Facilities & Projects Team Blog – Our team information can be found at the following link Facilities & Project Team

Project update for the Fire Alarm upgrade installations throughout DMS Watson, Petrie Museum and Energy Centre.

Monday 28^th June 2021 – First floor will be fully open and contactors will be completing works in sections. They will be commencing work on the Mezzanine areas, up and down and in G15 Teaching Cluster. This whole area will be closed to staff and students. They will be sheeting and taping the areas off tight to the desks so the one way system can continue.

This work will take a couple of weeks to complete. Arrangements have been made so that work in all staff occupied services and areas as well as the entrance area, will be completed on Saturday mornings before opening and Sundays, so services are not too disrupted.

We will continue to provide further updates as the project progresses. Please speak to your building manager if you have any concerns or queries and they can feed back to the team.

Green Impact is a UCL-wide environmental competition and accreditation scheme that allows departments and divisions across the university to improve their environmental impact support UCL’s Sustainability Strategy and engage peers and colleagues with these essential issues.

The scheme gives students and staff the structure to make positive changes to their department or office. There are a range of sustainability actions which directly contribute to UCL’s aim to lead by example when it comes to operating in a sustainable and socially responsible way, as set out in our Sustainability Strategy.

Library Services has performed incredibly well in the Green Impact scheme every year since the awards were created. You can see our 2020 results in my update as Chair of the Library Sustainability Committee last year:

 

“there is no stopping our Library Green Champions. […] Rather than 2020 being a fallow year, we have achieved the best results ever for Library Services. As detailed below, we have returned submissions and improved in most areas, with 1 Bronze, 6 Silver and a staggering 11 Gold Awards for 2020.”

The Library Sustainability Reference Guide has been updated. We are asking everyone in Library Services to take the time to read this important information. Please contact Departmental Environment Officer Collette Lawrence (c.lawrence@ucl.ac.uk) with any queries, ideas or if you want to become a Green Champion!

Facilities & Projects Team Blog – Our team information can be found at the following link Facilities & Projects Team

Project update for the Fire Alarm upgrade installations throughout DMS Watson, Petrie Museum and Energy Centre.

The 3^rd Floor and 4^th Floor will be closed on Thursday 6^th May and Friday 7^th May 2021.

Monday 10^th May 2021 the 4^th Floor will reopen, while work on the 3rd floor will continue. This area will be closed off and there will be some noise disruption permeating through the building. Users of these spaces will need to be remined of additional bookable study spaces in other locations during this time.

We will continue to provide further updates as the project progresses. Please speak to your building manager if you have any concerns or queries and they can feed back to the team.

Facilities & Projects Team Blog – Our team information can be found at the following link Facilities & Project Team

Project update with regards to the Fire Alarm upgrade installations throughout DMS Watson, Petrie Museum and Energy Centre.

the 4th floor is now reopened.

Work on the 3rd floor will commence on Monday 26^th April 2021. This area will be closed off and there will be some noise disruption permeating through the building. Users of these spaces will need to be remined of additional bookable study spaces in other locations during this time.

We will continue to provide further updates as the project progresses. Please speak to your building manager if you have any concerns or queries and they can feed back to the team.

The UCL Ear Institute and Action on Hearing Loss Libraries at the Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital in Gray’s Inn Road were due to close on Friday 21st August 2020, necessitated by the Hospital’s relocation within UCLH. Due to the current circumstances and the resultant early closure of the Hospital building, the libraries will not re-open in this location.

Arrangements are being made for the rehousing of the collections from both libraries. Important clinical and teaching material will be retained on open shelves at the Cruciform and Language & Speech Sciences Libraries respectively. The core course books required by UCL Ear Institute/Audiology students will be located at the Language & Speech Sciences Library. The rare book and archive collections owned by Action on Hearing Loss will be transferred to the stewardship of UCL Special Collections, and will remain available for consultation by members of UCL, UCLH and the wider public. Other material from the Libraries will be available for next-day delivery from the Library Services Store.

The UCL Cruciform Hub is now the centre for library provision for UCL Ear Institute staff and students, including information skills support delivered by the training team. The Cruciform Hub is also the home library for healthcare staff and students at the University College Hospital campus, providing a range of facilities and tailored clinical support services.

UCL Library Services is grateful to all those who have made use of the UCL Ear Institute and Action on Hearing Loss Libraries over the years, and proud that we are continuing our long association with Action on Hearing Loss through UCL Special Collections. Further information will be provided as UCL’s plans to re-open its buildings and Libraries develop.

I felt really proud of working for Library Services at this year’s UCL Sustainability Awards ceremony.

With Covid-19 and the lockdown, we had to adapt our services quickly to support our users remotely. The lightning talks from the Library Staff Conference helped to bring to life the variety of ways in which colleagues have worked tirelessly to deliver a continuous high-quality service with a personal touch. Leaving our buildings (and plants) behind, carving out workspaces from home, and working in new ways – all of these things might have served as obstacles preventing our Green Champions from submitting to the Green Impact scheme in 2020.

