessed beyond measure by the words spoken, the beautiful flowers, the bookends that will grace my bookshelf, the useful gift cards, the scarf, the humongous and delicious cake, the food, but most of all the wonderful presence of each and everyone who took time to wish me well on my retirement.
From the bottom of my heart, my deep appreciation and thanks to all of you.
God bless,
Josie
October 1, 2017
We are very pleased to announce that Ben Walsh will be joining the Reference & Research Services Department at Robarts Library on October 1 for a one year appointment as a User Services librarian. Ben’s educational background is in English literature and he has experience at UTL from the Engineering and Computer Science Library and Laidlaw Library at University College. Prior to completing his MLS at the University of Toronto, Ben was co-owner of Glad Day Books and program coordinator at Nicholas Hoare Books. He has variously been a community mentor, interviewer, actor and book club organizer.
Please join us in welcoming Ben back to UTL!
September 5, 2017
Posted on behalf of Julie Hannaford, Deputy Chief Librarian
Hi everyone,
I am very happy to announce that Gian Medves has been appointed as the Chief Law Librarian at the Bora Laskin Law Library for a five-year term.
Gian has a long history with the Bora Laskin Law Library and has served a variety of key roles there. He began as Computer Services and Reference Librarian, before taking on roles as Coordinator of Computing Services, Director of ITS and Acting Chief Law Librarian. Most recently Gian served as the Interim Chief Law Librarian and has done a wonderful job in this regard. Under Gian’s leadership, the library has moved into a beautiful new space, which took considerable coordination and planning. The library is doing terrific work supporting faculty and students. Gian has also shown great leadership at the University itself, most recently serving on the Learning Management Engine RFP Evaluation and Selection Committee.
Gian has his MLS and BA (Economics and Political Science) from the University of Toronto.
Please join me in congratulating Gian!
August 29, 2017
Posted on behalf of Julie Hannaford, Deputy Chief Librarian
I am delighted to announce that Monique Flaccavento has been appointed as the Director of the OISE Library with a five-year term.
Monique has been Acting Director of the OISE Library since August, 2015. Prior to that, she served key roles at OISE including Public Services and Instructional Librarian and Head of Circulation Services and Resource Sharing. Monique has ably served as the Acting Director. Under her leadership, the OISE library has undergone some significant capital projects, creating wonderful new student space. She has encouraged staff to take on innovative projects, which has led to great engagement with both faculty and students. Her recent collaboration on the COU funded Student2Scholar initiative with librarians at Western University and Queen's University, as well as Jenaya Webb, here at UTL, led to the project being awarded an OCULA Special Achievement Award. Monique has her MISt and her B.Ed. from the University of Toronto.
Please join me in congratulating Monique on this appointment.
August 23, 2017
On July 31, Rashed Chowdhury, High Density Access and Retrieval Associate at UTL at Downsview, retired after working for 30 years at UTL. Rashed has left a virtual legacy of his time at Downsview, as he is the staff member featured in our videos. [watch]
On August 8, Cvijeta Sonoc was appointed to the position of High Density Access and Retrieval Associate at UTL at Downsview. Most recently, Cvijeta was a student staff member at Downsview, but has a previous career working with children with autism. Welcome Cvijeta!
August 8, 2017
Leanne Trimble will serve as Acting Head of the Map & Data Library during Marcel Fortin’s research leave (September 1, 2017-Feb 28, 2018).
July 18, 2017
Posted on behalf of Susan Gropp, Manager, Security, Health & Safety, University of Toronto Libraries
I would like to congratulate John Corbin on his promotion to the newly created position of Lead Hand – Building Patrol.
John has been a member of the Library Patrol team for 12 years, and as many of you well know, he has shown exemplary professionalism in dealing with the challenges of the job, and leadership in directing and training patrol team members.
It is a pleasure working with John and we are very pleased and fortunate to have him in the position of Lead Hand.
July 11, 2017
Posted on behalf of Debbie Green
I am very pleased to announce that Kyla Everall has accepted the position of User Services Librarian in Reference and Research Services, Robarts Library. Kyla has an educational background in English and Scandinavian studies in addition to her Master of Information which she completed in 2015. She is also currently pursuing certification in Leadership Essentials.
Kyla has previously worked at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto Scarborough and York University. Kyla cites her Vancouver Public Library experience as the source of her service ethic. Prior to this appointment Kyla served as a Government Information and User Support Librarian in Robarts Reference and Research Services and was the first supervisor of the iStaff roving support team. Kyla has continued to apply user research and service design techniques to other services at Robarts Library. Kyla is also part of a team which will be launching the first every library Family Study Space in Canada.
Kyla has made strong contributions to user services in Robarts Library using evidence base decision making. We look forward to wonderful things from her in the future.
July 11, 2017
Posted on behalf of Julie Hannaford and Debbie Green
We are very pleased to announce that Jesse Carliner has accepted the position of Communications/User Services Librarian in Robarts Library. Jesse comes with an educational background in Literature and Eastern Classics from Lawrence University and St. John’s College in the U.S. He completed his Master of Information in 2013 at the University of Toronto.
Prior to attending the iSchool Jesse pursued a wide variety of work in publishing, libraries and the retail sector. Since achieving his Master of Information Jesse has worked as an Information Assistant at De Beers Canada and, upon rejoining UTL in 2014, as a reference librarian with a focus on government information. More recently Jesse was brought into a communications role in UTL Administration reporting to the Deputy Chief Librarian. He has continued to share communications with user service responsibilities.
Jesse has made strong contributions to external communications and is active in re-envisioning user services in Robarts Library. We look forward to significant contributions from him in his dual role.
Welcome Jesse.
July 4, 2017
Posted on behalf of Chief Librarian Larry P Alford
Dear Colleagues,
I am writing to let you know that Sharon Dyas-Correia is retiring from the libraries as of June 30. She will be assuming a new position in the United Kingdom at the University of Oxford, Bodleian Libraries, effective August 1, 2017. The position will be Head of Collections and Resource Description - Acquisitions, Cataloguing and Electronic Resources. Sharon has worked at the University of Toronto Libraries since 1978, initially as a technician and then as a librarian beginning in 1985. Please join me in thanking Sharon for her many years of service at the U of T and congratulating her on her new position at the Bodleian.
