McMaster University Libraries
2025-2026 Impact Report

Message from the Associate Vice-President and University Librarian

McMaster libraries spaces

New program addresses student loneliness on campus

McMaster University Libraries are creating new ways for students to get involved and connect with their peers. 

The Reach Out Project is a series of drop-in and registered programs across campus libraries, designed to foster community and belonging. From book clubs and craft sessions to game nights and cultural events, students can meet and bond over shared interests.

“A strong sense of belonging is directly linked to student well-being and academic success,” said Lynne Serviss, associate university librarian, User Services and Community Engagement. “These initiatives will help students feel supported throughout the term.” 

Among the activities held throughout the libraries were book clubs, free drop-in craft sessions called “Cozy Crafternoons,” a Halloween drag story time for adults, as well as phone-free and accessible game nights.

Many of these events were done together with campus partners to extend the outreach.

The libraries already offer dedicated spaces where students can connect outside of the classroom. The Reach Out Project builds on this foundation by leading inclusive, community-building programming. 

Casey Hoeve, associate university librarian, Content, Access and Open Licensing, says the Reach Out Project was designed with students in mind.

“Employees at our libraries brought forward creative, inclusive ideas,” said Hoeve. “And where students were involved, their input helped shape the projects to reflect real campus needs.”

Leana Abdelnaby, a McMaster engineering student and Thode Makerspace student assistant, says she is thrilled about the initiative.

“Having free, regular, and widely available creative workshops such as Cozy Crafternoons allows us students to keep up our mental health and social well-being,” said Abdelnaby.

“As a Makerspace assistant, facilitating budding friendships and nourishment of existing ones during Cozy Crafternoon events is a joyful part of my job.”

Boosting podcast support for the McMaster community

McMaster University Libraries are expanding podcasting support with new equipment and learning opportunities, thanks to a collaboration between the Lewis and Ruth Sherman Centre for Digital Scholarship and the Lyons New Media Centre.

Lyons New Media Centre recently purchased three portable recording units through a grant from the Office of the Provost co-awarded to both centres. Now available for loan from Lyons New Media Centre at Mills library, the mobile kits provide students, faculty, and staff with more flexibility to capture rich recordings in both local and remote locations.

“We wanted something user-friendly for beginners but still capable of producing high-quality audio,” said Carlie King, digital media specialist with Lyons. “The goal was to make podcasting as accessible as possible.”

The Sherman Centre is providing guidance for those looking to understand how podcasts can enhance their research, whether through hosting, guest appearances, or discussing how they are represented in podcast conversations.

Jack Young, research impact and bibliometrics librarian at the Sherman Centre, says podcasts open lines of communication.

“Podcasting captures the idea of science or research as a conversation,” said Young. “It mobilizes knowledge beyond a one-way journal article, reaching different audiences who may not read a traditional publication.”

Podcasting continues to grow as an important medium for teaching, research, and community building at McMaster. The hope is that the new kits and support help creators at all levels in the research community.

“We want people to see how podcasts can be integrated into the scholarly communication process here at Mac,” said Young. “Podcasting isn’t something that has to happen in the margins of your work; it can actively contribute to the impact you’re trying to make.”

Library partnership with new academic program strengthens student learning

As health care grows more complex, McMaster University’s Integrated Rehabilitation and Humanities program is equipping students with the critical thinking skills needed for evidence-informed practice.

Run by the Faculty of Health Sciences, the new program that is also known by the acronym IRH brings together students from a range of disciplines to study the intersection of health, rehabilitation, and humanities. 

The Health Sciences Library began working with program leaders during early planning conversations, helping design research support to prepare students to navigate complex information environments and sort through disinformation.

“In health care, you need to be able to find information, evaluate it, and apply it to the context you’re working in,” said Stephanie Sanger, education and curriculum planning librarian at the Health Sciences Library. “If we can help these students build the skills now, we can set them up to become even better health care practitioners.”

