Through a newly signed agreement with the University of Toronto, on behalf of the members, 91亚色 Libraries (YUL) will participate as a 鈥楽hare Only Partner.鈥� The pilot introduces a model that expands opportunities for collaboration, stewardship and shared ownership of print collections.

YUL will collaborate with the University of Toronto to identify low鈥憉se titles already preserved by Keep@Downsview at the U of T Downsview facility. 91亚色 will then transfer these local holdings to the jointly owned collection, supporting preservation, access and responsible collection management.

This work not disrupt the user experience; YUL users will continue to have seamless access to these titles and can make requests through for pickup at their preferred location. YUL will share more details on the as the pilot proceeds.

鈥淭his new model allows us to collaborate in a practical and innovative way,鈥� says Joseph Hafner, dean of Libraries at 91亚色. 鈥淏y aligning our holdings with materials already preserved by Keep@Downsview, we are strengthening shared stewardship of the scholarly record while creating flexibility within our local collections to better serve the 91亚色 community.鈥�

Keep@Downsview is a shared print program that supports member academic libraries through secure, environmentally controlled storage and co-ordinated collection management. Located in Toronto, the facility is governed by its members and is designed to ensure long-term preservation of scholarly print materials that are infrequently used while reducing unnecessary duplication across institutions.

Current Keep@Downsview partners include the libraries of U of T, McMaster University, the University of Ottawa, Queen's University, Western University and Memorial University. 91亚色鈥檚 participation as a Share Only Partner expands the initiative鈥檚 collaborative framework without altering its shared governance structure.

For YUL, the pilot reflects an ongoing focus on responsible stewardship, collaboration and innovation in library services.

鈥淭his pilot underscores our commitment to working collaboratively with peer institutions to steward shared collections for the benefit of current and future scholars,鈥� says Larry Alford, chief librarian, University of Toronto Libraries. 鈥淚t is an important step in exploring new partnership models that respond to evolving user needs and changing pressures on library collections.鈥�

Hafner says the opportunity reinforces YUL鈥檚 commitment to the teaching, learning and research mission of the University 鈥渢hrough dynamic collections, inclusive spaces and a strong focus on access, sustainability and scholarly communication.鈥�

This partnership agreement will be assessed as a pilot, with YUL and Keep@Downsview working together to evaluate its effectiveness and potential for broader adoption.

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Giesbrecht joined YUL in 1988 as the CD-ROM librarian. He spent his early years integrating the medium at the University, while advancing its adoption among libraries across Canada by publishing his work in several papers.

By the mid-1990s, his interest shifted to another digital revolution: the internet. Giesbrecht created the first YUL website, setting up a web server in his office and building an early online directory of library services. He also helped colleagues navigate the new technology, working on numerous initiatives to support staff learning and adoption.

In his later roles as data librarian and data services librarian, Giesbrecht was known for his ability to help students, staff and faculty find the data and statistics sources they needed for research and assignments. His membership in the Canadian Association of Public Data Users and the International Association for Social Science Information Services and Technology equipped him with additional expertise to draw from.

He is remembered by those who worked with him as a generous, collaborative colleague who was always curious and forward-thinking. He was a mentor to numerous librarians at 91亚色 and across Canada.

Giesbrecht is survived by his wife, Roberta, his daughter Sarah and his son-in-law Jason.

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The new archival materials, housed within the Clara Thomas Archives & Special Collections and donated by the Heritage Singers, will enrich teaching and learning at 91亚色 by enhancing access to Caribbean history.

Faculty, students and researchers will find of Caribbean folk performance, community-building and cultural expressions 鈥� a collection considered to be a rare body of knowledge.

鈥淔rom sacred hymns to secular ballads, lullabies to work songs, the singers鈥� folk music is a living archive of cultural heritage, joy, migration and memory,鈥� says Norda Bell, teaching and learning librarian at 91亚色.

Founded in 1977, the Toronto-based ensemble has influenced the landscape of Caribbean folk music in Canada and internationally. Members, who hail from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Pakistan, Congo and Canada, have worked to preserve and perform this diverse repertoire of song in languages ranging from English Creole and French patois to informal Spanish and African dialects.

