Library Holdings
This section of the report is prepared by Laura R. Syms, Business and Data Services Librarian, Cape Breton University.
The library self-study of services and resource offerings in support of the MBA in CED program is based on the Standards for Business Accreditation (American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business) model. The template is available online at:
http://tinyurl.com/y9w43fl
This structure provides a framework for describing the specialized resources and services necessary for academic offerings for Business. However, given it was published more than 10 years ago, it is no longer sufficient to adequately describe academic libraries’ present online environments and consortium arrangements that enable a relatively small academic library, such as that of CBU, to now offer more and better services and resources to its off campus students than a larger university library may have aspired to offering its on campus community a decade ago. Therefore, this template has been edited to better describe the resources and services CBU Library avails its MBA in CED students who study at a distance.
in an increasingly electronic and fragmented information environment, the quality of research support services to students studying from off-campus is as important as the access they have to those resources.
CBU Library actively supports the mission of the Shannon School of Business MBA in CED to deliver advanced business knowledge and skills in the community and the work world. The CBU Library seeks to provide superlative resources and services to meet the needs of MBA in CED students and faculty on campus and off campus, at CBU or other locations.
Material Offerings
Business Book and Journal Access, and Subject-relevant Databases:
Titles for the Business collection are selected from faculty recommendations, publisher catalogs and announcements, standard reviewing sources, and from the online
acquisitions lists from other academic business libraries.
Print Book Holdings and Access:
A very recent calculation [2010] of CBU Library’s print holdings, done for the Canadian Association of Research Libraries[CARL], indicates that CBU Library now holds 135 books for each FTE student. This puts CBU Library ahead of other primarily
undergraduate libraries such as St. Francis Xavier University, St. Mary’s University, Trent, and Wilfrid Laurier in that category of the MacLeans Survey of
Universities[2009]. This figure is for CBU Library overall holdings but it relevant to this self-study for it is also indicative of increased institutional support to CBU Library in recent years
The CBU Library does have a considerable Business book collection, as well as
resources that specifically support MBA in CED specializations in Peace-Building, First Nations Option etc. In addition to 29,800 titles in the HB-HJ Library of Congress
classification and thousands of titles in other subject-relevant LC class areas, CBU Library boasts special collections in Native studies, international development, as well as the Pearson Peacekeeping Collection. The latter warrants special note for it was a donation from the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre and includes more than 7,500 monographs on strategy, conflict resolution, risk management, leadership etc. CBU’s books are sent to the NAIT library through the document delivery service.
Electronic Book Holdings and Access:
In the last two years, most titles purchased in support of the MBA in CED are electronic to enable off-campus access. Given most e-books do not have class numbers, it is rather difficult to calculate exact e-book holdings by discipline, however, it is estimated that, at this time, CBU holds approximately 8,300 e-books which directly support the MBA in CED.
CBU Library also subscribes to Safari Books , a fully-searchable digital collection of IT and Business “how-to” books which includes material on project management,
presentations etc. that are appreciated by those in the MBA in CED. The wonderful thing about this subscription is that the online collection, consisting of more than 9800 books, is constantly updated, and, CBU’s access allows new material to be
added/replaced in minutes thereby potentially giving students access to the latest books in the subject area.
Electronic Serials Holdings and Access:
Cape Breton University is a participant in the Canadian Research Knowledge Network , through this and it’s own initiatives, CBU Library currently accesses 27, 249 serial titles and their archives electronically. Included in this electronic access, are more than 3400 Business serials and hundreds of other MBA in CED related titles.
These numbers do not include titles CBU subscribes to from the International Monetary Fund, Conference Board of Canada, World Bank, OECD etc. that are accessed, by subscription, through discrete publisher databases. These publications are available campus-wide and off-campus via the University's proxy server.
Subject-relevant Databases:
CBU Library also subscribes to a number of Business and MBA[CED]-related databases that provide subject and content access. These databases are available campus-wide and off-campus via the University's proxy server. These sources include: Academic Search Premier (EbscoHOST): Aggregate database, Interdisciplinary
Business Source Premier (EbscoHOST): Aggregate database, Business CPI Q.(Gale) : Aggregate database, Canadian Interdisciplinary
CBCA-Reference (ProQuest): Aggregate database, Canadian Interdisciplinary CBCA- Business(ProQuest): Aggregate database, Canadian Business
Conference Board of Canada E-Data(CBofC): Statistics & data, CBofC, CREA Conference Board of Canada E-Library(CBofC): Full-text reports, serials, webinar DLI License(Statistics Canada): Statistics & data, Access to microdata, surveys Entrepreneurship ProQuest): Aggregate database, Marketing
FirstSearch (WorldCat): Aggregate database, Interdisciplinary
ICPSR(ICPSR): Statistics and data, contributed by int’l consortium of universities IMF(IMF): Statistics & data, IMF member countries revenues, expenses etc. JSTOR(JSTOR): Digitized journals , Interdisciplinary
Labour Spectrum (Carswell) Cases summaries and commentaries, Canadian Military & Government Database(EbscoHOST): Aggregate, Military, governance OxResearch(ProQuest): Briefing papers, World & regional economic and political PAIS(CSA Illumina): Citations , Policy on development, environment etc
PAO( ProQuest) Digitized journals , Interdisciplinary
PsycInfo (EbscoHOST): Aggregate database, Consumer psychology etc. Refworks(Scholars Portal) Citation manager
Web of Science (ISI): Citation database
Service Offerings On site Facilities:
Cape Breton University Library houses the print resources of CBU’s Business collection. Resources can be sent to off-campus borrowers through CBU ‘s document delivery system. The library is open 66.5 hours per week. At this time, there are approximately 20 public-access workstations, wireless access, and instructional space with student and instructor computers and LCD projector. Later in 2010, the Library will undergo a significant renovation that will enhance computer and multimedia facilities and increase CBU Library’s study and collection capacity.