With best regards,
Larry
June 20, 2017
Kate MacDonald, the Graham Library’s Cataloguing and Digital Services Librarian is on maternity leave, returning in July 2018. (no baby news yet!)
May 16, 2017
Posted on behalf of James Mason
Dear colleagues,
I’m excited to announce that Tim Neufeldt has been chosen as the successful candidate for the Instructional Librarian position here at the Music Library.
Tim has been working with us on a contract basis for a while now, and many of you will know him, and have worked on various projects with him. He has developed a strong rapport with the faculty as well as the students. He has already expanded the instructional programs for our library and I am excited to see him continue in this regard.
Tim brings to us a deep knowledge of music, holding a PHD in musicology as well as earning his MISt, both from the University of Toronto.
Please join me in welcoming Tim to his new role in the music library.
Congratulations Tim!
Posted on behalf of Heather Cunningham
Dear colleagues,
I am very pleased to announce the appointment of Patricia Ayala as the new Research Services Librarian effective June 1, 2017. This position is in the Research & Innovation Services unit of Gerstein.
In her new role, Patricia will play a key part in the ongoing development of Gerstein’s Knowledge Synthesis Service which provides collaborative and other types of support to faculty and researchers engaged in systematic, scoping and other types of knowledge syntheses. Much of the university’s health science research takes place off the main campus and Patricia will work to build and deepen relationships with faculty, staff, students and other researchers, on campus, within research institutes, and within the teaching hospitals and teaching hospital libraries. Patricia has much experience in this area due to her participation on grant-funded research teams as well as several other knowledge syntheses research teams from Nursing and Medicine. She has presented on the librarian’s role on research teams at Cochrane Colloquiums, Medical Library Association Conferences, and TRY. She has been proactive in establishing a liaison relationship with the EQUATOR Network, a global organization aimed at increasing the reliability and value of published health science literature by adhering to guidelines that promote reproducibility, transparency and reducing research waste. One direct result of the partnership with EQUATOR, was the Impactful Biomedical Research: Achieving Quality and Transparency event held at Gerstein last May.
Patricia has been with Gerstein in the role of Instruction and Faculty Liaison Librarian since 2011, where she has very successfully developed the large Faculty of Nursing liaison portfolio as well as supervised the GSLAs and TALint students. Patricia obtained her MISt from the University of Toronto and her BFA (Biology and Art History) from the University of North Carolina.
Please join with me in congratulating Patricia in her new role. Congratulations Patricia!
May 16, 2017
Post on behalf of Chief Librarian, Larry P. Alford
Dear Colleagues,
I am very pleased to announce that Loryl MacDonald has agreed to continue in the role of Interim Associate Chief Librarian for Special Collections and Director, Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library for one additional year until June 30, 2018. Loryl was appointed to the role in 2016 after two searches failed to identify a permanent replacement for Anne Dondertman. During that time, Loryl has ably provided leadership and guidance to our special collections departments while continuing with her responsibilities as University Archivist and Head of the University of Toronto Archives and Records Management Service (UTARMS).
I plan to resume the process to fill the position on a permanent basis later this year. In the meantime, I am deeply grateful to Loryl for her willingness to continue in this key role for the upcoming academic year, and to all the staff in the special collections departments who have worked closely with her to ensure continued excellence in our collections and services.
With best regards,
Larry
Posted on behalf of Neil Romanosky, Associate Chief Librarian for Science Research and Information / Director, Gerstein Science Information Centre
Effective Monday, May 15, 2017, both Research Data Management Librarian Laure Perrier and Research Data Librarian (Science & Engineering) Dylanne Dearborn will join the Map & Data Library (MDL), reporting to Marcel Fortin. This change aligns the work of two of UTL’s RDM specialists more closely with MDL’s ongoing support for innovative data services across the research lifecycle. The UTL RDM Working Group will continue to monitor the rapidly changing RDM landscape with an eye towards the development of scalable RDM services for our users.
Please join us in wishing the best to the growing MDL team!
May 2, 2017
Dear Colleagues,
As you know, April 28, 2017 was Alfred Cheng’s last day prior to retirement. I want to say how again how much I appreciate Alfred’s many years of excellent service to the library and the university and how much he will be missed.
We are continuing the search for his successor. Pending completion of the search, I have put in place the following reporting arrangements for the CAO portfolio:
Facilities and Capital Projects (Adriana Balen) will report to me.
Finance (Peter Wilson and Glen Morales) will report to me.
Human Resources (Darlene Chow) will report jointly to Deputy Chief Librarian, Julie Hannaford, and me.
Information Commons (Lidio Presutti) will report to the Director of Library Information Technology Services, Sian Meikle.
Security, Health, and Safety (Susan Gropp) will report to Julie Hannaford.
I am deeply grateful to the heads of these units for their cooperation and flexibility as we continue the search to replace Alfred.
With best regards,
Larry P. Alford
Chief Librarian
University of Toronto Libraries
May 2, 2017
Dear members of the UTL community,
I am very pleased to announce that Silvia Vong, our Collaborative Learning Librarian since 2012, has been appointed our new Head of Public Services starting May 1, 2017.
In her new role, Silvia will be managing both the library facilities and our circulation services. Drawing on her deep knowledge in the field of information literacy and library services, she will also bring renewed energy, attention, and innovation to our public-services programming for the whole USMC community, including the development of new scholarly and research events, outreach and promotion of library services and resources to St. Mike’s students and faculty.
Silvia graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in Art History and Geography from Queen’s University. She pursued a Master of Library and Information Science degree at the University of Western Ontario and has a Master of Education degree from York University. Her primary research interest is around the undergraduate learning experience.
As our Collaborative Learning Librarian, Silvia worked closely with the Book and Media Studies program, including teaching classes and research support. Before joining the Kelly in 2012, Silvia’s experience included reference, liaison, and e-learning work at York University, Brock University, and the University of Guelph-Humber.
