The King's University
AC-10: Support for Sustainability Research

1. The King's Centre for Visualization in Science is a research centre of The King's University committed to improving the global public understanding of science through research and the creation and dissemination of peer-reviewed interactive electronic learning tools to see and understand science. Astrophysicist Brian Martin and Chemist Peter Mahaffy founded the centre in 2005 as a legacy of the NSERC Centres for Research in Youth Science Teaching Learning (CRYSTAL-Alberta) program. Peter Mahaffy is the current director. The work of the centre is carried out with regional, national, and international partners. The King's Centre for Visualization in Science is energized by the talent and enthusiasm of a creative interdisciplinary team of undergraduate students and faculty collaborators! (https://www.kcvs.ca/)

2. The King’s University Community Engaged Research (CER) responds to the institution’s deep commitment to community engagement efforts that cultivate vibrant relationships of mutual service, partnership, and exchange. CER is an approach to research that works towards positive societal change through collaborative relationships between universities and the wider community. It brings together the expertise of university researchers and community partners to co-produce knowledge that addresses real world problems, challenges, and inequalities. King’s students, faculty, and community partners have conducted collaborative CER projects in areas such as environmental sustainability, social justice, health, food security, poverty, and community well-being. These projects have resulted in a variety of outputs including technical reports, practical tools, conference presentations, and academic publications. (https://www.kingsu.ca/research/cer)

The 2021-2026 Strategic Research Plan includes Environment and Transitions to Sustainability as one the university's 5 current research theme areas:

The broad theme of Environment and Transitions to Sustainability includes a wide range of research projects that examine our current environmental situation and how we as humans might change to live in more sustainable ways. Currently there are projects ranging from the conservation biology of limber pine, insects as a food source, transmission of zoonotic parasites along a rural to urban gradient, development of historical resources of the Edmonton river valley and Environmental Impact Assessment. Multidisciplinary approaches by the Natural Sciences Faculty include developing new materials that contribute to more sustainable resource use, educating citizens to better understand their impact on the planet, and laying out the strengths and limits of technological solutions to the sustainability problem. Social Sciences faculty members are focusing on identifying the current economic and political structures that hamper the transition to sustainability and developing language and modes of thought that may contribute to more sustainable ways of living. Our Arts Faculty works to expose deep assumptions made about our culture and challenges modes of thinking that lead to unsustainable lifestyles, choices, and practices.

The action plan for the strategic research plan includes establishing a Centre for Transition to Sustainability. The academic focus of this interdisciplinary Centre will be on how to move beyond critique of current unsustainable practices and propose processes and structures that will be conducive to long term sustainability. The anticipated success of the university’s summer 2020 Tier 2 Canada Research Chair nomination with a focus on transition to sustainability will mark the first step in the establishment of this Centre.

The following standards appear in the university's policy on Faculty Classifications and Appointment
2.5. Qualifications of Tenure Track Faculty
e. Intend to contribute to integrated, interdisciplinary education and are able to articulate what this means in their work;

The following standards appear in the university's policy on SPECIAL EVALUATIONS: PROMOTION, TENURE, AND NOT IN GOOD STANDING

4. EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR PROMOTION TO ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
4.2.
e. A faculty member must demonstrate a commitment to and familiarity with a Christian, integrative, interdisciplinary approach to their scholarship, consistent with the criteria for appointment.

Furthermore, the 2021-2026 Strategic Research Plan states as one of its engagement objectives: Strengthen the interdisciplinary research being done in the identified research themes, which are: Religion, Culture and Society; Community Engaged Research; Pedagogy; Human Health and Wellness; and Environment and Transitions to Sustainability

Research Guides:
The King’s University Library has created numerous research guides on the subject of sustainability including the Environmental Studies guide, the Geography guide, and our Simplicity guide. We continually edit and add to these guides as we purchase new materials or find new sources that apply.

Material selection policies:
The following are general considerations that apply to the selection of all materials, regardless of format or method of acquisition:
• Relevance to curriculum, and student and faculty information needs
• Cost
• Comprehensiveness and depth of coverage
• Scholarly value and academic level
• Currency, timeliness, and enduring or archival value
• Reliability and reputation of publisher or vendor
• Preference for English language content
In addition to the above criteria, the acquisition of electronic resources is dependent on technical criteria, including:
• Trial period for technical and content evaluation
• Remote access via IP authentication
• Discoverability of content
• Compatibility with campus equipment standards
• Availability on all workstations (no stand-alone requirement)
In order to demonstrate good stewardship, multiple copies are not generally purchased. An additional copy or an alternate format may be purchased where the need is clear or when there are compelling program requirements. Items that are more appropriately purchased by other types of local libraries, such as the Edmonton Public Library, are normally not acquired.
• Out-of-print books may be purchased in electronic or print format, as available, and at a moderate cost. The search for an out-of-print publication will cease if standard out-of-print sources are unable to supply the item within a reasonable time.

Curriculum Development:
With regard to our library’s curriculum development efforts, we have a dedicated staff member who regularly weeds the ENVS and related subjects collection, and who purchases new books and materials (current year whenever possible).

We have weekly alerts setup from our book buying provider that provides the most recent ENVS books and we purchase accordingly.

Our library also has a Google form that faculty can fill out to request new books to be added, or they can directly email us their requests for consideration.

Sustainable Literacy Promotion:
King’s University Library is making movement towards purchasing more e-books for students and faculty members. This not only creates easier access to materials, but it is more sustainable as well. We are advertising our e-book initiatives on our social media pages, in information literacy classes and to a lesser degree on the library website.

In previous years (pre COVID) we have created thematic book displays – this could be on the topic of sustainability, simplicity or climate change. Topics change depending on the interests of the staff member or the topic that is currently being showcased (IE Canadian environmental awareness week). We will continue to do this in a virtual setting.

E-Learning Objects on Sustainability:
King’s University Library encourages faculty to provide digital reserve items that can easily be placed in a LMS. The library is also committed to following Canadian copyright law and fair dealing, and we will aid faculty members by advising on what can be copied and embedded into an LMS and what items might be better purchased in an electronic format.

Positive outcomes during the previous three years.
The King’s University Library has a federated search engine (EBSCO Discovery Service) that includes many databases including many sustainability and ENVS topics.

King’s Library is a member of the NEOS library consortium which includes 17 other libraries (including the University of Alberta and MacEwan University) that provide access to print materials for both faculty and students. Books are delivered to our library via courier service three days a week.

Our library also has an Interlibrary Loan agreement with the University of Alberta. In the event our library does not have access to a desired article, faculty and students can submit an interlibrary loan request that will be filled within 24-48 hours.

With regard to any positive outcomes during the past three years it is important to mention that because our university went with a hybrid model of teaching we were able to pivot very quickly to continue to provide access to print materials. This often meant leaving the requested books at the university reception desk or by copying and emailing a chapter from a book (in accordance with Canadian fair dealing regulations). We have also digitized a huge number of reserve items for faculty members to embed into their LMS, so we see this as an exciting step.

We continue to encourage our faculty to take advantage of open education resources (OER’s) and open access journals and databases.