Anna St. Onge, interim University archivist, says the group鈥檚 donation strengthens the University鈥檚 ability to support research on newcomers, community arts and Caribbean diasporic culture.

鈥淲e think of archives as being in conversation with each other,鈥� says St. Onge, noting that the Heritage Singers Canada Fonds complement other collections, such as the Mariposa Folk Festival, Caribana contributor Kenneth Shah and the papers of Jean Augustine.

She notes that students, scholars and community members 鈥渁ctivate鈥� these records when they encounter them in the reading room, creating opportunities for interdisciplinary work in fields such as ethnomusicology, history, cinema and media studies, and performance.

The collection includes photographs, performance documentation, publicity materials and decades of community outreach, reflecting how the ensemble has blended artistic practice with cultural stewardship.

The ensemble鈥檚 collaborations with figures such as cultural icon Louise Bennett-Coverley (Miss Lou) 鈥� a poet, performer, writer and educator 鈥� illustrate how artistic practice can serve as a vehicle for intergenerational knowledge-sharing and social impact. Additionally, the group鈥檚 extensive touring history and contributions to hospitals, libraries and community organizations demonstrate the role of the arts in community building.

As part of the preservation initiative, Debbie Ebanks, who recently completed her PhD in cinema and media studies at 91亚色, worked with Bell and research assistant Dina Blanco Pe帽a to make the collection more accessible.

To broaden access, the team developed , a digital exhibit featuring performance images, newspaper coverage, theatrical materials and community records. The online gallery presents faculty and instructors with a way to integrate digital primary sources into courses. It also helps students develop archival literacy and community鈥慹ngaged research skills.

The culmination of the project was celebrated in the fall, with a physical exhibit and a special performance by the Heritage Singers at Scott Library, providing an opportunity to engage with Black archival practices rooted in the 91亚色 and Caribbean communities.

Bell says the project highlights the educational impact of cultural archives.

鈥淚鈥檓 amazed at how much they accomplished, building community through song and theatrical performances,鈥� she says. As a Jamaican Canadian, she notes the materials deepen her understanding of proverbs and folk songs from her childhood, showing how archives link academic study to lived experience.

The work was supported by several Library units, including Archives and Special Collections, Digital Scholarship Infrastructure and the Making and Media Creation Lab, whose staff contributed expertise in processing, preservation and digital development to ensure long-term access, says Bell.

With files from Norda Bell

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The competition, hosted by the 91亚色 Libraries (YUL), is a campus-wide event open to 91亚色 undergraduate and graduate students, as well as recent alumni, and encourages participants to combine creativity with analytical thinking to craft compelling visual stories from data. 

鈥淭his is a great way for students from all of 91亚色鈥檚 campuses to become informed of our Libraries鈥� services, especially the resources available at the Markham Campus 鈥� such as the Library Makerspace and Visualization Studio,鈥� says Ted Belke, digital engagement librarian. 

The theme of this new initiative is Land * Machine.  

鈥淪tudents will be able to ask themselves how storytelling with data can help us understand and cherish the land we inhabit,鈥� says Lana Yuan, critical making and makerspace assistant, noting the theme is designed to prompt students to think about the unique cultural community in Markham, where the University鈥檚 newest campus is located.  

The asterisk in the theme is also a nod to library terminology. In a library context, an asterisk is鈥痑鈥痶runcation symbol鈥痶hat broadens a search by finding words with the same root. 

The challenge connects to the United Nations鈥� Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by encouraging students to explore datasets related to land, machines or both. 

Participants can choose nearly any format for their submission. Digital creators can work with tools like Power BI, Tableau, Python or R, while hands-on makers can take advantage of the Markham Campus Library鈥檚 Makerspace, equipped with 3D printers, laser cutters, sewing machines and more. Even analog approaches, such as sketches or handcrafted pieces, are welcome. 

鈥淒ata and technology are omnipresent, with their growing footprint siphoning more of our global resources, yet they often feel abstract and disconnected from our lived experience, culture and land,鈥� says Alex Wong, data visualization and analytics librarian. 鈥淭hrough visualization and making, the challenge encourages students to interpret data into stories that connect their everyday life to the broader tapestry of technology and our local environment.鈥濃��� 

Some suggested datasets include those from: SDGs, topographic maps or tree inventories for Toronto and Markham; the 2024 U.S. Data Center Energy Usage Report; commuting patterns across Canada; or even personal datasets, like step counts, phone use or local wildlife observations. 

