AlphaPlus had an opportunity to respond to the preliminary research report. It welcomed the report and agreed that the exercise was beneficial to Centre staff, particularly in increasing their awareness of colleges’ resource needs. AlphaPlus acknowledged there were gaps in services, but also pointed out that traditionally colleges have not sought support from AlphaPlus. It further pointed out that more recent AlphaPlus activities, such as the Skills at Work series, had not been examined by the researchers. Overall, though, the findings of the researchers were found to be positive, and AlphaPlus identified areas where they could implement researchers’ recommendations for expanding or improving resources and services. AlphaPlus called on colleges to work together to avoid replicating resources already available in college libraries.

The CSC is in full agreement with this response and strongly recommends that the CSC and AlphaPlus continue to work together in a spirit of collaboration to ensure that AlphaPlus has the information it requires to address the resource needs of colleges, especially at the higher level.

Much of the value of the CSC research initiative lies in the rich, detailed commentary provided by the researchers. The summaries provided at the end of each section do not do justice to their experiences, insights, and numerous recommendations; the scope of the initiative is far too broad for that. The CSC therefore encourages all college educators and AlphaPlus staff to read the whole report, or at least the parts that are pertinent.