Downsview

Background

Queen’s University Library is collaborating with the libraries at the University of Toronto, Western University, McMaster University, and the University of Ottawa to preserve low-demand print materials. Extending the University of Toronto’s Downsview facility, the project brings together a purpose-built, high-density storage facility that supports long-term preservation, an existing retrieval and transportation network, and new models of desktop delivery, ensuring that low demand print materials remain readily available for research and study within the province.

LAMP

The Library and Archives Master Plan (LAMP) envisions the Queen’s Library and Archives of the present and the future.

Approved by Queen’s Board of Trustees in December 2013 following an extensive process of consultation and iterative design, the plan remains active, guiding the ongoing evolution of the Library and Archives facilities and services, and informing ongoing planning and priorities for investments.

Material Collections

Our collection areas include: Canadiana, rare books, history of science, children’s literature, maps, broadsides, posters, newspapers, pamphlets, and sheet music. Highlights from the collection include John Buchan's library, Robertson Davies' library, the Edith and Lorne Pierce Collection of Canadiana, the Riche-Covington radio astronomy collection, and the Schulich-Woolf Rare Book Collection. The following is a list of our collections organized by area with our two largest areas listed first: Canadiana and Rare Books. Other areas are listed alphabetically.

Digital Collections

We are in the process of digitizing our collections. The Schulich-Woolf Rare Book Collection, Robertson Davies Collection, and Chinese poster collections are hosted through Omeka and continue to grow. Images of 18th Century British Political Pamphlets, Canadian Pamphlets, stereoscopic view cards, The Young Ladies’ Journal, and World War I Victory Bonds posters are available online through QSpace.

People Counter Project

This project enables students check the availability of study space in Stauffer Library online and is supported as a joint effort between the Alma Mater Society (AMS) and the library.

The project began as part of the 2012-2013 AMS executive election campaign to track Stauffer Library’s busiest hours by publicizing real-time information on peak times and volumes on the library website.

Licensing Database

Queen’s subscribes to hundreds of databases that include millions of journal articles, newspaper articles and ebooks. For each of these databases, Queen’s signs a license that allows students, faculty and staff to use the materials in these databases for different purposes. Most databases allow you to link to material, but some also allow you to include material in coursepacks and/or post materials in Learning Management Systems like onQ.