鈥淲e can help students find the data they are looking for. Connecting students to the information they need and helping them critically apply it are integral functions of libraries,鈥� says Wong. 

Aside from the chance to sharpen both data visualization and creative skills, students will compete for cash prizes valued between $125 and $250.  

Top works will also be featured in a curated exhibition at the Markham Campus鈥� Arts, Media, Performance and Design Gallery in March 2026. The exhibition will have an opening gala and juried awards ceremony, and will offer students a platform to showcase their visual storytelling.聽

The event will also be open to the general public. 

鈥淭his will give our wider community an opportunity to see what Markham Campus is all about,鈥� says Belke. 

Students may submit individually or in small groups (with the prize split among group members). Each student or group may submit one work. 

鈥淲hether you鈥檙e a coder, engineer, artist, designer, maker, or simply curious about data, this challenge offers a unique opportunity to experiment, connect and create while integrating art with technology,鈥� says Yuan.  

For more information and key dates, visit the .  

Students with questions can reach the organizing team at datalib@yorku.ca. 

With files from Karen Martin-Robbins

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Monty was born in Budapest in 1948 and moved to Toronto in 1956 with her family. She earned a BA in history and a master of library science from the University of Toronto, laying the foundation for a distinguished career in academic librarianship.

She joined 91亚色 in 1973, beginning 40 years of contributions to the University and the profession. She spent nearly two decades in 91亚色鈥檚 Government Documents and Administrative Studies Library, a branch of YUL, progressing from assistant head to head of the unit before 1991. She then served a one-year appointment at Glendon College as senior librarian at the Leslie Frost Library, followed by a period at Keele Campus, where she worked as internet coordinator and a senior member of Scott Library鈥檚 reference team from 1993-96.

In 1996, she returned to the Leslie Frost Library, overseeing reference services and emerging digital resources, managing the library鈥檚 website and guiding Glendon鈥檚 faculty and students in applying new technologies to teaching and research. She also played a key role in Glendon鈥檚 transition to early digital research tools, managing reference services alongside the adoption of CD-ROM databases, other electronic resources and a growing web presence.

A multilingual 鈥� professional, fluent in English and French as well as Hungarian and conversant in several other languages 鈥� she became deeply connected to 91亚色's bilingual campus, ultimately making Glendon her permanent base.

Monty became known at 91亚色 as both a prolific researcher and an educator dedicated to strengthening students鈥� research skills. She built a substantial record of publications spanning articles, papers, books and editorial work, and regularly visited Glendon classrooms to teach research methods, delivering dozens of sessions each year that faculty credited with elevating student work.

Innovation was central to her approach. She embraced emerging technologies early and sought meaningful ways to integrate them into teaching, research and information literacy. She collaborated widely with instructors to design strategies that helped students develop stronger research practices and navigate source materials more effectively. One such collaboration, with professor of sociology Robert Kenedy, led to a co-authored chapter on information literacy that was accepted for publication in 2008.

Beyond her contributions at 91亚色, Monty held influential roles in the profession. She served as president of the Canadian Library Association, president of the Canadian Association of Special Libraries and Information Services and chair of the Toronto Chapter of the Special Libraries Association. She also participated extensively in accreditation work through the American Library Association, helping shape standards in library education. Her involvement in government information policy included leading a review of Canada鈥檚 depository system in the late 1990s.

Her work earned significant recognition. Among her honours were the Librarian of the Year Award in 1987 from the Special Libraries Association, the Outstanding Academic Librarian Award in 1997 from the Canadian Association of College and University Libraries, and the Outstanding Service to Librarianship Award in 2008 from the Canadian Library Association.

After retiring from 91亚色 in 2013, Monty remained engaged in learning and community. She joined the Academy for Lifelong Learning, a volunteer-run organization offering peer-led workshops and discussion groups for older adults, and became an active participant and valued committee member.

