UCL Library Services shortlisted (again) as Outstanding Library Team

I am pleased to report that UCL Library Services has been shortlisted for the third consecutive time in the ‘Outstanding Library Team’ category of the THE Leadership and Management Awards (THELMAs). This year marks the 10th anniversary of the awards. Library Services was recognized for the achievement of a number of goals we set out in the Library Strategy, including (under KPA headings):

 

 

User Experience

• Increased the number of study places on campus by over 500 in the summer of 2017
• Reached 65% of all taught courses on our ReadingLists@UCL service– the highest coverage rate amongst our research-intensive peers. We have grown our digital library to suit demand with Patron-Driven Acquisitions. Use of e-books increased by 45% in 2017!
• Extend opening hours. We opened the Main Library throughout the Christmas period for the first time in 2017, and over 500 students were working in the library between Christmas and New Year

 

Staffing, Equality and Diversity

Our 11^th annual Staff Conference explored the theme of Customer Service Excellence. As part of the ceremony, a Library Staff Awards scheme celebrated our staff for their outstanding demonstration of Library Services’ values.

 

Communication, Open Access and Public Engagement

By championing Open Access and Open Science, we are inventing new ways of how a University can engage with the wider world, sharing its knowledge and learning for the good of Society.

Since we launched UCL Press in summer 2015, we have published 56 monographs and are producing 8 journals. These have been downloaded a staggering 705,000 times in 221 countries. We expect to pass the million download mark sometime in the Summer of 2018. It’s an amazing achievement for a young Press, which is helping to re-define the meaning of academic publishing.

 

 

THE editor John Gill said: “The Thelmas are unique in shining a deserved spotlight on often unsung heroes from across the professional services and administration of our world-leading universities, and it’s an honour for Times Higher Education to organise an event celebrating their achievements. This year’s shortlist – once again featuring almost half of all UK institutions – shows that talent and dedication continue to abound, as well as a determination to find creative solutions to problems as and when they occur.”

Winners will be announced at a ceremony on Thursday 21 June 2018. To be shortlisted for the THELMAs is already a significant achievement, and a tribute to the hard work and commitment of staff across UCL Library Services in delivering outstanding services.