Sheril Hook
Chief Librarian, John M. Kelly Library
University of St. Michael’s College
April 18, 2017
Effective immediately, Raj Ramcharan, Lead Hand for the Shipping & Receiving department, together with his whole team, will be reporting to Glen Morales, Business Manager.
April 18, 2017
In July, Milena Djokic will be leaving UTL Advancement to pursue a new career in web development. Milena joined UTL shortly after graduating from U of T, and in six years with us she has helped launch many initiatives which nurture our connections with donors. She has been an essential contributor to the success of UTL Advancement’s work, and has established great rapport with our donors, suppliers and University colleagues.
April 3, 2017
Please be advised of some staffing changes in Human Resources.
Sandra Charles, our HR Administrator has accepted a one year secondment opportunity effective April 17, 2017, working for the University Operations HR office. We wish Sandra all the best in her new position.
During Sandra’s secondment, Kim Gregory has agreed to fill Sandra’s position.
Recruitment will begin shortly to fill Kim’s position.
If you have any questions during this transition, please contact Darlene Chow, Human Resources Manager | darlene.chow@utoronto.ca | 416-978-7646
February 21, 2017
Posted on behalf of Larry Alford, Chief Librarian
Dear Colleagues,
I am very pleased to announce the reappointment of Loryl MacDonald as University Archivist, effective May 1, 2017, for a five-year term. This follows a review and recommendation by a consultative committee, appointed under the Policies for Librarians. In her role as University Archivist, Loryl has exhibited exceptional professional and administrative abilities, and has led UTARMS into managing increasingly complex digital materials during a time of evolving research and learning needs. She has fostered a culture of collaboration through projects such as Discover Archives, and has improved access to collections through digitization projects and a focus on outreach. Loryl is highly respected both within and outside the institution. She has served as President of the Association of Canadian Archivists, and has taught a range of courses at the iSchool. Additionally, UTARMS is responsible for the University's record management program with Presidential delegation to Loryl and the FIPPA office. The committee noted that Loryl brings out the best in people, has built an exceptional team, and is very willing to give of her time and her expertise.
Please join me in congratulating Loryl on her reappointment. I would also like to thank the members of the consultative committee for their very important contribution to this process.
With best regards,
Larry Alford
January 17, 2017
Posted on behalf of Loryl MacDonald, Interim Associate Chief Librarian for Special Collections; Director, Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library; University Archivist
Dear Colleagues,
I wish to inform you that PJ (Pearce) Carefoote, Cataloguer and Reference Librarian, Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, has agreed to assume the role of Interim Head, Rare Books and Special Collections, Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, effective January 1 to June 30, 2017.
I am grateful to PJ for taking on this assignment and very much look forward to working with him.
Best Regards,
Loryl MacDonald
January 3, 2017
Posted on behalf of Bruce Garrod
Dear Colleagues,
I am very pleased to announce that Jen Robertson will be joining us as the Liaison & Education Librarian for the Mathematical Sciences and Earth Sciences libraries, effective January 1, 2017.
Many of you know Jen from her past split positions as the EResource and Mathematics Web & Scholarly Communications Librarian, or from her work with the Collection Development Department as the Collections Librarian, Assessment & Evaluation. Jen will be working out of both the Mathematical Sciences and Earth Sciences libraries, and will be the liaison for the Department of Cell and Systems Biology. Jen will also be a key contributor to research impact and scholarly communications initiatives for all faculty served by both libraries.
Please join me in welcoming Jen to Math and Earth Sciences.
Sincerely,
Bruce
December 13, 2016
Posted on behalf of Monique Flaccavento, Acting Director, OISE Library
Dear Colleagues,
It is with deeply mixed feelings that I announce that Mi-Ryung Kim, Serials Acquisitions Specialist at the OISE Library, will be retiring at the end of December after over 35 remarkable years of dedicated service to OISE and the University.
Mi-Ryung began her career at OISE in January 1980, following her graduation from the UofT with a 4-year BA in Modern Languages. In her first years of employment, Mi-Ryung worked as an Information Clerk at the University’s School of Continuing Studies, and at the OISE Library: in the Serials Department, in the Circulation Department, and in Library Administration. Mi-Ryung was soon promoted to the role of Serials Acquisitions Specialist, where she has since very capably and meticulously managed the OISE Library’s journal collection.
Mi-Ryung will be sorely missed not only for the excellent work she has done, but also as a friend and colleague. I would like to thank Mi-Ryung for the significant contributions she has made to the OISE Library, the OISE community, and the University of Toronto, and to wish her and her family great happiness as she begins this exciting new phase in her life.
December 6, 2016
Posted on behalf of Larry Alford, Chief Librarian
Dear Colleagues,
As you know, the Libraries have been engaged in a search for a new Chief Administrative Officer to prepare for Alfred Cheng’s announced retirement. Alfred has graciously agreed to postpone his retirement until April 30, 2017 as we continue the search.
I am grateful to everyone who has participated in the search process to date. I am also deeply grateful to Alfred for his willingness to continue working during this transition.
The retirement celebration originally planned for December 14 will be postponed until the spring. To those who have already made a contribution towards Alfred’s gift, it will be put towards the gift presentation in April.
With best regards,
Larry
November 8, 2016
A staffing update from Alfred Cheng, Chief Administrative Officer:
Shipping and Receiving Department
Gord Grigor retired in June and Dennis Williams retired in August of this year. Raj Ramcharan is now the Shipping and Receiving Lead Hand to replace Gord. I am pleased to welcome two new staff members to the department, Dustin McMurphy and Morgan Gwynne-Vaughan, who both recently began in the Shipper Receiver Driver positions made vacant by Raj and Dennis. Dustin and Morgan each bring unique work experience within shipping and receiving environments, and we look forward to benefiting from their knowledge and support.
You may also be aware that Jacek Gromadzki, a longstanding member of the Shipping and Receiving department, plans to retire at the end of the year. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Jacek for his many years of dedicated service to the University of Toronto Libraries and extend congratulations on his pending retirement.
I would also like to announce that Phillip Sousa has been appointed to the position of Shipper Receiver Driver to replace Jacek after his retirement. Phillip will begin in the Shipping and Receiving department on December 1 and will be assigned to projects during the month of December before fully assuming Jacek’s position in January 2017. Congratulations to Phillip in his new role here at UTL.