Longtime colleague Julianna Drexler, a 91亚色 librarian and archivist emeriti, summarized the impact and reach of Monty at the time she received the Outstanding Service to Librarianship Award, in a way that rings all the more true now: 鈥淥utstanding in many ways: as librarian, member of the 91亚色 faculty, teacher, committee member, leader, mentor, writer and scholar.鈥�

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鈥淚t鈥檚 a really interesting way to learn about an archeological site,鈥� says Jack Hang-tat Leong, digital scholarship librarian at 91亚色 Libraries (YUL).  

VR can create immersive narratives and encourages interactive, active participation, he says. It's just one of many applications of high-tech Meta Quest devices 鈥� headsets for gaming, socializing and exploring digital worlds 鈥� that YUL鈥檚 is teaching 91亚色 faculty, staff and students about. 

Tim Tan Huynh, librarian, and Leong run the 鈥淰R for First Timers鈥� workshop. They joke that the workshop goes beyond the safety tips of 鈥渉ow not to hit a wall鈥� while wearing the headsets. 

鈥淪afety is absolutely so important,鈥� says Huynh, 鈥渂ut we also want to stress accessible considerations. We don鈥檛 want people to just be consumers of tech. We want them to consider the barriers 鈥� who is included and excluded by this technology.鈥� 

It is mainly students who take the workshop, which helps them build confidence in using immersive tools for academic projects; but faculty and staff also participate in the class to learn how to enhance their research and teaching. 

Although VR headsets are recognized as a popular gaming device, Leong says the educational and research applications are abundant 鈥� and are already being applied across the University. 

91亚色 U researcher Lora Appel from the School of Health Policy and Management, , has been recognized for her work creating simulated universes using VR technology to help people cope with anxiety and health conditions. 

In the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, Rich Shivener and Elizabeth Caravella, both scholars of communication in digital environments, published a peer-reviewed study in the journal where they used headset recordings to document a range of writing tasks in virtual and hybrid environments. 

Faculty are also actively developing content for teaching using immersive experiences. The Faculty of Science, for instance, announced this spring it was using VR to augment students鈥� understanding of concepts. It launched a fourth-year chemistry class, 鈥淓nzyme Design in Virtual Reality,鈥� that teaches students about enzyme design by using VR technology to visualize and manipulate molecular structures.

And, the conducted a pilot project last winter having students work on career readiness and developing 鈥渟oft skills鈥� using Bodyswaps, an AI and VR platform that promotes interpersonal skills.聽

鈥淓veryone in the 91亚色 U community can find an application or use for VR headsets,鈥� says Leong. 

The library workshop shows participants how to use Meta Quest headsets and controllers, navigate the interface, curate experiences and explore different applications. Huynh and Leong also demonstrate casting, the process of sharing what the person in a VR headset is seeing on an external screen, like a TV, computer or mobile phone. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 very hands-on,鈥� says Huynh. 鈥淲e want people to walk away informed but also inspired.鈥� 

Participants learn about the Making & Media Creation Lab, which has a large inventory of devices that can be borrowed by 91亚色 students, faculty and staff. The lab has video and editing equipment and suites along with gaming and visualization rooms, as well as software for various media creation. There are 3D printers, laser cutters, a CNC mill, soldering tools, prototyping kits and 3D scanners. 

Along with the ability to borrow VR headsets, there are two stand-alone VR rooms that can be reserved. The rooms are equipped with HTC Vive Pro headsets 鈥� professional grade equipment that runs on high-powered computers. 

鈥淭here is a common assumption that VR headsets are just used for gaming or entertainment,鈥� Leong says. 鈥淲hile there are many apps you can use for fun, there is such a huge application for research or education.鈥� 

Faculty, staff and students once a semester. The next one is scheduled for Feb. 11, 2026.聽

With files from Karen Martin-Robbins

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As part of its ongoing commitment to adapt library spaces to evolving student needs, earlier this year YUL called on students to participate in a survey to better understand how the community uses its locations. 鈥淥ne of the things we learned was that our students use all the libraries for different things,鈥� says Joseph Hafner, dean of YUL.

