Instructors who seek to engage students meaningfully in course material, to foster critical debate in the classroom, and to encourage reflective essay writing face a considerable challenge from large classes and increasing enrolment generally. York University Libraries (YUL) has adopted a number of new initiatives designed to help instructors maintain such active learning goals and meet their challenges. These initiatives also seek to address the problems associated with the increasing number of instructors and students making use of YUL. They include an increased diversification of our approaches to teaching information literacy and research skills in course specific contexts, a redesign and expansion of library and collaborative study space, as well as an expansion of our efforts to enrich in-house and online collections and resources. It is our hope that these initiatives will help to facilitate active learning among students by giving them the skills and resources that they need to engage fruitfully in the research process and to find their own voices within the larger context of academic discourse.

While York University Libraries has always maintained a strong commitment to its information literacy (IL) program, new approaches are being adopted to offer increased support to faculty as they deal with the increasing number of York students. Through the IL program librarians work directly with faculty to teach critical library and bibliographic research skills. Our IL sessions are tailored to meet the needs of individual faculty and focus on the library resources which best support course learning objectives and class assignments. As well, librarians are available to consult with faculty in the design of library research assignments. The popularity of this program is evident in our statistics: we reach over 12,000 students a year. And, to facilitate access to this growing program, YUL has implemented a new, online self-booking form for faculty available at: http://tel.library.yorku.ca/faculty/booking.asp. (Please note that due to ever-increasing popularity, availability can be limited; so book your IL class early to avoid disappointment!)

The libraries also offer practical alternatives to in-class lectures including hands-on workshops and online lectures and tutorials. For larger tutorial groups, the Scott Library has recently opened two hands-on computer classrooms with thirty computers in each. The Steacie Science Library and Peter F. Bronfman Business Library have also added hands-on classrooms this year.

To better serve the growing student population additional renovations to the libraries are being made including the creation of a new 12,000 square foot reading room on the second floor of the Scott Library, new reading areas and study space in the Bronfman Business Library and Steacie Science library, as well as the opening of 25 new group study rooms to support collaborative work among students.

Student computing facilities in the libraries have also been updated and expanded with an eye to increased enrollments. The new workstations are high-speed Pentium 4s with flat screen monitors, CD-RW drives, optical mice and sound cards for earphone use. Computing and Network Services are presently upgrading Scott Library with CAT6 wiring which will improve bandwidth and reliability of the network throughout the libraries. The addition of wireless hubs and electrical outlets also make the library a friendlier place for laptops and other wireless devices.

Support for research and learning is our primary concern when building the collections. This year extra funds have been allocated to acquire more titles and to purchase additional copies of high-use items to meet the needs of larger classes. At the same time, the number of electronic journals and newspapers continues to grow, making it easier for faculty and students to access resources. In addition to more than 11,000 electronic journals and hundreds of online databases and indexes, the library has recently added 70 course-related digitized videos that can be viewed remotely or from any computer simply by clicking on a link in the catalogue record.

Recognizing the range of course timetables, the increasing participation in distance education programs, along with a multiplicity of teaching and learning styles, YUL has supplemented the traditional in-house reference service with email reference as well as live chat reference available over the web through a virtual reference desk. Virtual reference service ensures that students get research help where and when the need arises.

Statistics indicate that student enrolment will continue to rise beyond the double-cohort years. As we continue to innovate to support active learning and the inculcation of critical research skills among York's students in the classroom and beyond, we welcome feedback, comments, and suggestions for improvements. Like any of York's ten faculties, the Libraries remain committed to making a direct and meaningful contribution to teaching, learning and research within the broader context of York's overall academic mission.