But there is no stopping our Library Green Champions. On the contrary, rather than 2020 being a fallow year, we have achieved the best results ever for Library Services. As detailed below, we have returned submissions and improved in most areas, with 1 Bronze, 6 Silver and a staggering 11 Gold Awards for 2020. At the virtual ceremony on MS Teams (which you can read about and even watch online), many colleagues took to the floor to “receive” their award and the Dean of the Faculty of Social and Historical Sciences Sasha Roseneil remarked on the strong showing of Library staff.

 

The full list of awards to Library teams is provided below. I want to congratulate all our Green Champions, and thank colleagues who have supported the effort to achieve such a fantastic result for this year. As we sketch our plans for return to campus, UCL is taking the opportunity to operate the campus in a more sustainable and eco-friendly manner. Earlier this month, UCL has received Fairtrade University status. One tangible example is the introduction of 600 new bike parking and storage facilities on campus. For more tips on preparing for a sustainable return to campus, please visit the Sustainable UCL website.

Bronze:

The School of Slavonic and East European Studies Library

Silver:

IOE Library

Main Library

Ophthalmology Library

Science Team Library

Senate House Hub

Wickford Zero Waste

Gold:

Action on Hearing Loss and Ear Institute Library

Bartlett Library

Central Library Services

Cruciform Hub

Institute of Child Health Library

Institute of Archaeology Library

Queen Square Library

Royal Free Medical Library

School of Pharmacy Library

Institute of Orthopaedics Library

Language and Speech Science Library

 

The LIBER Architecture Group launched a new resource this week for librarians and architects around the world.

The Library Buildings in Europe website records examples of good and interesting library buildings throughout Europe; it is a benchmarking tool for all those involved in new or refurbished library building projects including librarians, architects or any other professionals.

The aim is to inspire and support anyone working on a library building project – a new building, an extension, a renovation, or a reworking of interior spaces. The wide variety of case studies will enable those involved in such projects to pick up on new trends, to share knowledge and experience, and to learn from, and make contact with, each other.

Buildings featured include the Student Centre and this year’s winner of the SCONUL Library Design Awards, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) Library.

Wednesday 22^nd April 2020 is World Earth Day. Across the world, individuals and organisations mark the day through participating in various ‘green, sustainable and environmentally friendly’ practices.

The mission of World Earth Day is: “To build the world’s largest environmental movement to drive transformative change for people and planet”.

Every year there is a theme to mark the day, and this year the theme is Climate Action. Furthermore, this year World Earth Day is going digital, and there is a digital interactive world map, which people can visit to see what virtual events are taking place across the world to mark World Earth Day.

Sustainable Stanmore

In line with World Earth Day 2020, the Institute of Orthopaedics Library Team would like to share the green and sustainable initiatives we have participated in.

Prior to the remote working, we were involved in Fairtrade Fortnight 2020. The Fairtrade Foundation supports local farmers and communities through a range of initiatives. They also focus on protecting the environment, ensuring farmers have good soil and water quality which is important for communities and the environment.

In addition, on the 17^th March 2020 our plants – the Oxilis and the Joseph Coat plants (scientific name of the plant is Amaranthus gangeticus) were ‘adopted’ by team colleagues – Jas, Danny and Beth. They are now very happy and flourishing in their new homes during the remote working period.

Below are comments from the team about Fairtrade Fortnight and our library plants.

Veronica Parisi (Acting Librarian)

Throughout Monday 24^th February to Sunday 8^th March, the Institute of Orthopaedics Library was involved in the Fairtrade Fortnight and several activities were organised to engage library users as well as library staff to raise awareness about Fairtrade.

The library provided an information stand at the entrance where users could read more about Fairtrade while sipping a complimentary Fairtrade tea, coffee and tasting delicious Fairtrade chocolate.

Library users also took part in fun and informative activities such as ‘storybombing’. This was a story hunt where users had to find in the library 5 different thought-provoking stories about the lives and conditions of women cocoa farmers. Once the stories had been found, users were celebrated with a sticker and Fairtrade Chocolate at the library desk.

Two library staff Fairtrade food and bake events were also organised where staff brought in homemade chocolate cookies, courtesy of our baker Maryam, and treats made only with Fairtrade products. Our baker Maryam also shared some delicious Fairtrade recipes from Fairtrade Foundation and the Co-Op. For pancakes lovers, there are some great ideas for Fairtrade topping .

This was an enjoyable and informative two-week period and it was rewarding to engage with library users in different ways whilst contributing to raise awareness about Fairtrade.

Throughout Fairtrade Fortnight, library staff will be hiding one of the Fairtrade Stories in the library. Chocolates and Fairtrade Stickers will be given to whoever finds it on the day. We will keep you posted once it has been hidden! #FairtradeFortnight #Fairtrade #SheDeserves pic.twitter.com/gBw7ms9K5s

— Orthopaedics Library (@Ortho_Lib) February 24, 2020

Maryam Ali (Library Assistant)

It was great to organise the Fairtrade Fortnight event at the Institute of Orthopaedics library. The main purpose was to raise awareness about Fairtrade and the work the Fairtrade Foundation does in an engaging, fun and informative way.