Please join me in wishing Jacek all the best for his upcoming retirement and also extending a welcome to the new staff members in Shipping and Receiving.
Security, Fire, Health and Safety Department
Bill Godoy has kindly agreed to extend his contract as advisor on health and safety matters until the end of December 2016. Bill will continue to work on a temporary, part-time (60%) basis for approximately 3 days per week. John Corbin will continue to be the main contact for the UTL Library Patrols office and related operations. We are in the process of recruiting a new Manager of Security, Fire, Health and Safety and hope to have an announcement soon. In the meantime, I wish to thank Bill and John for their dedication and assistance.
October 18, 2016
This message is being sent out on behalf of Ian Whyte, UTM Library
I am very pleased to announce the appointment of Nelly Cancilla as the new UTM Library Communications and Liaison Librarian effective November 01, 2016.
Nelly joins the UTM Library after working for the past two years as the Copyright Outreach Librarian at University of Toronto Libraries. Prior to that role, Nelly was the Digital Asset Coordinator for the Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. Nelly has expertise in copyright and scholarly communication, working with students, researchers and faculty, as well as a large communications portfolio. Nelly coordinated promotional materials, managed digital messaging, and multiple social media platforms. She also coordinated and managed several large scale UTL events, such as the Open Robarts Alternate Reality Game (Open Access 2015), Fair Dealings Week 2015, and World Book and Copyright Day 2015, to name a few.
Nelly has a Master of Information with a concentration in Library and Information Studies from the University of Toronto; a Certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language, University of Saskatchewan; and a Bachelor of Arts (English) from Oakland University, Rochester, MI.
Please join with me in congratulating Nelly and welcoming her to the University of Toronto Mississauga Library. Congratulations Nelly!
September 27, 2016
Contributed by Kathleen McMorrow, former Head Librarian, Music Library
Jan MacLean began working in the library of the Faculty of Music in 1973, during the first week of classes – on her birthday! Each succeeding birthday brought a new school year with its changes and challenges; in the collections, from LPs and microfilms to DVDs and digitization; in the academic programs which broadened over the years to include jazz, world and popular music; in the student body, increasing from 400 to 700 mainly in the graduate department; and of course in technology, from typewriters and card catalogues to electronic management of almost all library activities.
As Circulation Supervisor, an icon with curly red hair, Jan was a major public face of the Music Library, a problem-solver for generations of students, greeted warmly when they returned in later years as scholars or performers pleased with their careers, but finding their own libraries lacking in some needed resource.
Behind the scenes, Jan maintained order in the workroom, prepared the schedules for two public service desks, educated full time and student assistants in the endless cycle of new circulation systems, supervised two major stack moves, the yearly inventory and the now-ongoing shift to off-site storage.
She also organized birthday coffee-breaks, holiday potluck lunches, frosh week scavenger hunts, shelving blitzes and a laugh-filled 'gift exchange' at the Christmas break.
On her retirement at the beginning of classes this year, Jan leaves a legacy of attentive, personalized service to the Toronto academic and musical communities, an example to be remembered through future changes and challenges.
August 29, 2016
August 8, 2016
August 8, 2016
August 2, 2016
With Bobby Glushko's departure Stephanie Orfano is now Interim Head, Scholarly Communications and Copyright Office. UTL very much appreciates her taking this on!
July 5, 2016
Miriam Ticoll, Executive Director. Health Science Information Consortium of Toronto, recently celebrated her retirement. Her farewell party was held at the Gallery Grill in Hart House on June 16, 2016 and her last day at Gerstein was June 16th.
Several people spoke about Miriam, including Bonnie Horne, Neil Romanosky,and Sandy Iverson from St Mike’s.
Neil Romanosky, Director of Gerstein Science Information Centre, wrote warmly about Miriam's contribution to UTL and the Consortium initiative when she announced her retirement:
'During the eight years in which she has served in this role, Miriam has provided outstanding, steady leadership for the Consortium, deftly handling e-resource negotiations in an increasingly complex environment; professional development programming for Consortium members who might otherwise not have access to such content; and countless collaborative efforts across the Consortium membership that have ultimately improved access to health information in support of education, research, and patient care.'
Here is an excerpt from Miriam's thank you note:
'Many thanks to all of you who were able to attend my retirement party on Thursday. It was wonderful to see many of you there.
I was thrilled to receive two generous gift certificates, one of which will allow me to indulge in a longstanding favourite pastime (reading) and another which will enable me to pursue my relatively new hobby (knitting). Thank you to all who contributed to these terrific gifts. I can’t wait to start buying books and wool and having more time to enjoy both.
It has been a great pleasure for me to work in the Gerstein library, a special place not only because of its physical beauty, but because of the people who work here and who work together create such a welcoming atmosphere for students.'
We want to wish Miriam much happiness and relaxation in her retirement!
June 28, 2016
Senior Serials Strategist and Collections Librarian for Open Access Initiatives Sharon Dyas-Correia, will be on leave effective July 1, 2016. During her leave, Sharon will be working at the University of East London (UEL) in the United Kingdom. As the Research Services Manager for Library and Learning Services she will be responsible for research services and scholarly communication activities including print and data repositories, open access activities, library publishing, metrics and working on preparation for UEL REF submissions.
June 7, 2016
U of T Libraries would like to take this opportunity to thank Suzanne Meyers-Sawa for her valuable work as Acting Head Librarian for Music over the past three years. As Suzanne will be on leave as of July 1, 2016, we have appointed James Mason as Interim Head Librarian while we seek to fill the position permanently. We appreciate James’ willingness to assume this role.
June 6, 2016
May 17, 2016
April 12, 2016
It is with mixed emotions that we see Gordon Grigor retire, effective June 30, 2016, after 44 years as a dedicated employee at the University of Toronto.