Now in its second year, the program includes two introductory library sessions where students learn database searching, citation practices, and how to work with both health and social science literature. Students are also introduced to archival and primary source materials, expanding their exposure beyond traditional health databases.

Library workshops include interactive components where students actively build searches and learn through hands-on practice. The Health Sciences Library meets with program students twice in the fall term, with additional one-on-one support available as their research projects develop.

Anastasia Newman, physiotherapist and assistant professor in the program, says the library sessions have become foundational to how students approach research.

“I’m already seeing students look at the quality of evidence differently and use databases appropriately,” said Newman. “These library sessions are the North Star for research methods.”

News in brief from McMaster University Libraries

McMaster Experts offers new features with improved user experience

McMaster Experts, the university’s research discovery and researcher profile platform, underwent a major update in fall 2025, after more than a year of development. 

The refreshed site features an improved interface with enhanced information, functionality, visuals, and performance. These improvements better showcase McMaster’s researchers, their expertise, and scholarly works to global audiences.

Jacob Sloots, developer at McMaster University Libraries, says the update makes it easier for the team to deliver on long-requested features.

“We had this long list of features for a while,” said Sloots. “But now we finally have the tools to bring them to life.”

McMaster Experts provides a comprehensive view of active scholarship at the university. It serves as a discovery gateway, helping students, collaborators, media, and community partners find and connect with the university’s researchers.

The platform allows researchers to curate up-to-date profiles that reflect their expertise, experience, as well as research and teaching activities.

The update expands researcher profiles and lays the groundwork for future features that support collaboration and supervision opportunities. With a modernized web infrastructure and a more flexible environment, the development team can respond to feedback and introduce new features more efficiently.

Developed by the McMaster Experts team, the platform was shaped by extensive input from the university’s research community, with support from Communications, Marketing and Public Affairs and Media Production Services.

Jay Brodeur, director of digital scholarship infrastructure and services, says he’s proud of the team’s work on the site’s refresh.

“The ground-up redesign of this site represents the team’s commitment to presenting the institution’s experts to the world,” said Brodeur. “We are grateful for the academic community’s input on McMaster Experts and look forward to its continued evolution.”

Well-Suited Community Closet opens in Thode library

A new and improved room on the lower level of H.G. Thode Library of Science and Engineering is supporting student success.

The Well-Suited Community Closet, a student-led initiative, came together in fall 2025. The space offers gently used business wear in a variety of sizes and styles that students can borrow at no charge for important academic and career moments.

“The Well-Suited Community Closet aims to reduce economic barriers and create a place that helps McMaster students achieve their academic and professional goals,” said Gabriela Masri Ahmar, a fourth-year Integrated Science Program student and community project champion. “It also diverts waste from the landfill, making it a win for everyone.”

The realization of the closet was led by students in McMaster’s Sustain 3S03 and 2SS3 courses. Donations were collected from the McMaster community through the early months of the fall 2025 term, resulting in more than 450 items including suits, blazers, dresses, skirts, ties, belts, and shoes. Clothing was laundered at no charge by staff at the David Braley Athletic Centre. Students then sorted items by size and style.

Crystal Mills, head of Access Services at McMaster University Libraries, is the libraries’ project champion. She says she is proud to support a cause that supports student success, along with environmental sustainability.

“When I was approached by students about this project, it was an easy initiative to champion,” said Mills. “The libraries work to support student success, so this was a unique way we could help.”

The launch of the Well-Suited Community Closet aligned with the libraries’ themed Year of Environmental Action, which was held from September 2025 through April 2026.

Meet Cathy Grisé, the Sherman Centre’s new academic director

Cathy Grisé is passionate about helping students learn through hands-on, experiential opportunities that bridge the classroom and the world beyond university.

A medievalist by training and an associate professor in the Department of English and Cultural Studies, Grisé has been part of McMaster University since 1999. She is committed to interdisciplinary learning and believes that digital scholarship gives students the chance to develop practical, real-world skills.

