The University of Alberta Library continues to make changes to our service model to adjust to the new realities of budget reductions. Our primary goal remains ensuring the financial sustainability of the library system so that we can fulfill our role in the research and teaching missions of the University.
We began the transition with the closure of the Winspear Business Library and now we must announce the closure of Herbert T. Coutts Library that is effective as of today. As yet, no decision has been made about future use of the space.
Although the closure will mean that there will no longer be a physical library location in Education South, I want to reassure everyone in the Faculty of Education and the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation that the services and resources we offered will continue to be available in our other library locations as well as via our strong online services and collections already well known to faculty and students.
The University of Alberta Library will continue to build a collection of world-class research resources. We know that these collections are instrumental to teaching and research. Our librarians and staff will continue to support and to collaborate with students and faculty.
We are currently assessing where physical materials will be relocated. The second floor of Rutherford North Library has been identified for the relocation of high-use materials in the Education collection.
Services and resources already available online will be uninterrupted by this change. With many of us working and studying from home, the services that our staff provide online remain open for business as they are every day of the year.
Dale Askey
Vice-Provost (Library and Museums) and Chief Librarian
To contact us, please email library@ualberta.ca and cc: Education (edcomm@ualberta.ca).