Librarian’s report to Information Services Committee, May 2004

Use of space

The area occupied by the Issue Desk has been significantly reduced, creating more public space and enabling the self-issue machines and self-service printers to be brought together near the open-access PC workstations.

Funding has been secured to convert the Seminar Room on Level 3 - currently an Information Science departmental resource - to a second information skills training room, accommodating 10-12. As is the existing training room, this will be an open-access PC facility when not required for training events.

A comprehensive replacement signage system has been installed in the Library. Colour coded to each floor, the chosen system meets the Library’s requirements for a fully flexible system, and presents a much clearer and more coherent image than before. All text can be updated by Library staff as necessary.

Library website

Redesigned Library web pages were launched in April.

Projects

LibPortal
The Library, with the Department of Information Science and the Library & Information Statistics Unit, has successfully completed the JISC-funded project LibPortal. The second part of the project featured a detailed case study of the implementation by the University Library of MetaLib and SFX, and generated a considerable amount of interest from other HE libraries.

INFORM to LEARN
Online tutorials and Learn material are being developed to support students' information skills in the Science Faculty, and a tool for the self-assessment of information skills levels by PhD students will be piloted soon.

Staffing

Recommendations emerging from a thorough review of the workload and deployment of Library Assistants have been implemented, including a reallocation of duties and the non-replacement of some posts. A job-shadowing scheme is being piloted with the Library at De Montfort University, and the University Library has been successfully re-assessed as meeting the Investors in People standard.

Mary Morley

University Librarian