It is these qualities and more that makes her a good fit as the new academic director of the Lewis and Ruth Sherman Centre for Digital Scholarship. She officially started in the role on Nov. 1, 2025.

“Experiential learning has always been part of McMaster’s strength, and it’s just as important in humanities and social sciences,” Grisé said. “The Sherman Centre gives students and faculty opportunities to learn by doing, experiment with new tools, and apply their skills in practical ways.”

The Sherman Centre is a research centre at McMaster, located in Mills Memorial Library. It  is a joint initiative of the McMaster University Libraries and the Faculty of Humanities and is made possible by a generous gift from the Lewis and Ruth Sherman Foundation.

As academic director, Grisé oversees the postdoctoral fellow and the graduate residency program. She also supports workshops and training in collaboration with other partners.

Jay Brodeur, administrative director of the Sherman Centre, says he is excited about the expertise and enthusiasm Grisé brings to the role.

“We are thrilled to welcome Cathy to the Sherman Centre as we begin our next chapter,” said Brodeur. “With her deep expertise in digital humanities and community-engaged scholarship, Cathy is the perfect person to lead the centre toward exciting new opportunities and partnerships.”

The art of conservation

When Bronwen Glover meets people at a social event, she is usually asked what she does for a living. 

When she replies that she’s a book conservator at McMaster University, her response is often met with great interest and a flurry of questions.

The truth is that Glover is both a scientist and an artist, working at one of only six Canadian post-secondary academic libraries with conservation experts. Her work brings together expertise in organic and inorganic chemistry with historical knowledge and the fine hand skills required to undertake delicate treatment work on rare and irreplaceable objects.

“Many people have never encountered books and documents that are this old,” said Glover. “They’re often very excited when they visit my lab and see the work I do and hear about the history of the material.”

The Conservation Lab is a bright, spacious room hidden behind the William Ready Division of Archives and Research Collections on the lower level of Mills Memorial Library. 

The lab features workbenches, beakers and solutions, a microscope, finishing tools, and book presses. There are sheets of gold leaf, rolls of leather and fabric, bottles of ink and oak galls, a sewing machine, and an iron. 

Despite the volume of tools and materials, the space is tidy and immaculately organized, thanks to its caretaker. Among the list of items awaiting Glover’s care are rare books, maps, photographs, and manuscripts.

“A lot of what I’m working on is materials for teaching, research, or exhibition, but I have to be flexible for other tasks as they arise,” Glover said. “A side quest can arise at any moment.”

Glover recently finished a long-term project creating a historically informed binding for a medieval manuscript tentatively dated to the 1150s — a copy of the Consolatione by Boethius, a late Roman philosopher.

An upcoming project will focus on the conservation of the binding and pages of a miniature manuscript Bible dating to the 13th century.

“This will be a long process as I need to examine the object page by page under the microscope to see how the pigment is interacting with the parchment and if it needs consolidation,” she said.

Glover’s work begins with documentation, as nothing is changed without being photographed and profiled in a detailed treatment proposal. Things don’t always go according to plan so creative and unique approaches are needed, sometimes in consultation with her contemporaries across Canada and around the world.

Myron Groover, archives and rare book librarian, oversees Glover’s work at McMaster University Libraries. The pair works closely together to discuss conservation approaches and best courses of restoration.

“Bronwen is a remarkably skilled conservator who brings an ethos of care and creativity to everything she does — whether that’s re-binding a 500-year-old book using medieval materials and tools, mapping out a data-driven 20-year plan for the storage of our collections, or leading an interpretive visit for students,” said Groover. “It is a true privilege to work with her.”

Glover is also focused on training the next generation of professionals.

Sara Notdorft, a McMaster alumna, spent September to December 2025 working five days a week alongside Glover. The in-person internship marked the final requirement of her studies in the Cultural Heritage Conservation and Management Program at Fleming College.

Notdorft’s time in the lab focused on the conservation and storage of rare books and manuscripts. Her capstone project involved undertaking a full conservation treatment for a handwritten arithmetic book from the 1700s.