We are grateful to Gord for his invaluable service to the university and in particular, for the wealth of knowledge, experience, and support he has contributed to the U of T Libraries’ shipping and receiving operations over the years. We have grown to rely on his sound judgement, advice, and wise counsel. Many of you know Gord in his role as Lead Hand of the S & R department at Robarts Library. You may not know that Gord began at the University of Toronto in 1972, working at the Sigmund Samuel Library (now Gerstein Science Information Centre) as a Library Technician. When Robarts Library was built in 1973, he moved to the new building and progressed through several positions in the shipping and receiving area, including business operations and delivery services. During 1996 – 2002, the Robarts shipping and receiving department underwent a reorganization and Gord went beyond the scope of his normal duties to make it a successful transition. He was promoted to Lead Hand in 2002 and has since provided valuable assistance to our internal and external library stakeholders.
Gord will be sorely missed not only for his excellent service in shipping and receiving operations and his institutional knowledge of the UTL and the university, but also for his cheerful personality and engaging anecdotes. I hope that Gord will take many fond UTL memories with him and enjoy some well-deserved leisure time, especially after many years of early morning commuting to the city! There will be an opportunity to recognize Gord’s contributions over the course of his lengthy service, but at this time, we would like to express our deep appreciation for his dedication as a fellow colleague and to the organization. All the best for a fulfilling and happy retirement, Gord.
April 1, 2016
Marlene van Ballegooie will transition to the new role of Metadata Technologies Manager Librarian, effective April 1, 2016.
Marlene joined the University of Toronto Libraries as our Digital Collections Librarian in 2000, and since 2009, has served in the role of Metadata Librarian. In addition to the connections she has built throughout the UTL library system in her work, Marlene has presented widely, and her expertise in metadata management has been recognized by her invited participation in a number of international committees. She has served on the OCLC E-Resource Advisory Council (2013-2014); the ProQuest International Dissertations and Theses Advisory Board (October 2014 – present); and NISO’s KBART (Knowledge Bases and Related Tools) Standing Committee, responsible for maintaining, promoting, and providing educational materials about the KBART metadata standard (October 2014 – present).
In her new role, she will work closely with colleagues on all three campuses, to lead development of innovative metadata services, implement strategies for adoption of new metadata standards and modes of data transmission, and provide guidance, vision, and technical expertise for the selection of the Library’s next library service platform and strategic direction for information management and discovery.
Please join us in congratulating Marlene as she undertakes this important new role.
New unit and changes at Gerstein
March 16, 2016
Effective March 1, the Gerstein Science Information Centre introduced the following unit and reporting changes. These changes will enable Gerstein to better focus on existing and developing services, reframe Gerstein in a way that aligns with other initiatives and units in the university, and provide ongoing opportunities to develop robust and innovative approaches to library services at UTL:
The staff, collections, location, and services of Gerstein will otherwise remain the same. Please feel free to contact Neil Romanosky if you have any questions about these changes.
Administrative changes to faculty libraries
March 11, 2016
Effective May 1, 2016 the Shore + Moffat Architecture, Landscape, and Design Library, the Rotman Business Information Centre, the Bora Laskin Law Library, and the Faculty of Music Library will be changing budgetary and administrative reporting structures to become more closely integrated with the University of Toronto Central Library system.
Currently, these four libraries report to the dean of their faculties. Their head librarians will now report directly to Deputy Chief Librarian, Julie Hannaford. Each will continue to have a close relationship with his or her dean. This is a change in reporting and budgetary structure, and there will be no impact on access and use of these libraries and no changes in library staff or locations. These libraries will maintain their individual identities and continue to serve their faculties and communities. Faculty and students should not notice any changes. We will be working closely together to ensure that the transition is a smooth one.
Other discipline-specific libraries have previously made this change and are working effectively as part of the central library system, including the Engineering and Computer Science Library, the Dentistry Library, and the OISE Library. As part of the central library system, the budget for these libraries will now be allocated at the university resource level.
As an evolving 21st century library system, the U of T libraries are increasingly linked in various ways by technology, interdisciplinary subject areas, and new positions that cross all parts of the library system like research data management, digital scholarship, and scholarly communications and copyright. This administrative change will create more opportunities for collaboration amongst libraries and library staff and strengthen our ability to innovate and respond to continuing changes in research, teaching, and learning.
Please join me in welcoming these four libraries into the University of Toronto Libraries central system.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Julie Hannaford, Alfred Cheng, or me.
Best Regards,
Larry
Update to LibGuides admin support
March 8, 2016
Allison Bell will be re-joining the LibGuides admin team while Michelle Spence is on research leave. Allison and Judith Logan will be the current LibGuides administrators.
January 21, 2016
Glen Morales will transition to the position of Business Manager. In this position, Glen will be a member of the UTL Finance team joining Peter Wilson and Tony Kwakkenbos, reporting to CAO, Alfred Cheng. In this position, Glen will be providing business and accounting support on all facets of the CAO portfolio including support on high value enterprise level procurement projects, accounting and financial reviews and analysis, operational and financial projects and internal auditing. As a member of the Finance team, Glen will also support Peter and Tony on budgeting and forecasting.
Glen is well-known to many colleagues at UTL who have worked with him on various projects since 2009. Prior to this appointment, Glen held the position of Assistant Project Coordinator and assisted the CAO on a number of significant projects including RFPs, acquisition analysis, high value procurement of hardware and software, and capital projects. His other accomplishments include the Electronic data interchange (EDI) project for payments, internal auditing and accounts payable system process review. Glen took a break from the UTL and was the Business Officer for the Office of the VP, Students in 2012.
Glen has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Manitoba and a Master of Education from the University of Toronto/OISE. He is a member of the Project Management Institute with a CAPM designation as well as a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants Association (CPA, CGA). Please join me in welcoming Glen to the UTL finance team.
January 11, 2016
Amanda Fernandez, Assistant Project Coordinator has accepted a new position at the Saskatoon Public Library. Her last day with UTL will be January 31, 2016. While we are sad to see her leave, we wish her great success in her new role. Amanda’s last day working at Robarts will be January 19 and in keeping with her wishes, a small farewell gathering will be held that day.
