Archive - Historical Material

Simon Fraser University Library on the west coast of Canada has dealt with the change of shifting libraries from being not only a physical place and storehouse but a conduit for access to information in three ways: increased development of inter-organisational partnerships; SFU Library developed user-initiated document requesting from partners; increased online full-text initiatives. That sense of "place" and its walls are crumbling and libraries need to recognise that they must exist outside or at least access outside their own physical walls to be viable. This presentation will explore how SFU has positioned itself to effectively meet the information needs of its users and partners and how these concepts can be applied to other libraries.

In the 1980s Simon Fraser University Library provided more effective information access by adopting the concept of the "secondary collection" to describe material available through Library services, but not part of SFU's collection. In the 1990s SFU identified the service and economic effectiveness of providing user-initiated document requesting from its partner libraries and now provides direct requesting services for on-campus and distance education students. As technology and money has permitted, the Library has also subscribed to online full-text services that can be accessed both on and off campus.

The SFU Library has created an environment where it is easier to access other collections and have other libraries access its collection. This was all done to improve access to information for its users and improved use of SFU's collection by students, near and far, as well as other partner libraries.