While still a relatively young academic library, the UBC Okanagan Library has grown tremendously over the past decade and is continually evolving to meet the needs of a growing student body, and to respond to technological innovation and changing best practices.
The needs and expectations of students and researchers are also evolving and in order to meet these needs, the Library is focusing its efforts in three key areas: student experience, regional community engagement and research collections.
We welcome all those who want to join us in making a difference in the lives of students, faculty, staff and visitors as we support their pursuit of knowledge at UBC Okanagan.
Make a Difference in Our Spaces
Library spaces are an influential part of the student experience on the UBCO campus. Our spaces not only support scholarly pursuits, they foster community and a connection to place. In these spaces, memories are made for life and we take the design, planning, and management of our spaces seriously. Donor support can make a profound difference in how our spaces meet the needs of students, faculty, and staff and support our campus community in reaching their greatest potential. Recognizing that support through naming opportunities is one way we can collaborate to make a difference in our spaces.
With the opening of the Commons in January 2019, a range of unique collaborative study spaces became available to UBCO students. These spaces provide critical knowledge-sharing opportunities to students in virtually all fields of study and at all stages of academic career.
Students benefit greatly from bookable group study rooms and flexible furniture solutions as the distinctive qualities of different spaces accommodate and facilitate the collaborative work characteristics of their respective fields.
Sponsorship
These collaborative study rooms are available for naming opportunities.
Nearly every student who comes to UBC Okanagan experiences at least one instructional session in this classroom, one of the most dynamic learning spaces in the Library. This state-of-the-art classroom was intentionally designed to be flexible, with integrated technology to enable and promote small group work. The classroom’s design features four ‘pods’ that are equipped with technology that allows students to connect their own devices, or view what is being presented on the main screen. This enables hands-on learning, and allows students to create and evaluate their own content within the context of the information literacy and research skills being taught.
The Active Learning Classroom provides an excellent naming opportunity for a donor who is interested in associating their name with higher education and enriched learning experiences for students, while highlighting their support for leading-edge educational facilities.
Sponsorship
This classroom is available for a $100,000 naming opportunity.
Explore naming opportunity
Distinctive to the UBC Okanagan campus are our Special Collections and Archives. They provide a repository for titles published in and about the Okanagan and neighbouring regions of British Columbia; a variety of titles that support the teaching and learning needs of the campus; as well as archival collections that present the rich and dynamic history of the region.
The Special Collections boasts a number of resources – books, pamphlets, journal issues, DVDs, VHS tapes, maps, etc. – created in and/or about the Okanagan-Similkameen, Columbia-Shuswap, and the Kootenays. The Special Collections and Archives is located on the lower level of the Commons building and has light-filled displays and a vault for ensuring the long-term preservation of materials.
Donor support could be used to expand and enhance the Library’s research collections or to purchase necessary digitization and preservation technology and equipment.
Sponsorship
There is a $250,000 naming opportunity for Special Collections and Archives.
Explore naming opportunity
Make a Difference to Our Collections
The UBC Okanagan Library has access to UBC’s world-class research collections. In addition to traditional book collections, our campus’ collections include a wide variety of digital, special, and archival collections to support learning and research.
UBC Okanagan’s Library holds over 200 thousand physical items, including books, films, journals, maps, and sound recordings, as well as special collections and archival materials relevant to the Okanagan and neighbouring regions of British Columbia.
In addition to these purchased and licensed collections, the Library provides access to locally (Vancouver and Okanagan) produced digital collections which can be searched through UBC Library’s Open Collections platform. Of specific relevance to the Okanagan, the varied offerings currently include:
- Okanagan Historical Society (OHS) Annual Reports
- BC Historical Newspapers and BC Historical Books
- Doug and Joyce Cox Research Collection
Donor support could be used to enhance the Library’s physical or digital collections (books or databases) in any discipline.
Make a Difference to Our Services
Library services are at the centre of our mission to be a service-focused team whose goal is to enhance and improve the student experience. In fact, many of our services benefit both the users and providers of the service, in different ways, since many of them are student-led.
Donor support could be used to train more students to deliver these service, expanding and enhancing access to these valued services to more students across the campus.
Peer Tutoring Support
Transitioning from high school to university can pose distinct challenges for students. Student staff in the Student Learning Hub facilitate workshops and provide team-based and one-on-one support for undergraduate students. Support from donors would enable us to expand staffing, hours, and the number of available student appointments.
Peer Support for Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is a persistent challenge for academic institutions. In response, the Student Learning Hub has developed a proactive program called Academic Integrity Matters (AIM). Expertly trained student staff work with undergraduate students one-on-one, and donor support can help us expand this program.
Peer Support for Executive Functioning and Core Learning Strategies
It is challenging to adapt to the rigorous demands of university. Learning Strategists offer individualized consultations to help peers develop skills in time management, exam preparation, note taking, and much more. Expanding the Learning Strategist service would ensure more students are supported as they adjust to a post-secondary learning environment.
Student Programming Support
Student-led programming engages the campus community with library services and collections, and fosters a sense of community through shared activities. Peer Technology Assistants develop programming with a mentor, timeline, budget, and set of goals. Donor support would help expand the scope of programming options available for delivery.
Peer Support for Students With Language Backgrounds Other Than English
The Student Learning Hub is increasingly called upon to offer a variety of services to students for whom English constitutes an additional language (EAL). We are currently piloting English conversation appointments, but we would like to offer this service on an ongoing basis, and train peer consultants to better support this growing student population.
Technological Services
The campus community already benefits from borrowing electronic devices from the library, such as laptops and tablets. We would like to expand this offering to include smart pens, e-readers, Raspberry Pis, and Arduino Kits, among others. This technology would allow the library to offer more inventory electronically and provide excellent teaching and learning tools.
Make a Difference to Our Community
The UBC Okanagan Library actively engages with both the on-campus and local communities it serves. Whether it is through innovative partnerships with the Okanagan Regional Library or across the province through the Digitized Okanagan History project, UBCO Library is fostering connections that support community building, knowledge discovery and life-long learning. There are a number of ways to support our community initiatives in making a significant difference.
Digitized Okanagan History (DOH)
The Digitized Okanagan History project is an initiative that promotes access to unique historical resources currently maintained in a wide range of repositories throughout the Okanagan Valley.
The digitization project will ultimately provide online access to scanned copies of these local resources worldwide on a 24/7 basis and has received an overwhelmingly positive response from the Okanagan community.
Now surpassing 80,000 digital assets, it is a success story that continues to unfold and grow with more partners from all over the region coming on board to support the repository. This unique initiative positions UBC Okanagan as a regional leader in digital access and preservation. Donor support could be used to offer more students unique experiential learning opportunities and to purchase more digitization technology.
Gift-In-Kind Donations
If you wish to donate books, journals, or other resources to the UBC Okanagan Library, please contact our Collections Librarian. We encourage you to read our read through our Gift-in-Kind FAQs before donating.
Talk to us
If you would like to consult with us about donating materials to the Library, please contact our Collections Librarian to make a virtual appointment.