Amanda has been with UTL for over 4 years of dedicated service. She began at the Scarborough campus library in May 2011 as a Student Library Assistant Supervisor and was seconded to Robarts Library in 2013 to her current position as Assistant Project Coordinator. Amanda has been a valuable member of the project team and has worked on a number of important library projects, including most recently, the Kronos Flextime project. All users of Kronos will miss the excellent support and assistance Amanda has provided on an ongoing basis. (Effective January 20, 2016, all Kronos related issues should be directed to Peter Wilson).
January 5, 2016
Effective January 1, 2016, Jack Leong, Director of the Canada Hong Kong Library, will assume the role of Acting Director of the East Asian Library until March 31, 2016.
December 4, 2015
Julie Hannaford has been reappointed as Deputy Chief Librarian. This follows a review by a consultative committee appointed under the Policies for Librarians. The committee unanimously recommended the reappointment. Julie has provided exemplary leadership for the past five years in this role both within her portfolio and across the libraries. She has fostered collaboration within the U of T libraries and among library departments as well as between the library and various divisions and university departments. She is highly respected across the campus as a representative of the libraries. Her many accomplishments over the last five years include the leadership she has provided in mentoring and developing library staff including the inaugural STAR awards, an area to which she is deeply committed. Please join in thanking Julie for her excellent service and leadership and in congratulating her on her reappointment.
November 30, 2015
Miriam Ticoll, Executive Director of the Health Science Information Consortium of Toronto, has announced her intent to retire
effective July 1, 2016.
During the eight years in which she has served in this role, Miriam has provided outstanding, steady leadership for the Consortium, deftly handling e-resource negotiations in an increasingly complex environment; professional development programming for Consortium members who might otherwise not have access to such content; and countless collaborative efforts across the Consortium membership that have ultimately improved access to health information in support of education, research, and patient care.
Under Miriam’s leadership, the Consortium, which marked its 25th Anniversary at a celebration last week, has expanded considerably from a network of almost exclusively hospital libraries to a robust group of 41 member institutions that now, in addition to hospitals, also includes public health units, government and non-government organizations, and educational institutions. The testimonials to Miriam’s leadership are plentiful across the Consortium’s membership and UTL. She has done much to foster and build a community of health information professionals in the Greater Toronto Area and beyond.
We wish Miriam all the best as she prepares for her next chapter.
September 21, 2015
The Map and Data Library will be changing reporting lines from Robarts Reference to the Science division, with Marcel Fortin reporting to Neil Romanosky. This change has been initiated to place the data services offered by MDL and the research data management activities in the sciences in one administrative portfolio, thereby creating more opportunities for collaboration and innovation in this important and growing area. The staff, collections, location, and services of MDL will otherwise remain the same.
Please feel free to contact Larry Alford if you have any questions about these changes.
Margaret Wall, Communications Librarian, will be on research leave from September 1, 2015 through August 31, 2016. During this time, please consult the following colleagues for assistance with communications matters:
Jesse Carliner (416-978-1757, jesse.carliner@utoronto.ca): Media relations, patron relations, tours, filming requests, library publications and brochures, signage, internal communications, questions about use of the UTL logo, UTL photos, etc., and general communications questions
Nelly Cancilla (416-946-8457, daniela.cancilla@utoronto.ca): Promotional support for library events and services (Please start by filling out this form: http://guides.library.utoronto.ca/c.php?g=251124&p=1673143)
Jack Leong (416-946-3892, jack.leong@utoronto.ca): Exhibits
July 31, 2015
Monique Flaccavento has been appointed to the role of Acting Director, OISE Library, effective August 1, 2015.
July 10, 2015
After 35 years at the University of Toronto, and 14 of those years serving in the role of TCard Manager at the University of Toronto Libraries, Mike Durocher will be retiring in October 2015. A proper farewell will be organized for Mike closer to his retirement date to acknowledge his many years of excellent service.
June 26, 2015
A thank you note from Gwen Smardon:
Thank you for a lovely retirement party last Monday. I am most grateful for the opportunity it gave me to say goodbye in such a happy setting, and grateful, too, for so many lavish gifts: gorgeous flowers, kind words, the elegant timepiece from the Administration, and the thoughtfulness of the gift card which is dedicated to art supplies, books, and music.
Please convey to the library staff at Robarts my deep appreciation of their kindness and generosity.
Best wishes and many, many thanks,
Gwen
June 19, 2015
After many years of effective service, Sarah Forbes is leaving her role as LibGuides administrator. Michelle Spence will continue as an administrator and will now be joined by Judith Logan.
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June 19, 2015
April 3, 2017
Please be advised of some staffing changes in Human Resources.
Sandra Charles our HR Administrator has accepted a one year secondment opportunity effective April 17, 2017, working for the University Operations HR office. We wish Sandra all the best in her new position.
During Sandra’s secondment, Kim Gregory has agreed to fill Sandra’s position.
Recruitment will begin shortly to fill Kim’s position.
If you have any questions during this transition, please contact Darlene Chow, Human Resources Manager | darlene.chow@utoronto.ca | 416-978-7646
May 8, 2015
Houman Behzadi, Music Collection Development Librarian, has accepted a secondment to the Book and Serials Order Section to act as Head, for two days per week, while Don McLeod is on leave. Houman, who is cross-appointed between the Collection Development department and the Music Library, is already familiar with acquisitions procedures, has taken an active role in order clean-up projects and is practiced in vendor relations. He also Chairs the monthly Selectors’ meetings.
Houman will take over the responsibilities of Head on June 1, 2015.
March 12, 2015
Dawn Wong will be leaving her position as Public Service Librarian at the Cheng Yu Tung East Asian Library and the Richard Charles Lee Canada-Hong Kong Library. She will work with us until April 10, 2015.
With her excellent service-oriented approach, solid knowledge in Chinese and Chinese Canadian studies and diverse language skills, Dawn has made some very significant contributions to public service at both the East Asian Library and the Canada-Hong Kong Library. Because of her unique role in the two libraries, a number of cooperative initiatives have been achieved, including the sharing of gift materials, co-hosting events and orientation activities. We will miss Dawn and wish her all the best in her career.