Beyond being a place to study, 91亚色鈥檚 libraries serve as hubs for job interviews, online courses, virtual meetings with professors, communication with experiential education supervisors and more. Despite that diversity of use, one request came through consistently. 鈥淪tudents wanted more quiet places to concentrate,鈥� says Hafner.

To address that, Hafner considered study pods. Increasingly popular in libraries, he says, they are small, semi-private spaces designed for both individual and group work. Made with glass panels or walls, often combined with metal or wood framing, pods are typically soundproof and equipped with seating, desks and power outlets. Unlike open tables or limited bookable rooms, they offer reliable access to the kind of focused environment library users said they need most. Hafner became passionate about bringing them to 91亚色.

Around the same time, YURA was searching for a project to champion with similar enthusiasm.

Made up of retired faculty and staff, YURA fosters community by offering social and educational programs and advocating for retirees鈥� interests. It also pursues fundraising projects that keep members connected to the University while continuing to support students.

鈥淢any of us have spent our whole careers at 91亚色,鈥� says Diane Woody, co-president of YURA. 鈥淭he University had such an impact on us, and we feel it did its best to look after us and our needs, that we feel motivated to give back so that the needs of future students are met.鈥�

Most recently, YURA completed a three-year fundraising effort that raised $35,000 to alleviate student food insecurity on 91亚色鈥檚 campuses. This spring, YURA co-chairs Debbie Hansen and Sheila Forshaw were tasked with finding a new initiative to support. They connected with the Division of Advancement to learn more about University priorities and were introduced to Hafner, who presented several YUL initiatives that could benefit from funding.

For YURA, one stood out.

鈥淲e really liked the study pods,鈥� says Forshaw, noting that because it was important for YURA to raise funds for something with clear impact, the pods were a strong fit. YURA members were drawn to how the pods would provide quiet, multi-use spaces that addressed a clear need. They also felt the pods could serve as a long-term expression of YURA鈥檚 legacy and commitment to the University community.

鈥淲e want to continue to support 91亚色,鈥� says Hansen.

YURA鈥檚 goal over the next three years is to raise $30,000 annually to fund six study pods. The association has already raised enough to fund one, and plans to continue fundraising through initiatives like the upcoming YURA Challenge 5 km Walk on Campus taking place on Oct. 7. The annual walk brings together retirees, staff, students and community members to contribute聽to initiatives that enhance the University.

When the study pods are funded and installed, YUL will implement a booking system 鈥� which will include time limits 鈥� to ensure equitable access for all students. Hafner says the team will monitor and solicit feedback about pod use, ensuring students鈥� needs continue to be met in a way that strengthens 91亚色鈥檚 long-term academic environment.

YUL plans to recognize YURA鈥檚 contributions with a potential ribbon-cutting ceremony and plaques on the pods noting their support. For YURA, the plaques are a visible reminder that retirees remain invested in 91亚色. 鈥淚 hope people would say to themselves, 鈥業t鈥檚 interesting that retirees want to maintain a connection to the University and continue to support it,鈥欌�� says Woody. 鈥淲e would hope they see us as an ongoing part of the community.鈥�

Those interested in participating in the YURA walk and/or donating can find information here.

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To help students navigate today鈥檚 complex information environment, the libraries have launched 鈥淭hink, Research, Create: Introduction to Library Research,鈥� a four-part online series for undergraduate students. 

The program aims to strengthen foundational research skills, including sourcing, citation and critical evaluation of digital and academic materials. 

91亚色 Libraries has a vast and continually expanding collection of print and digital materials, and accessing the right information requires increasingly sophisticated tactics, says Dana Craig, teaching and learning librarian. 

鈥淚nformation and digital literacy have changed so much in the last five to 10 years. There鈥檚 so much more students need to be aware of,鈥� she says. 

Developed by Craig and her colleagues in the library鈥檚 Student Learning and Academic Success department 鈥� Sophie Bury, Cora Coady, Kalina Grewal and Jenna Stidwill 鈥� the curriculum responds to the growing need for advanced information literacy in an age shaped by AI, misinformation, disinformation and malinformation. 

"Think, Research, Create鈥� guides students through 91亚色鈥檚 extensive holdings, which include 4.4 million books 鈥� 1.8 million of which are electronic 鈥� and thousands of academic journals, databases and free internet sources. 