Access to Content not held by CBU:
CBU Library is a member of the ASIN Relais Document Delivery System. Through this system, CBU’s document delivery requests are submitted online; automatically sent to a library holding the material; and filled. Typically, if a CBU student in Edmonton, for example, requests a journal article through ASIN he/she will receive it, usually at no charge, within 48 hours of the initial request. The ASIN Relais Document Delivery System also delivers books to CBU’s off-campus borrowers to academic and public libraries within their communities.
In addition to having access to efficient document delivery services, CBU’s students and faculty at a distance take advantage of their ability to borrow materials locally through the Canadian Reciprocal Borrowing Agreement [CURBA] instituted almost ten years when Canadian university libraries agreed to extend in-person borrowing privileges to students, faculty and staff from other institutions across the country.
Reference Services, Resource Instruction and Service Orientation:
Service and instruction for students is now as important as access to the resources themselves. The MBA IN CEDprogram at CBU acknowledges that in addition to developing good scholarship, students in the MBA IN CEDmust also develop business information literacy skills that will not only serve them as students but in their
professional lives.
1. Research Assistance
CBU Library’s Information Services division consists of 5 librarians. Desk reference service is available seven days per week for almost all hours that CBU Library is open. References services are also available for off-campus students through email,
telephone and an online chat that functions 62 hours a week. As well, the School of Business librarian corresponds with MBA in CED students by email and by telephone, at the student’s convenience, outside CBU Library’s hours including weekends and evenings.
2. Formal Research and Business Information Literacy Instruction: Those MBA in CED students doing a residency at CBU attend a pre-core introductory session to CBU Business holdings and at least one further three-hour instructional session on using these resources in the academic research process. Given that not all students take courses on site, the CBU School of Business librarian circulates tutorials and other instructional materials by email to MBA in CED students and regularly
arranges conference calls with them to give hands on instruction when needed. Therefore, all MBA in CED students are offered instruction in using not only CBU’s book, journal and database offerings but to RefWorks, statistical sources etc.; and their faculty insist students are proficient in using these resources.
3. Instructional Aids:
In the last two years, CBU Library has used LibGuides software, which features Web 2.0 functionality, to connect users to CBU’s resources and quality web resources. Using this software, the School of Business librarian can use RSS feeds, PowerPoint files, FaceBook applications, podcasts, and other multimedia to enhance instructional offerings for Business students. The School of Business librarian has created the Business Research LibGuide and the Data and Statistics LibGuide and is currently developing podcasts on finding company information, using RefWorks, and using citation analysis in the research process
Faculty-Library Liaison Services:
The School of Business librarian has a collaborative working relationship with Business faculty and communicates frequently about new services and resources. The School of Business librarian is also a member of the MBA Standing Degree Committee and works with individual faculty to improve students’ access to resources and their knowledge of these resources.
Summary on library resources:
Increased electronic access and shared purchases with other libraries has increased and enhanced CBU Library’s capacity to serve the Shannon School of Business in terms of expanded and improved Business book collection; increased access to all types of Business serial resources; as well as progressive and individualized Business Information Literacy instruction.
Using increased access to electronic content, ICT, and more traditional technologies, CBU Library offers MBA in CED students working off-campus access to all of its resources, as well as individual instruction.
Classroom Space
The new 23,000 sq. Ft. Shannon School of Business Building will be the new home to all on-campus MBA in CED classes starting September 2012. Classes off-campus are held in state-of-the-art facilities, like the classrooms in NAIT’s HP Centre building in Edmonton. The typical requirements for MBA in CED venues include a classroom, wireless Internet access, audio visual support, and refreshments. The typical MBA in CED off-campus course delivery requires:
- One classroom for 20 people
- Audio visual equipment: an LCD projector and screen, an whiteboard - Wireless internet access
- Two nutrition breaks daily
CBU has been fortunate in accessing such services in different college campus locations, with high service reliability and manageable costs.
Ontario Locations:
St. Lawrence College, Kingston Campus. School of Business is a champion for the MBA in CED program and they can enable use of a smart classroom with LCD
projector, PC, screen, and whiteboard at a reasonable rate. They have also extended access to the Empire Boardroom and breakout rooms on Saturdays. Brown’s Catering has been contacted and they can deliver refreshments and cookies to the class at an affordable cost rate.
Sault College, Sault Ste Marie, Continuing Education, is a supporter of the MBA in CED program and they can also enable use of a smart classroom with LCD projector, PC, screen, and whiteboard at a reasonable rate. Contact North has a classroom/studio at Sault College and they have expressed interest in broadcasting our lectures to students living in Northern communities. In addition, Sault College has offered a well equipped classroom near the Enji Maawnjiding Native Student Centre and lounge. Chartwells Food Services has been contacted and they can deliver refreshments and cookies to the class at an affordable cost rate.
Both locations are offering our students access to services on campus for learners with disabilities, access to the library, wireless internet, etc. CBU provides all students toll- free access to campus offices.