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Contributed by Debbie Green
Patricia Bellamy knew she was destined to become a librarian from the time, many years ago, when she worked in the Hamilton Public Library. After a number of detours, via the Vancouver Community College Lanagara Campus Library and the BC Sports Hall of Fame Library among others, she came to us here at the University of Toronto. After almost 30 years, Patricia has decided to retire. We can’t quite imagine what that is going to feel like for those of us left behind.
Patricia started at UTL in 1985 in the Map Library continuing with that unit and with Government Publications until 1990 when she joined the Reference Department. She has been a mainstay of the department ever since.
Patricia has been active in library and university affairs throughout her career, serving as President of LAUT from 1988 to 1989, as a member of UTFA Council from 1988-1991, and being part of Academic Board from 2008 to 2011. Patricia took a study leave to get her Master's at Guelph University. She finished her studies there in 1995 having completed a major paper on group immigration to Canada from the Isle of Lewis in Scotland. These newcomers came to Bruce County, Ontario, an area in which Patricia has had a long standing local history interest. Patricia was promoted to Librarian IV in 2005 and was Acting Faculty Liaison and Information Literacy Coordinator from 2008-2013. During that time, she also spent 6 months at the Centre for Teaching Support and Innovation where she impressed the Centre staff with her smarts and ability.
Patricia’s ongoing Canadian Necrology project is a significant work of scholarship begun in 2002. Patricia took unique sets of card files and volumes which provided access to information about individuals important in the early history of the City of Toronto and Canada. Patricia developed this online tool by extending and enhancing the work of former University Librarians W.S. Wallace and H.H. Langton as well as that of Reference staff who predated her in the department. Canadian Necrology is freely available on the web and will be updated by Patricia as time goes on.
Patricia’s service to the library has extended from the Web Advisory Group to the Senior Promotions Committee. She has been Acting Faculty Liaison and Information Literacy Coordinator and many other important library and professional contributions. Recently, she was the driving force behind the wonderful State in the Bedroom: The Evolution of Reproductive Rights in Canada exhibit which corresponded with the Berkshire Conference on the History of Women in May 2014. For her colleagues and many budding librarians, Patricia has been the model to which we strived and the mentor who made us proud of our profession and excited about its future.
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Patricia embodies all the qualities of an excellent reference librarian. She is highly-intelligent, curious, and unfailingly tactful and good-humored. In a note to the department, a user once referred to Patricia as the Angel Librarian and a better description would be hard to find. If you need to understand the evolution of the Wellesley Index to Victorian Periodicals or want to know what AMAM(M) stands for, Patricia is the librarian you want.
Patricia is also an excellent teacher, working closely with faculty from the Department of Religion, Political Science, and others. She has tremendous respect for our students and they love her in return.
Patricia is getting herself geared up for retirement with a regime that includes walking, swimming, and Pilates, for a start. Concert-going and immersing herself in East York culture are also on her list. It’s hard to say goodbye to such a good friend, but we are confident she will find time to visit us on the 4th floor.
Patricia’s retirement party was an elegant affair, befitting an elegant woman. Thanks Patricia for everything you have been and continue to be to us. You are much loved and you will be sorely missed.
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Dear Colleagues,
I am forwarding this announcement for your information.
I know there will be opportunities over the next few months to celebrate Kathy’s extraordinary work over the last 8 years on behalf of Ontario’s university libraries and our students and faculty and to thank her. I do, however, want to take this opportunity to thank her on behalf of UTL. As Martha Whitehead says below, Kathy’s leadership has made an enormous difference in the development of innovative library services among universities in Ontario and at the UTL. She will be greatly missed.
With best regards,
Larry Alford
OCUL will shortly begin the search for a new Executive Director due to the planned retirement of current Executive Director Kathy Scardellato on July 31, 2015.
Since joining OCUL as Executive Director in 2007 from systems and web services development at Toronto Public Library, Kathy has guided the consortium through almost a decade of innovation, expansion and success. Her leadership has helped strengthen OCUL’s position as an innovator in the shared development of digital library services and collections for Ontario’s universities.
Kathy will continue to forge ahead with numerous OCUL activities for the next six months, as well as preparing the organization for transition to a new Executive Director. "I know I speak for past, current and future colleagues when I say we're extremely grateful to Kathy for her significant contributions to OCUL and the library community," says OCUL Chair Martha Whitehead. "Long after she retires, Kathy’s professionalism, mentorship and wisdom will continue to be felt in Ontario, across Canada and abroad."
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Rebecca Ko, Acting HR Manager for the Libraries, has accepted a position at OISE. November 14 will be her last day at the library.
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After spending the last six years as UTL’s Manager of Human Resources, Scott Hilborn has accepted a position as the Director of Human Resources with Kids Help Phone and will be starting the new position on October 27, 2014. Rebecca Ko will be the Acting HR Manager until a new manager has been hired.
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Bill Godoy, Manager of Facilities, Security, Fire, Health and Safety at UTL retired on June 30. Bill has provided 22 years of outstanding service to the University of Toronto Libraries and he will be greatly missed. In his role as Manager, Bill has always shown a true dedication to his work and a commitment to ensuring that all staff and visitors to the library are kept safe and secure with prevention as his key goal. Bill has been a valuable source of information and support to me and many staff members, providing guidance and expertise on a wide range of health, safety and security matters. He has been actively involved with the UTL and Tenant Joint Health and Safety committees for years, and has served as a valuable liaison with campus and non-campus personnel in the effort to promote and maintain a safe and healthy workplace and library environment. In his charming and humble way, Bill asked that we take a low key approach to his retirement, which we respected by giving him a small reception last week. While it is sad to say farewell to Bill, I am sure you will join me in thanking him and wishing him a wonderful retirement, with a future that may very well include a lot more golf!
We have undertaken a search for Bill’s replacement and hope to have it completed in the next few months. In the meantime, I will assume his responsibilities with support from the Finance and Administration team. More details will follow. If you have any comments, issues or concerns, please feel free to contact me.
Alfred Cheng
Chief Administrative Officer
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Hana Kim will be leaving UTL at the end of August, in order to assume the position of Head, Asian Library at the University of British Columbia.