“Though I had not previously considered book conservation as my top interest, I developed a great love for it during my internship,” said Notdorft. “Bronwen was a fantastic mentor, and I couldn’t have asked for a better internship supervisor.”

Glover says it is a career highlight to work at McMaster.

“I can’t imagine working anywhere else right now,” she said.

Meet our new colleagues

McMaster University Libraries welcomed approximately a half dozen full-time colleagues between May 2025 and April 2026. Here, two recent additions to the team write about their work and why it matters to the McMaster community and beyond.

Remembering Stephen Lewis

The world became a little darker when Stephen Lewis, a longtime supporter and friend of McMaster University Libraries, died on March 31, 2026 at age 88.

The William Ready Division of Archives and Research Collections holds the archive of the renowned humanitarian, diplomat, and activist.

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Stephen, who leaves this country and this world a better place because of his work,” said Vivian Lewis, associate vice-president and university librarian, who is unrelated to the Stephen Lewis family. “Our thoughts are with his family and everyone who had the privilege to know him.”

Stephen Lewis first became a part of the McMaster University family in May 25, 1979, when he was awarded an honorary degree, the first of 42 he would receive in his lifetime from Canadian and American universities.

During the convocation ceremony that day, Lewis spoke to graduates and their families with his trademark eloquence.

“This is a stunning moment of gratification for me,” he said at the 1979 event at McMaster. “Scarce to be believed that an infidel, resisting the enveloping shrouds of obscurity, can still enter the kingdom of heaven.”

In 2006, Lewis returned to McMaster, this time as the inaugural scholar-in-residence in the Faculty of Social Sciences.

Forty-two years later, almost to the day of being presented with his honorary degree, the university announced Lewis’ gift of his archive to McMaster University Libraries.

“In normal circumstance, it’s the university that expresses appreciation,” Lewis said about his gift in 2021. “I’d like to say what a thrill it gives me to have McMaster’s stamp of approval. I’ve lived my adult life seeking academic legitimacy. Now, finally, it comes by way of the McMaster archives. I’m palpitating with joy.”

Stephen Lewis is a household name not only in his native Ontario, but across Canada and in many countries around the world.

Lewis was the co-founder and board co-chair of the Stephen Lewis Foundation and served as the co-director of AIDS-Free World, an international advocacy organization. His work with the United Nations spanned more than two decades. He was the United Nations secretary-general’s special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa from 2001 until 2006.

From 1995 to 1999, Lewis was deputy executive director of UNICEF at the organization’s global headquarters in New York. He was Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations from 1984 through 1988.

He was also the author of the best-selling book, Race Against Time, which came from his inspiring 2005 Massey Lectures that focused on raising awareness and promoting a message of hope during the AIDS epidemic in Africa at the time.

Lewis was leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party from 1970 through 1978, during which time he became leader of the Official Opposition.

Lewis was profoundly proud of his family, including wife and renowned journalist, Michele Landsberg, and their three children, Ilana Landsberg-Lewis, Avi Lewis, and Jenny Lewis. Avi made national headlines when he was elected as the leader of the federal New Democratic Party on March 29, 2026.

David Farrar, past president and vice-chancellor of McMaster University, says he is mourning the loss of the brilliant Canadian leader and advocate.

“Stephen’s challenge to Canadians, and especially to universities, was electrifying,” Farrar said. “He believed passionately that we all have the power to make the world more just and more peaceful.”

The Stephen Lewis archive is open to the public for research and study.

Included in the vast collection are campaign materials, professional and personal correspondence, press releases, position papers, photographs, media clippings, speaking notes, and much more. The archive includes the papers of Stephen’s father, David Lewis, who served as the leader of the federal New Democratic Party.

To consult the Stephen Lewis archive, email archives@mcmaster.ca in advance to schedule your visit.

A new chapter begins

2025-2026 McMaster Libraries Leadership Group