Relocation of Management Collection to Humanities & Social Sciences Library results in increase in study and teaching spaces at Business Information Centre

Dear Colleagues,

As most of you know, the McGill Library and the Desautels Faculty of Management have been working together to build a state-of-the-art learning facility that will benefit students and enable the advancement of the Faculty's teaching and research.

Currently, the second floor of the Bronfman Building is being transformed into what will become the Business Intelligence Centre. Much deliberation and consultation has taken place around this plan and how to best serve the needs of Desautels students and faculty. As a result of these conversations and in response to mandates from the Principal's Strategic Reframing Initiative, we would like to share a new development with you.

General

• As part of the University's overall plan to improve student services, we are realigning both the Management Library staff and collections to provide better service and access to information for all McGill students and faculty.  This restructuring is designed to help us benefit from one another's expertise and capitalize on economies of scale.

• As a result, the Centre for Business Intelligence will exist under the umbrella of the Desautels Faculty of Management and will no longer include the Howard Ross Library of Management. Revised plans for the space will continue to involve students and faculty over the next several weeks.

Library Staff

• The Howard Ross team will be integrated into the Humanities and Social Sciences Library and will continue to serve Faculty of Management and Continuing Education students. High contact services, such as library instruction, will be maintained as before, in order to continue a service of excellence. Liaison Librarians responsible for Management and Continuing Education will establish dedicated office hours within the Business Intelligence Centre.

• All Howard Ross Library staff will retain their positions. There will be no reduction in staffing. Liaison Librarians will also retain their subject expertise and maintain close relationships with teaching departments in developing collections, supporting research and teaching, and promoting the library's collections and services.

Collections

• The Management Collection will remain in the Humanities & Social Studies Library. The Management Reserves will continue to operate from room 425 of the Bronfman Building, while ongoing discussions are held regarding the reserves program. In addition, since Desautels Management Library users have shown a huge preference for accessing online materials, we will be increasing access to online databases and materials.

Restructuring will deliver a range of benefits to our students and faculty:

• Faculty and students using the Business Intelligence Centre will benefit from a completely refurbished teaching, learning and study space. There will be a significant increase in group study rooms, quiet study spaces, and the new teaching spaces will be fully equipped with advanced technology and software.
• Accessibility and longer hours are most often cited by students as critical needs in surveys and assessments. Relocating the Management Collection into the Humanities and Social Sciences Library will provide greater access due to longer service hours.
• Students will also benefit from the extended study hours in the Humanities & Social Studies Library, which is open 24 hours a day/seven days a week throughout most of the fall and winter terms.
• Since the combined Humanities and Social Sciences Library and Management team will be cross-trained, access to knowledgeable professionals for Management and Continuing Education students and faculty will be enhanced.
• There will be greater collaborative opportunities in academic librarianship and enhanced opportunities for interdisciplinary activities and interaction.

These changes will ensure that the McGill Library and the Desautels Faculty of Management continue to be recognized internationally as world-class academic and research organizations.

Colleen Cook, Trenholme Dean of Libraries

Peter Todd, James McGill Professor and Dean
Desautels Faculty of Management