Hana is a highly accomplished individual who has done some marvellous work here at UTL, both in her role as Korean Studies Librarian, as well as during her two periods as Acting Director of our East Asian Library. Hana began her career here at UTL at the Cheng Yu Tung East Asian Library in 2003. She is a talented and dedicated professional who has made a lot of contributions for the growth of our Korean collections in the past 11 years.
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After 15 years at the University of Toronto Libraries, Sergio Quibus is retiring from his position as Original Cataloguer at the OISE Library, in June 2014. Sergio's contributions to the U of T Libraries stretch across several departments: the Bibliographic Processing Department, Data, Map & Government Information Services, and most recently the OISE Library. Sergio’s creativity and language skills have been a great asset to his work with OISE’s diverse and unique collections. All the best Sergio, we wish you well in your new adventures!
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Farewell to Sandra Langlands and Welcome to Bonnie Horne as Interim Director!
August 5, 2014
On June 30, 2014, the Gerstein Science Information Centre bade farewell to Sandra Langlands, longstanding Director of Gerstein and Acting Director, Science Libraries (Dentistry, Earth Sciences, Engineering, Gerstein & Math). Sandra retired after 34 years of distinguished service with the University of Toronto Libraries (UTL). As Chief Librarian Larry P. Alford eloquently put it:
“Throughout her career, Sandra has chaired countless committees, served on several decanal search committees, worked with faculty departments across the institution, been an active member of a number of library associations and been heavily involved in the health sciences information community including chairing the 1988/89 committee which resulted in the inception of the Health Sciences Information Consortium of Toronto. She has been a mentor and advisor to many librarians, library staff members, and U of T students. She is passionate about access to health information - access for faculty, students, and patients. She has done much to expand that access, particularly in Toronto among our affiliated hospitals. She has published and presented her research related to health information, and been a leader at UTL in moving the data preservation and discovery agenda forward. […] Her work and the work of her colleagues on the team in helping us understand the role of the library in data preservation and discovery has been very important.
In everything that Sandra takes on, her tireless focus on service and her high standard for excellence is evident. Her wise counsel will be greatly missed…” (Source: In the Loop)
Gerstein wishes Sandra all the best in this new chapter of her life!
Gerstein staff are also pleased to welcome librarian Bonnie Horne into her new position as Interim Director of the Science Libraries and Gerstein. Bonnie has been a librarian at UTL since she completed her MLS from the University of Toronto in 1975. In 1996, she moved from the Sigmund Samuel Library, where she had been responsible for Short Term Loan, Collection Maintenance and Circulation, to the Gerstein Science Information Centre as Access and Information Coordinator. Bonnie has also contributed to UTL on a number of library construction projects including working as a project manager on the Morrison Pavilion, and renovation and expansion projects at Robarts, UTL at Downsview and the Engineering and Computer Science Library. In addition, Bonnie has been an active colleague on a number of library and university committees. She is a member of Academic Board and served as President of the University of Toronto Faculty Association in 1990-92.
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Maria Budziakowska will be retiring from the Cataloguing department at Robarts Library this June after many years of service.
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Dear Colleagues,
As many of you know, after 34 years of distinguished service to the University of Toronto Libraries, Sandra Langlands will be retiring on June 30, 2014. Sandra has been an integral part of the Libraries’ team, particularly as Acting Director, Science Libraries (Dentistry, Earth Sciences, Engineering, Gerstein & Math), as the Director, Gerstein and as a member of the senior staff and the UTL Executive Leadership Council. She is also a respected colleague and trusted mentor across UTL.
Throughout her career, Sandra has chaired countless committees, served on several decanal search committees, worked with faculty departments across the institution, been an active member of a number of library associations and been heavily involved in the health sciences information community including chairing the 1988/89 committee which resulted in the inception of the Health Sciences Information Consortium of Toronto. She has been a mentor and advisor to many librarians, library staff members, and U of T students. She is passionate about access to health information - access for faculty, students, and patients. She has done much to expand that access, particularly in Toronto among our affiliated hospitals. She has published and presented her research related to health information, and been a leader at UTL in moving the data preservation and discovery agenda forward. She provided leadership for the UTL ARL e-science team. Her work and the work of her colleagues on the team in helping us understand the role of the library in data preservation and discovery has been very important.
In everything that Sandra takes on, her tireless focus on service and her high standard for excellence is evident. Her wise counsel will be greatly missed. I appreciate personally her working with me over the last three years as I have learned about the complexity of health and science education and research at U of T as well as health services at U of T and its affiliated hospitals. Her advice has been invaluable, and I am deeply grateful to her for the time and effort she spent making sure I understood the health sciences and sciences information landscape here. There will be an opportunity to celebrate Sandra’s career later this year. In the meantime, please join me in congratulating Sandra on her many achievements and wishing her a wonderful retirement.
With best regards,
Larry
Larry P. Alford
Chief Librarian
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On behalf of Peter Wilson:
After more than 40 years of dedicated service, Darlene Kent, in our Finance and Administration Business Office, is retiring at the end of December. Resepecting her wishes, she has requested a small, intimate celebration with just staff from the Finanace and Administration department. Should any other staff members like to sign one of her cards and/or make a contribution, Betty Liu in the Business Office located on the 6th floor of Robarts Library has them available. Please do not hesitate to drop by and wish Darlene well on a much deserved retirement. She will be missed.
Jiabin Wang retired in the summer as Head of the Engineering & Computer Science Library. He was a strong asset to the library since he joined UTL 13 years ago in 2000 and we will miss him greatly. The Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering recently published a special issue of its newsletter entitled 'A Year in Review', featuring a salute to Jiabin.
June 10, 2014
Contributed by Debra Labern
On June 5, 2014, the many colleagues, friends and family of Sandra Langlands gathered in the historic Gerstein Reading Room to bade Sandra farewell and wish her all the very best for her retirement, which officially starts on July 1, 2014. Sandra has been a joy to work with and a wonderful leader. Here at Gerstein we will all be sad to see her leave, but we wish her a happy, healthy , joyous and stress-free retirement from the bottom of our hearts.
Congratulations, now the fun begins. Best wishes on your new chapter in life, Sandra!