Historically, librarians delivered a 50-minute in-class presentation to students on how to use the library upon invitation from faculty. But, with the rise of AI search tools and proliferation of digital sources, the libraries recognized a need for more robust teaching. 

鈥淚n the conventional presentation, we can only explain how to use the libraries at a basic, superficial level,鈥� says Lisa Sloniowski, a teaching and learning librarian who helped facilitate the project in her previous role as the department鈥檚 interim director. 鈥淪tudents don鈥檛 learn enough to become competent researchers and understand the full scale of resources available to them and struggle with knowing what鈥檚 appropriate to use.鈥� Each 90-minute workshop in the new series covers a distinct skill set related to information and digital literacy: 

1. Conquering information overload: making sense of different sources 鈥� including who created them and for which purposes 鈥� and correctly attributing creators.
2. Kickstarting your research: developing clear, focused research questions and learning strategies to find reliable, relevant sources. 
3. Questioning everything: critically evaluating the veracity of sources using fact-checking methods and AI tools. 
4. Create to communicate ethically: producing meaningful content for scholarly works that respect copyright rules and the sensibilities of intersectional audiences. 

In these interactive classes, undergraduates build their knowledge of information search techniques through hands-on activities, discussions and quizzes. 

鈥淲ith this expanded format, we have time to show students how information originates and travels, and to engage them in practising with different types of search frameworks,鈥� Craig says. 

The classes are geared to first- and second-year students, but senior undergraduate and graduate students may also benefit from an overview of foundational information literacy issues and skills.  

Additional faculty- or discipline-specific workshop series are in development for the 2026-27 academic year for third- and fourth-year students.  

At the graduate level, Sloniowski offers a required six-week pass/fail course titled Literary Research Methods in the graduate program in English. The course surveys core and emerging literary research methods, introduces specialized databases and sources, and examines the historical role of libraries and archives as laboratories and critical infrastructure for humanities research. The goal is to expand this approach to other humanities graduate programs. 

In the Faculty of Health鈥檚 School of Nursing, Librarian Ilo Maimets has contributed to a systematic and scoping review course, which has potential to expand across graduate departments. 

The new pedagogical model for research methods was guided by 91亚色鈥檚 Sheril Hook, associate dean of teaching and learning and seasoned information studies scholar and practitioner, over the last three years with Teaching & Learning librarians. Their process involved studying the practices at university libraries in Canada as well as Australia, New Zealand and the United States. 

The curricula follow the framework for information literacy developed by the Association of College and Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association. 

Five teaching and learning librarians deliver the classes via synchronous Zoom sessions. By the end of this term, they will have taught the first three classes 10 times and the fourth class eight times. Sloniowski and Craig encourage faculty to have students register for the classes and consider assigning a grade for participation; however, they note that students from any department can independently choose to register. 

Students will earn a certificate of completion for each class.

鈥淒riven by a desire to provide all students with access to our classes, we opted to create a series of classes that any student could choose to attend. We put the student first in our model," Hook says. 

As ongoing innovations in AI continue to fundamentally reshape the way information is accessed, Sloniowski sees these new curricula as pivotal to supporting the scholarly journey of 91亚色 students. 

鈥淲e can certainly see that the world is in a kind of epistemological crisis around information, and many feel ill-equipped to analyze the vast quantities of information coming at them. Artificial intelligence is only exacerbating this challenge,鈥� Sloniowski says. 鈥淥ur pedagogical programming is shifting in this direction to help people deal with this social crisis of knowledge and to deepen our involvement in helping students become academically successful, effective researchers.鈥� 

With files from Sharon Aschaiek

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Over the last several decades, the open access (OA) journal movement has seen global institutions push to make scholarly research accessible to everyone 鈥� without paywalls or subscription fees.

While this has helped remove costs for readers, fees remain for those looking to publish. Two common OA journal publishing models, Gold OA and Hybrid OA, require authors to pay publishing fees known as article processing charges (APCs). Paying these fees makes research articles freely available to everyone once the article is published; however, the fees can be a barrier for authors wanting to publish OA.

