New Finance Learning Centre in HMALC
Paul Handley, Manager, HMALC and Library Operations
A new Finance Learning Centre (FLC) for U of T Mississauga is going to be incorporated into the already dynamic space on Level 1 of the Library. The Centre will provide students with an even more focused technological experience, one which centers on financial modelling with specialized software.
The primary purpose of the FLC is to provide access to experiential learning opportunities for students in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Mathematics, Psychology and other related disciplines. It will offer advanced computer hardware, sophisticated financial analysis and simulation software, and live data feeds from the global financial community. Access to simulation and portfolio management software will allow students to experience stock, bond and other financial security trading, develop successful trading strategies, and calculate security analysis ratios and portfolio statistics.
This networked lab facility will potentially have a broad appeal to all undergraduate and graduate U of T Mississagua students, as instructors may book the facility for learning activities as diverse as negotiation, game theory, focus groups, running experiments, and the statistical analysis of social science data. The FLC will also provide opportunities for innovative curriculum and software development. The FLC will participate in and/or host business competitions, in concert with the Joseph L. Rotman Finance Research and Trading Lab at the St. George campus, including intra-University of Toronto events as well as national and international competitions. The FLC is due to open its doors in September, 2008.
New Chat Service
Pam King
The U of T Mississauga Library has launched a new research and information chat service to provide students, faculty and staff with quick, point-of-need assistance. Ask UTM Library is an outreach initiative staffed by members of the Research and Information Service Team. The service is designed to provide answers to quick reference questions and, for more complex research queries, to make targeted referrals.
To access the new service, just click the service icon on the U of T Mississauga Library's homepage. Service hours are: Monday to Thursday 12-9pm, Friday 12-5pm, Saturday 10-5pm, and Sunday 1-6pm.
Map/Poster Printing Service
Andrew Nicholson
Would you like to print a poster for your course or conference? Are you interested in having your students create and print posters for their presentations?
The U of T Mississauga Library is excited to unveil its new Map/Poster printing service for all University of Toronto faculty, staff and students. Available at a charge of only $3.50 + GST per square foot, the Library printer/plotter offers high speed, archival quality printing.
The Map/Poster printing service is available in the AstraZeneca Canada Centre for Information & Technological Literacy (Room 360) on Level 3 of the Hazel McCallion Academic Learning Centre.
For more information about the plotter and some tips on preparing a poster for printing on the Library's plotter, please consult the Map/Poster Printing webpage.
Multimedia Requests & the Resource Sharing Department
Alison Campbell
As of November 5, 2007, the U of T Mississauga Library has taken over all requests for Multimedia materials for classroom use. Multimedia materials (e.g., DVDs, VHS Tapes, Film and/or Audio resources) from the U of T Mississauga collections and the collections of other libraries/media centres are processed through the Library's Resource Sharing Department. All equipment and technology needs will continue to be met by Classroom Technology (crt@utm.utoronto.ca).
To request materials, faculty, staff and graduate students who wish to borrow Multimedia items for classroom presentation may go to the U of T Mississauga Library website, click Request Audiovisual Materials (under the Resource Sharing heading), and use the online request form, or they may ask for, and complete, a form at Information & Loans in the Library. As with other interlibrary loan requests, requestors must go to Information & Loans in the Library to pick up and drop off materials.
The standard loan for borrowed multimedia material is 4-5 days. The item will arrive 1-2 days before show date and must be returned to the library the day after show date.
For best results, please allow at least 5 business days for Multimedia material located at the University of Toronto and a minimum of 10 business days for requests outside of the university.
Questions about this new service may be directed to Alison Campbell (Senior Resource Sharing Technician) or Shelley Hawrychuk (Coordinator, Collection Services).Resource Sharing – Improving our Service to You
Alison Campbell
Business in the Resource Sharing Department continues to flourish. For those who have not used our service, fundamentally, we borrow and lend books, journal articles, microfilms, theses and other research materials. We do this through 2 services:
- Intercampus Delivery handles requests for items that are held within the University of Toronto Libraries. Items are requested through the U of T library catalogue. The delivery of the items to the U of T Mississauga Library takes between 1-5 business days. U of T Mississauga Library has a contract with Robarts Library to ensure most requests are filled within 24 hours.
- Interlibrary Loan is for items that are not held within University of Toronto Libraries. Items should be requested through RACER. First-time users must register before requesting. To get to this link from the U of T Mississauga Library webpage, click faculty & staff, and select Interlibrary Loan from the Resource Sharing heading. The U of T Mississauga Library should receive the material between 4-10 business days. Requests outside of Canada may take longer.
We are continually looking for ways to improve service to our patrons. One example of our dedication to exploring and implementing new ideas is our pilot project pertaining to unmediated loan requests for books within Ontario. Book loans (not journal articles) that can be filled in Ontario are automatically processed once the library patron completes a title/author search in RACER, builds a list of libraries which own the item, and fills in the required fields.
If you have questions about the Resource Sharing service or suggestions on how to improve this service in the Library, please contact Alison Campbell (Senior Resource Sharing Technician) or Shelley Hawrychuk (Coordinator, Collection Services).