By the Bootstraps: Building an Engineering Collection from the Ground Up

Abstract

York University is a large urban university in Toronto, Canada. While mostly known as an institution with a strong focus on the arts, humanities and social sciences, York has a set of small but active science programs. As part of a plan to increase the emphasis on applied sciences, York initiated its first engineering programs in Computer, Space and Geomatics Engineering and Engineering Physics. In the fall of 2001, York welcomed its first ever engineering students into these new programs. This poster session will present the experiences and strategies of a new librarian building a library presence for these new programs. Also covered will be the methods used to build journal, reference and monograph collections as well as efforts to forge links with the new faculty and students. All these activities are situated within an environment of “Big Deals,” budget cuts and severe financial restrictions that have become the norm in many universities.