1. Madeleine Lefebvre,
Chief Librarian
Ryerson University
ARLG 2014 Conference:
“The final frontier – to boldly go where you
have never been before”
University of Sussex, June 23-25
BUILDING NEW SPACE, BUILDING NEW PARTNERSHIPS

2. • once a polytechnic, now a
large comprehensive
university
• in the heart of downtown
Toronto
• 38,940 undergraduate and
graduate students
• over 100 programs
• 440 PhD students
THE CONTEXT: RYERSON UNIVERSITY

3. RYERSON’S RAPID GROWTH
Graduate Enrolment FTEUndergraduate Enrolment FTE

4. 1. Commitment to Design
Excellence
2. Density: Urban
intensification
3. People First:
Pedestrianization of the
urban environment
(www.ryerson.ca/about/masterplan/)

5. BEFORE – “BEHIND SAM THE RECORD MAN”

6. MASTER PLAN: STUDENT LEARNING CENTRE
• Create a gateway and window to Ryerson on
Yonge Street
• Address the need for much more study space and
collaborative learning space

7. THE CURRENT LIBRARY
• Built in 1974 for 9,000
students
• Brutalist architecture
• Good environment for
books, not users
• Over 11,000 visits per day
at busiest times
• Strong user dissatisfaction
reflected in Library as
Place LibQUAL+ scores

8. CONTEXT - THE FORMER ACADEMIC PLAN: LEARNING SPACE
www.ryerson.ca/senate/academicplan.pdf
“Flexible, comfortable, informal
space for students is essential”
“Students… need a place to ‘land’,
to work in teams, to read quietly, to
multitask their academic work and
social engagement”

9. THE LIBRARY’S VISION FOR THE SLC
No books, but ubiquitous
access to digital resources
Mobile learning/laptop loan
program
Collaborative services and learning
spaces, barrier free
Seminar/teaching space
Versatile and congenial space
Sensory stimulation
A place of interaction, inspiration,
innovation and discovery

10. DESIGN ELEMENTS
• Total Space: Approximately 155,464 sq ft (14,443 m2)
• Retail at street level and below grade approximately
16,000 sq ft (1,486 m2)
• Incorporates academic support services to promote
learning success
• Formal and informal group & individual study areas
• Approximately 2,000 additional study seats

11. DESIGN ELEMENTS (CONTINUED)
• Seminar rooms for instruction and videoconferencing
• Bookable study rooms for student use
• Casual seating and a café
• Advanced Technology - the Digital Media Experience and
the Digital Media Zone
• Connected to the existing Library Building via the
Commons
• LEED Silver Certification with at least 50% green roof

12. THE PROJECT TEAM
ARCHITECTS
Snøhetta (Oslo and New York) www.snohetta.com
Zeidler Partnership (Toronto) www.zeidlerpartnership.com
PROJECT MANAGER
GENIVAR www.genivar.com
CONSTRUCTION MANAGER
Ellis Don www.ellisdon.com
http://ryersonbuilds.ryerson.ca/student-learning-centre/

13. THE DESIGN:
FUNCTIONS AND CONNECTION TO LIBRARY

15. THE DESIGN - SKIN

16. EXTERIOR RAMPS LEADING TO LOBBY

18. LEVEL 01 - VALLEY
Mobile welcome desk with trained student staff

19. Level 01 - Valley
Tiered casual seating to left of
the SLC entrance – a place to
meet, to see and be seen;
informal events
Café to right of entrance
Information kiosk and triage in
central area of entry hall
Stairway on the right leads to
bridge to the existing Library
building on Level 02

20. LEVEL 02 - BRIDGE
View from Library building connector

21. Level 02 - Bridge
Casual tiered seating
adjacent to stairs
Library staff lounge lower
right
Bridge connector to existing
Library Building on right

22. LEVEL 03 - BLUFF
Digital Media Zone - DMZ

23. Level 03 - Bluff
Digital Media Experience
(DME) - workshops & one-on-
one instruction in the use of
advanced digital technologies
Digital Media Zone (DMZ) -
centre of innovation &
technology incubator
digitalmediazone.ryerson.ca
DMZ
DME

24. LEVEL 04 - GARDEN
Learning support services, group study areas, and seminar
rooms

25. Level 04 - Garden
Student Learning Support
services:
Writing support
Math support
Access(ibility) Services
English Language Support
Seminar rooms
SLS staff offices including Head of
Library Learning Services
Open study area

26. LEVEL 05 - SUN
Open study area as well as library instructional rooms

27. Level 05 - Sun
Seminar rooms
Classrooms
Videoconferencing
Multi purpose room
Open group study areas
Group study rooms
Library Faculty Teaching
Chair office
Zone learning potential

28. LEVEL 06 – BEACH
Casual seating

29. Level 06 – Beach
A series of broad, gently
sloping ramps for casual
study and informal
gatherings

30. LEVEL 07 - FOREST
Quiet study area

31. Level 07 - Forest
Graduate Reading Room and
graduate discussion rooms
top left
Quiet Study Room lower left
Group study rooms
Open Study areas

32. LEVEL 08 - SKY
Casual study area with lounge seating at perimeter

33. Level 08 - Sky
Group study rooms
Open study areas
Ceiling rises to double
height on lower left
Panoramic views of Yonge
& Gould Streets

34. STEWART BRAND,
MIT MEDIA LAB:
“All buildings are predictions. All predictions are
wrong…but it is possible to design buildings so that it
doesn’t matter if you are wrong.”

