Concordia University's participation in the Atiku portal

Atiku: The Northern and Arctic Knowledge Portal is very pleased to announce the participation of Concordia University in the project. Susie Breier, reference librarian and research specialist in sociology and anthropology, will act as the Concordia University’s representative. She will be assisted by Dereje Taye, reference assistant. 

The Importance of Open Access

Atiku's multidisciplinary coverage of northern and Arctic studies, particularly those involving Indigenous issues, attracted the interest of Susie Breier. "I also appreciate that members of the general public, who are not affiliated with academic institutions, not only have a collection dedicated to them, but can quickly see what open access resources are available to them.”

The relevance of Atiku in different fields

Susie Breier points to areas of teaching and research at Concordia University, such as geography, planning, Indigenous studies, environmental engineering, sustainable development (in particular, the Loyola Sustainability Research Centre), communications, sociology and anthropology as being aligned with Atiku's offerings. Art history is also relevant, given the interest in circumpolar indigenous art at the institution.

The game plan

The librarian at Webster Library first plans to add the Concordia links to the Atiku portal for the many resources to which her university has a subscription. The development of the Online Film Collection may be a future focus for her. Finally, the addition of Atiku to numerous thematic guides, the promotion of the portal within departments and the use of social media will be the means used to reach new users.