McMaster University Libraries is looking to support communities across Ontario as a new partner in an exciting program that is making a difference.
The Community Scholars Program assists non-profit and charitable organizations by granting their staff free access to academic journals and research. The initiative originated at Simon Fraser University in 2017 and successfully expanded to other institutions across British Columbia. McMaster is the first university outside of British Columbia to join the program.
Anna Flak, teaching and learning librarian with McMaster University Libraries, says these resources would typically be challenging for non-profit community partners to access.
“The Community Scholars Program is about stepping outside of that ivory tower, so to speak, and recognizing the difficulty of conducting research upon leaving or losing your connection to an academic institution,” said Flak. “We recognize the value of the work and research being done by our charitable and non-profit organizations that can't be carried out otherwise.”
Participating community partners in Hamilton and the surrounding area can use their access to academic research to strengthen or develop programs, for advocacy and policymaking, to support funding applications or for a variety of other organizational needs.
Lyndon George, executive director of the Hamilton Anti-Racism Resource Centre, says his organization decided to get involved with the Community Scholars Program after hearing about it at a community event.
“At the Hamilton Anti-Racism Resource Centre, we provide support and referral services to individuals who have experienced racism, discrimination and hate in our community,” said George. “When you’re developing action plans in response to hate incidents, having literature and research that documents and explains ways you can respond to hate is a valuable resource.”
George says the program goes a long way in helping to alleviate financial restrictions on non-profit organizations.
“There are researchers across the country who have been tracking hate incidents in Canada for a number of years and a lot of that literature can be fairly expensive for a non-profit organization like ours to pay for,” he said. “This resource allows organizations that are publicly funded and oftentimes community led to use these resources with limited budgets.”
The Community Scholars Program includes partner libraries of Vancouver Island University, the University of Northern British Columbia, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, the University of British Columbia, the University of the Fraser Valley, and now, McMaster University Libraries.
Beyond granting access to academic journals and research, Flak says McMaster is supporting community partners by offering research consultations with the university libraries.
“We recognize that getting access to research is one thing and doing research is another, depending on how familiar you are with the search interfaces that we use in academia,” said Flak. “Our job in teaching and learning is to assist with the research process and be available to our community partners to whatever extent they may need.”
Get involved in the Community Scholars Program
For more information, visit McMaster’s Community Scholars Program website or email Lynne Serviss, associate university librarian at McMaster University Libraries.