35. Building Relationships
VP Students and Chief
Librarian celebrate joint
ventures in the Commons
One Stop Course Readings team
receives President’s Blue and Gold
Award for Service Excellence

36. FOSTERING A CULTURE OF COLLABORATION:
University community is drawn to our service-oriented technical innovation

37. COLLABORATIONS – ZONE LEARNING
“Zone learning transforms your educational experience at
Ryerson.
“It takes you beyond the classroom and lets you
meet and work with students from across the university
who are creative, ambitious, and driven by passion.
“By becoming part of Ryerson’s zone learning network,
you’ll get the right kind of support to create, develop, and
launch your idea.” (http://www.ryerson.ca/zonelearning/)

38. THE DIGITAL MEDIA ZONE (DMZ)
Library – www.soapboxhq.com
www.digitalmediazone.ryerson.ca

39. OTHER ZONES WITH LIBRARY INVOLVEMENT
• Fashion Zone
– incubator for fashion-inspired business
• Library providing metadata expertise for digitization of fashion
research collection
• Design Fabrication Zone
– interdisciplinary hub that incubates and accelerates spatial ideas,
design learning and 3D production towards construction or business
innovation
• Library investigating 3D printing in DME
• Transmedia Zone
– ideation and prototyping space aimed at the future of content, across
any industry
• Library - Open textbook hackathon

40. DME – DIGITAL MEDIA EXPERIENCE
• A new Library initiative for the SLC
• Shares third floor with DMZ
• Intentionally flexible
• Peer assistance with multimedia projects and
presentations
• Potential to prepare students for collaborative digital
projects, DMZ application

41. COLLABORATIONS – E-LEARNING
RULArch and St Clair apps - a collaboration between the Library and
the Department of Architectural Science
• showcases the architectural, and historical relevance of various
buildings through embedded information and photos
• poised to expand functionality: has been adopted by Master’s of
Digital Media program as a platform for further student-driven
innovative projects
http://news.library.ryerson.ca/datamob/
http://apps.library.ryerson.ca/stclair

42. CENTRE FOR DIGITAL HUMANITIES
The Children’s Literature Archive http://childrenslit.library.ryerson.ca
“The site was built by an interdisciplinary team of researchers from the English
Department, the Ryerson University Library and Archives, graduate students
from the Literatures of Modernity and Communications and Culture programs,
and undergraduates in the Faculty of Arts.”
Winnie the Bear Archive and exhibit
Forthcoming in September, to commemorate centenary of start of WW1.
http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1340809/remembering-the-real-winnie-the-world-s-most-
famous-bear-turns-100

43. DRIVING THE LIBRARY AND STUDENT LEARNING
CENTRE WITH THE ACADEMIC PLAN AS OUR GPS
To borrow from Stewart Brand…
I believe it is also possible to design strategic plans so that it
doesn’t matter if you are wrong
Sometimes your GPS leads you to a dead end. You have to
recalculate…but usually new paths open up as you travel that
you didn’t know existed when you started your journey
“To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive” – Robert Louis Stevenson
“Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans” – John Lennon

44. RYERSON PRESIDENT SHELDON LEVY’S ADDRESS TO
FACULTY, MAY 22, 2014
• When you take responsibility for something bigger than
yourself, those in power take notice
• The intersection of innovation, experiential learning and
partnerships is the nexus point for strategic planning
• Diversity drives innovation
There is a library context for each of these

45. “OUR TIME TO LEAD”
ACADEMIC PLAN 2014 – 2019
• Enable greater student engagement and success through
exceptional experiences
• Increase scholarly communication, research and creative
activity (SRC) excellence, intensity and impact
• Foster an innovation ecosystem
• Expand community engagement and city-building
There is a library context for each of these

46. TRANSLATING UNIVERSITY GOALS
INTO LIBRARY GOALS
• Our library values
• Our strengths in developing innovative technology and
services
• Our dedication to providing experiential learning
opportunities for students
• Our partnerships with faculty and others
• Our central, neutral role for all students and faculty,
regardless of program or level
• Our can do attitude

47. FROM THE ACADEMIC PLAN…
“Ryerson’s Library plays a foundational role in
connecting students, faculty and staff from across
disciplines, and has long been a partner in student
success and engagement, knowledge creation and
dissemination, and technology-enhanced learning”

48. THE ACADEMIC PLAN CONTINUED…
“The Student Learning Centre will provide the library
with new spaces and modalities for collaboration with
academic partners to deliver innovative services that
encourage productive multidisciplinary interactions,
and intensify students’ out-of-class learning
experiences”
http://www.ryerson.ca/senate/agenda/2014/Academic_Plan_Draft_Full_June_3_14.pdf

49. PRIMARY STRATEGY
“Enhance the Library’s role as a provider of exceptional
learning spaces, quality digital and physical collections,
and innovative services for teaching, learning, research
and collaboration”

50. STUDENT LEARNING CENTRE COLLABORATIONS
User Group (USS)
F U N C T I O N A L
SLC Steering Committee
F U N C T I O N A L
Transition Committee
D E C I S I O N M A K I N G
[Grand] Opening
Committee
W O R K I N G
Prep Group for Transition
Committee
W O R K I N G
RU [student] Leaders
W O R K I N G
Sub cmtte – Soft ‘loud’
Opening
W O R K I N G
Capital Communications
Group
W O R K I N G

51. THE WAY AHEAD:
SLC SCHEDULED TO OPEN IN FEBRUARY 2015

52. To boldly go…
http://ryersonbuilds.ryerson.ca/student-learning-centre/
@MJLibrarian
mjlefebv@ryerson.ca