It was wonderful to see our users stop by at the Fairtrade Fortnight Information stand, speak to library staff about Fairtrade, the Fairtrade products, how they can get involved in the ‘Storybombing’ activity and tell us how good the Fairtrade Coffee tasted! We used biodegradable cups to try to make the event as sustainable as possible, and encouraged staff and students to bring their own cups too.

I also learnt more about the work the Fairtrade Foundation does, and the range of Fairtrade products available.

Library staff tweeted throughout Fairtrade Fortnight to raise awareness. Thank you to everyone who supported and participated during Fairtrade Fortnight.

Roberta Wiseman (Senior Library Assistant)

I enjoyed the Fairtrade Fortnight event organised by Maryam (who made some very delicious biscuits!), and feel that my awareness of the work of the Fairtrade Foundation has increased.

It is important that everyone is paid appropriately for their labour, and that people all over the world have access to healthcare, education, and the opportunity for a happy life.

I also enjoyed the excitement of having a scavenger hunt in the library throughout the fortnight, with chocolate prizes.  I think our users appreciated it too!

The first Fairtrade Story has been hidden in the library. Find it, read it, pass it on – and enjoy the Fairtrade chocolate!
Hint: Look for pediatric neurology…. #FairtradeFortnight #SheDeserves pic.twitter.com/d3czR4wtDm

— Orthopaedics Library (@Ortho_Lib) February 24, 2020

Danny Williams (Evening & Weekend Library Assistant)

I participated in the ‘storybombing’ activity mentioned above. I hid the second one of the StoryBomb leaflets on one of the library shelves, informing work colleagues of where I hid it. I then posted a tweet on the Orthopaedics Library’s Twitter account, informing library users of the leaflet. I also brought in a bar of Sainsbury’s milk chocolate, which had a Fairtrade logo on it, for use by library staff.

I am currently looking after one of the Orthopaedics Library’s potted plants whilst working from home, and until the library re-opens. It’s an Oxilis, with crimson-colour leaves, and I water it once a week. It also gets plenty of sunlight.

Elizabeth Metz (Evening Senior Library Assistant)

I was delighted to offer a temporary home to one of the Joseph’s Coat plants, which is thriving in its new home!

Further information

World Earth Day 2020

Fairtrade Foundation

Written by the Institute of Orthopaedics Library Team: Veronica, Jas, Ma’ali, Elizabeth, Roberta, Danny and Maryam.

orth-libary@ucl.ac.uk

UCL Sustainability ran a workshop this week on sustainable procurement, looking at how UCL departments can take action to ensure the goods and services which UCL purchases are sustainable.

To give a sense of scale, UCL spends over £500 million a year, with 40,000 suppliers (although 80% of spending is from 200 suppliers). Three quarters of UCL’s carbon emissions come from the services and products we buy.

Sustainable procurement (also know as “responsible procurement”) is defined as

” the process whereby environmental, social and financial impacts of all of UCL’s procurement processes are taken into account, making sure to reduce negative impacts and enhance positive impacts.”

What is UCL doing?

• All new contracts for suppliers at UCL now include sustainability criteria, which now form part of standard procurement practice when inviting bids for new suppliers.
• The Sustainable UCL team monitor suppliers on an annual basis based on the Key Performance Indicators set when contractors are selected to supply goods or services to UCL
• From Spring 2020, catering at UCL will be disposable-free, as Sodexo have procured reusable melamine crockery. By 2020-21, UCL will be totally plastic-free across all catering
• Stationery choice on the UCL eMarketplace will be reduced by removing non-recyclable options (for instance for reducing the available choice for A4 copy paper from the 104 options currently available)

What can we do?

UCL Sustainability propose 4 rules to consider before buying:

1. 1. 1. Do you need to buy?
      2. Follow procurement guidelines
      3.  Use UCL contracted suppliers.
      4. Complete a Sustainability Assessment (a simple template is available, with more information at https://www.ucl.ac.uk/sustainable/resources/procurement-and-purchasing)

The slides from the workshop are available: Fairtrade and Procurement Slides. For more information on sustainable procurement, please see the dedicated webpage: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/sustainable/get-involved/procurement.

UCL Sustainability also noted that Fairtrade Fortnight is coming (24 Feb-8 March 2020). To find out how you can get involved, visit https://www.fairtrade.org.uk/en/get-involved/current-campaigns/Fairtrade-Fortnight

The UCL Ear Institute and Action on Hearing Loss Libraries, currently based at the Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital in Gray’s Inn Road, will be closing on Friday 21^st August 2020, as the Hospital prepares to complete its relocation to Huntley Street. From September 2020, the UCL Cruciform Hub will lead on library provision for UCL Ear Institute staff and students, including information skills support delivered by the training team.

The Cruciform Hub is also the home library for healthcare staff and students at the University College Hospital campus, providing a range of facilities and tailored clinical support services.

Collections from the Ear Institute and Action on Hearing Loss Libraries will be relocated, to the Cruciform Hub and other UCL Library Services sites. More detailed plans are being confirmed and will be communicated in the coming weeks. In the meantime, please send any questions or comments to Anna Di Iorio at a.diiorio@ucl.ac.uk.