Removing barriers: how Library Accessibility Services is reducing inequalities in learning

By Alex Huls | March 5, 2025 This March, York University is recognizing and participating in SDG Month Canada, a national initiative to advance collaboration, awareness and engagement around the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Throughout the month, YFile will present a series of articles that highlight contributions from York University and its efforts to advance the […]

Participate in survey to help improve York U Libraries services

By Stephanie Quail | February 26, 2025 York University Libraries (YUL) and the Osgoode Law Library are calling on students, faculty and staff to participate in a LibQUAL+ survey and provide feedback on how library services and collections can be improved. The LibQUAL+ survey instrument was developed by the Association of Research Libraries to help libraries assess and improve their […]

Dedicated space for Indigenous students, researchers opens at Scott Library

By Cora Coady | February 12, 2025 In a collaborative effort to support Indigenous students and their learning experiences, York University Libraries’ (YUL) has opened the Miinkaanensing (pronounced mee-ni-kahn-en-sing) Indigenous Reading Room. Located in Room 202E of the Scott Library, Miinkaanensing is a new space that offers Indigenous students and researchers a quiet space to gather and engage with […]

$500K boost for York's Portuguese Canadian History Project

By: Jessica Kubin January 3, 2025 New funding worth half-a-million dollars will support a cultural preservation project housed in the Clara Thomas Archives at York University. The Portuguese Canadian History Project (PCHP) has secured $500,000 from members of the Portuguese Canadian community and the Consulate of Portugal in Toronto, which will sustain the project over the next […]

New Libraries resources help students navigate AI with integrity

Edited by: Lindsay MacAdam November 21, 2024 As artificial intelligence (AI) redefines what’s possible in higher education, York University librarians Ted Belke and Sophie Bury, in partnership with academic integrity specialist Angela Clark, are proactively educating students on the effective and responsible use of AI tools by developing resources to help them integrate AI into their learning, while also […]

Greek Canadian Archives at York U continues to grow, preserve history

Edited by: Lindsay MacAdam October 16, 2024 The Hellenic Heritage Foundation Greek Canadian Archives (HHF GCA) at York University, has had an eventful year with significant acquisitions, extensive digitization projects, innovative research and expanded public outreach. Vasilis Molos – director and research lead of the archives – has been supported by a dedicated group of scholars assembled by Professor Sakis Gekas that […]

Casita Azul Library a hub for community education programs in Costa Rica 

York University’s Las Nubes eco-campus focuses on hosting students for experiential education opportunities and improving rural livelihoods with an emphasis on environmental conservation. Casita Azul, the little blue house, is in the unique position of not only operating as an academic library in service to the Las Nubes mission, but also as a community hub […]

Peñas Blancas River wins ecological prize with the help of Casita Azul Library 

On March 12, 2024, Casita Azul received the highest award level of five stars as part of a prestigious local ecological prize, acknowledging their significant contribution to recent clean-up efforts at the Peñas Blancas River in Costa Rica. Building on their established connections within the community, and their recently implemented, successful bi-monthly recycling program, Casita […]

The Libraries’ Open Access Author Fund changes to Article Processing Charge discount model in 2024

As of March 2024, York University Libraries (YUL) will be changing its Open Access Author Fund (OA Author Fund) model to focus on participating in nationally negotiated agreements with publishers to provide article processing charge (APC) discounts.  From 2013 to 2023, YUL provided York researchers with access to a small fund that researchers could use […]

York U Libraries join network of ‘open rangers’ to advance open educational resources

York University is among a cohort of educational institutions in the province that will champion the use of open educational resources (OER) through a program led by eCampusOntario. Charlotte de Araujo, assistant professor, Faculty of Science, and Stephanie Quail, acting director of the Libraries’ Open Scholarship Department, were accepted into eCampusOntario’s Open Educational Resources Ranger (OER […]