YUL has worked hard to reduce the impact of APCs on 91亚色 faculty, students and staff. 鈥淭he Libraries currently provide 91亚色-affiliated researchers with APC discounts or waivers for almost 10,000 Gold and Hybrid open access journals through our negotiated agreements with specific publishers,鈥� says Teresa Lee, associate dean, research and open scholarship, 91亚色 Libraries.

With a great many journals, however, YUL identified a pain point for authors: how to learn about APC waivers or discounts for the OA journals they鈥檇 like to publish in. YUL does provide information about APC discounts and waivers through their , but wanted to go a step further.

YUL implemented the SciFree tool to save 91亚色 researchers鈥� time by making it possible to search by journal title, keyword or ISSN (international standard serial number) to easily locate a list of Gold or Hybrid OA journals with YUL APC discounts and waivers. Search results provide the amount of APC discount, the journal's open license options like and more.

The result is that SciFree helps authors make informed decisions when submitting a manuscript to an OA journal. 鈥淪ciFree will make it easier for 91亚色 researchers from all disciplines to find this information and support the 91亚色 community in publishing open access,鈥� says Lee.

91亚色 researchers can access SciFree either through a search widget embedded on the , or by bookmarking the .

Questions about OA publishing or the Libraries鈥� APC discounts or waivers can be sent to opendeposit@yorku.ca.

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Since 2021, the HHFGCA project has been working to preserve the history and memories of Greek Canadians, with a particular focus on those who were part of a large wave of immigration in the 1950s and 1960s.

Funded by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada grant, 鈥淕reeks in Canada: A Digital Public History鈥� has been pursuing innovative tools for research and teaching that bring to life the story of Greek Canadians throughout the 20th century.

Among those tools is a first-of-its-kind interactive map that displays the history of Greek businesses in Toronto from the 1910s to the 1960s, categorized by decade and type.

Using modern Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools, the records, maps and displays over 900 entries of Greek stores, restaurants, entertainment venues, garages, travel agencies and more. The entries are placed on base maps from the corresponding periods, ensuring the highest possible historical accuracy in the mapping.

The enterprises that populate the map are drawn from the HHFGCA鈥檚 own collection of materials which include Greek business directories, the first yearbooks of the Greek Community of Toronto, as well as newspapers and archival material that were part of a recent sizeable donation of materials to 91亚色.

Those who access the map can also see any uploaded contemporary photos of the businesses, as well as oral testimonies from owners, employees or customers, which are drawn from the interviews housed at the HHFGCA鈥檚 Oral History collection.

The map serves as both a historical record and a research tool that creates a more comprehensive picture of what types of enterprises existed in the city. In the process, it helps reframe history and correct previous assumptions about what types of businesses made up the Greek diaspora throughout the 20th century.

鈥淭here was this tendency to associate Greek businesses with restaurants and food-related business,鈥� says Alexandros Balasis, a PhD candidate in history and project lead of the Greek Businesses in Toronto Mapping Project. 鈥淚t鈥檚 partly true, but by collecting all this data and pinpointing the map, we can see that food services are only part of the story.

鈥淭he map gives us a way to visualize how the Greek businesses moved in the city, but also helps us understand the connection between (Greek immigrants) and Canadian society,鈥� says Balasis.

While the project will serve as an important historical record to benefit students and researchers, Balasis and HHFGCA hope for it to have a more immediate, personal and communal impact.

For example, there are plans to use the interactive map to create a digital companion for walking tours run by the Hellenic Heritage Foundation's History Committee. Balasis also imagines the emotional effect the map might have on descendants of Greek immigrants.

鈥淚f people can explore the map and maybe find their grandparents鈥� restaurant, or the place where their father used to work, that鈥檚 really powerful,鈥� Balasis says. Maintaining that connection between past and future members of the Greek diaspora is something that is important to Balasis, HHFGCA and the project.

鈥淭his is a project by the community for the community,鈥� he says, pointing to how ongoing interviews, as well as a , continue to inform and update the map.

鈥淭his project is not just a historical record, it aims to serve as a tool to strengthen the memory of the Greek community in Toronto and promote the preservation of its cultural heritage,鈥� says Balasis.

With files from Alexandros Balasis

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