OCUL Collaborative Futures

In 2014, the Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL) formed Collaborative Futures as a shared vision of library management systems. It’s a vision that involves radical collaboration to help OCUL member libraries address:

  • Transformations in scholarly communication and higher education.
  • Rapid developments in information technology.
  • Limited financial resources.

Read the latest Collaborative Futures Impact Report. 

The Vision

The Collaborative Futures vision sees Ontario university students, faculty and researchers accessing a large and diverse province-wide library collection, seamlessly moving between print and digital resources. This increased access to books and specialized content means resources are fully incorporated into learning, research, and teaching.

Keys to achieving the vision include:

  • Implementation of shared next-generation library services platforms.
  • Management and preservation of print resources in a sustainable system.
  • Use of shared systems to manage digital and print resources.

Omni and the Shared Network

A major outcome of Collaborative Futures is the Omni academic search tool and shared network. Omni is powered by a partnership of team members and resources from 18 OCUL libraries. This collaborative system means university students, faculty and researchers can:

  • Use Omni to search a shared collection of more than 25 million scholarly resources.
  • Request physical resources from any partner library and pick them up at their home university.
  • Access an intuitive desktop and mobile-friendly search tool for consistent use across devices.

Partner Libraries

Libraries at 18 of OCUL’s member universities make up the Omni collaboration:

  • Algoma University
  • Brock University
  • Carleton University
  • University of Guelph
  • Lakehead University
  • Laurentian University
  • McMaster University
  • Nipissing University
  • OCAD University
  • Ontario Tech University
  • University of Ottawa
  • Queen’s University
  • Trent University
  • University of Waterloo
  • Western University
  • Wilfrid Laurier University
  • University of Windsor
  • York University

More Information

For OCUL members: Visit the Collaborative Futures space in SPOTDocs (login required).

For questions about Collaborative Futures, please email:

  • Assistant Director, Collaborative Initiatives: Anika Ervin-Ward (anika.ervin.ward [at] ocul.on.ca)
  • Omni Technology and Network Zone Specialist: Alex Fletcher (alex.fletcher [at] ocul.on.ca)
  • Collaborative Futures Steering Committee Chair: Robin Canuel (rcanuel [at] lakeheadu.ca)