McMaster University Library best in North America

McMaster University’s library has been named the top academic library in North America by the American Library Association. The Association of College and Research Libraries gave McMaster its “Excellence in Academic Libraries Award” for 2008. The award is in recognition of user-centered innovations and services recently implemented by the library.

McMaster’s chief librarian Jeffery Trzeciak likened the award to “winning the Oscar for best film.”

“Receiving this international recognition is a tribute to the hard work and dedication of the staff here at the McMaster University Libraries. We are totally rethinking how the library operates, how it is used, how it is perceived. We strive for a fresh approach to campus library services,” says Trzeciak.

Trzeciak was recruited to McMaster from the United States and has rapidly changed the libraries at McMaster. He opened a help desk in Second Life, implemented the creation of a learning commons joined the Centre for Research Libraries giving students access to over 800,000 international doctoral dissertations including Albert Einstein’s.