At a time when learning is shifting online, a new grant program is making it easier for instructors to create and integrate free, high-quality online textbooks and other digital educational materials into their teaching.

The Open Educational Resources (OER) Grant Program, a three-year pilot supported jointly by the Office of the Provost, McMaster University Libraries and The MacPherson Institute, will provide successful applicants with funding to create new open textbooks, or customize existing open textbooks.

The University Library, like many academic libraries around the world, is experiencing a disruption in service that has severely limited access to our physical collections. As part of our efforts to provide the materials that you need for your research and study, the University Library is now participating in the HathiTrust Emergency Temporary Access Service (ETAS) program.

Over the last few weeks, the University Library has received several inquiries from instructors regarding the breadth of resources available to support remote teaching in spring and summer 2020.  I am pleased to note that, while our physical facilities remain closed, instructors continue to have access to the Library’s rich course content, robust technological tools and expert assistance – albeit delivered in sometimes new ways.  We encourage you to reach out to us with any specific questions or needs you may have – we are here to help in any way we can and will work with you

What does “home” mean to you?

It might be where you live, or where you used to live. It might be where you find a sense of fulfilment or belonging — your community, your workplace, your school or a special spot where you can get away from those things. It might be wherever your family or friends are to be found.

It might not even be a physical space at all.

As the pandemic blurs boundaries between home and life outside it, the word home has never carried more meaning.

From leaving campus and transitioning to virtual learning to navigating their social and family lives in completely different ways to redefining their relationship with the outside world, students have experienced rapid and unprecedented disruptions to their everyday lives.

Now, a group of Science students have captured their experiences in a series of photo essays documenting the unique ways in which they have been impacted by COVID–19.

Normally, at this time of year, the public computers in Mills, Thode and Innis libraries are in high demand, being used by students for research, course assignments, printing, and web searches.

But now, with these spaces closed, the processing power in the Library’s public computers is being used in a very different way – to help in the fight against COVID–19.