Skip to Main Content

Community Access

Are you unaffiliated with UBC? There are many resources, services, events, and spaces you can access through the Library! Read this guide to learn more.

Connect with a Community Engagement Librarian

Allan Cho (he/him)

Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, UBC
allan.cho@ubc.ca
604-827-4366

Allan’s work includes supporting ongoing community initiatives and leading new ones, focusing on community engagement with historically underrepresented groups, piloting IKBLC’s AskAway coordination, subject liaison librarian with the School of Information, and developing a new speaker series with the support of the Peña Family Foundation.

Donna Langille (she/her/they/them)

Community Engagement and Open Education Librarian
UBC Okanagan Library
donna.langille@ubc.ca
250 807-9233

As Community Engagement and Open Education Librarian, Donna works to improve access to scholarly research for community members. You can find her at the UBC Innovation Library where community members can access many of UBC’s electronic resources. Contact them by email to schedule an appointment.

Kayla Lar-Son (she/her/they/them)

Indigenous Programs and Services Librarian
X̱wi7x̱wa Library, UBC
kayla.lar-son@ubc.ca

604-817-8091

Kayla is Metis from Treaty Six Territory and is the Indigenous programs and services librarian for the Xwi7xwa Library. Along with her colleagues at X̱wi7x̱wa, she works to provide Indigenous communities with culturally relative services and programs on the UBC campus and beyond. Kayla is also the program manager librarian for the Indigitization program. You can contact her through email.

Aleha McCauley (she/her)

Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, UBC
aleha.mccauley@ubc.ca
604-827-3906

Aleha is involved in several community initiatives that strive to improve access to research for community members, organizations and businesses across BC. Aleha welcomes you to connect with her by email.

Nick Ubels (he/him/his)

Community Engagement Librarian
UBC Learning Exchange & Irving. K. Barber Learning Centre
nick.ubels@ubc.ca
604 827-0905

As an embedded community engagement librarian at the UBC Learning Exchange in the Downtown Eastside (DTES), Nick works with community members and non-profit organizations to improve access to scholarly research. Contact him by e-mail to set up a free one-to-one research consultations or get help using the DTES Research Access Portal.

Get specialized community services & supports

Did you know that UBC Librarians have created unique research collections, in addition to personalized research support to diverse audiences? Here are just a few we would like to share.

  • Community Scholars Program: this program provides free access to over 20,000 academic journals to registered non-profit and charitable organizations in British Columbia. UBC Library, in partnership with several higher education institutions, also offers workshops, consultations and other services to BC community scholars who are registered in this program. Get in touch with Aleha McCauley to learn more today.

  • DTES Research Access Portal: the Downtown Eastside Research Access Portal makes research items relevant to Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES) more accessible and easier to discover. It provides access to academic materials such as scholarly articles and theses, as well as community materials such as reports, historical newsletters and more accessible forms of scholarship such as infographics, podcasts, clear research summaries, and more. Get in touch with Nick Ubels to learn more.
  • Indigitization: Indigitization is a collaborative initiative between BC Indigenous groups and academic partners from UBC and the University of Northern British Columbia to facilitate capacity building in Indigenous information management. This continuing program is committed to clarifying processes and identifying issues in the conservation, digitization, and management of Indigenous community Knowledges. The Indigitization Program provides resources through the Indigitization toolkit, enables community-led digitization projects through training workshops, identifies funding opportunities, and advocates for ongoing funding directly to Indigenous partners for sustained cultural heritage management.
  • Small Business Accelerator: The SBA provides free access to reliable resources to help you improve market research skills and develop a successful business venture. You can find dozens of detailed guides spanning 18 different industries, a step-by-step manual for business research, video modules, and more. Librarians and graduate students are also available for workshops and research consultations. Get in touch with Aleha McCauley to learn more today.