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Archive for the 'User experience' Category

Facilities & Projects Team Update

By Collette E M Lawrence, on 1 April 2021

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

I hope you are all keeping safe and well and looking forward to Spring Break!!

Staff and students will be returning from 12th April 2021, there will be Estates project work taking place at this time. Fire Alarm upgrade installations throughout DMS Watson, Petrie Museum and Energy Centre.

Work on the 4th floor will be begin on 12th 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 reminded of additional bookable study spaces in other locations during this time.

We will 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.

Library Committee

By Paul Ayris, on 23 February 2021

Library Committee (February 2021)

On 17 February, Library Committee met for the first time in 2021. Because of restrictions caused by the pandemic, the meeting was held virtually in MS TEAMS. I was honoured to be asked to chair it, as Professor David Price had been called away to another meeting. The text of my Pro-Vice-Provost’s Report can be read behind the link.

As usual, I described the work of the Library against the Key Performance Areas of the Library Strategy. Of particular note was the report under section 4, Finance and Management Information, on the SCONUL Statistics for 2019-20. UCL compares its performance against a select group of Russell Group universities. Here the stats show that in 2019-20, UCL Library Services was by some way the most heavily visited Library in UK Higher Education, with 3,011,764 visits.

I was also sure to underline for colleagues on UCL Library Committee the tremendous contribution which Library colleagues have made in the last 11 months during the various lockdowns. With the Prime Minister’s announcement on 22 February of a staged plan for withdrawal from lockdown, we have signs that life by June may return to something more like normal. I look forward to the days when I can be back in my Office and talk to colleagues in real life once again. Stay safe, well and positive.

Paul Ayris

Pro-Vice-Provost

 

New Subject Guides Platform

By Lindsay Ure, on 26 August 2020

We have over 45 subject guides on our website, maintained by Subject Liaison Librarians and Site Librarians. These guides help students and staff to identify resources available through Library Services to support their discipline of study.  Over the next month, they are being moved to a new web platform, to improve user experience. Below, I’ve summarised what you can expect to see at the start of the new academic year.

A Subject Guides Group started work in January, to plan the move of our guides from Drupal into LibGuides, a platform designed specifically for libraries.

Here is a sneak peek at the new design (thank you to Amelia Hellyer for allowing us to show this preview image of the Pharmacy guide):

Screenshot of new subject guide design

We’ll also be replacing the Drupal page that lists all of the subject guides with a new subject guide homepage in LibGuides, enabling users to search for guides by title, or keyword. It’s still in draft form, but this image gives you a good indication of how it will look:

Screenshot of subject guide homepage

Many thanks to the members of the Subject Guides group, who have worked very hard over the lockdown period on the new subject guide design and then supporting colleagues to move their guides into LibGuides, through online tutorials, and one-to-one advice and support.

Group members are: Chris Carrington, Francesca Ezzelino, Giulia Garoli, Amelia Hellyer, Zuzana Pincikova, Iona Preston, Paola Stillone, and Zoe Thomas.

I’d also like to thank Subject Liaison Librarians and Site Librarians, who are moving their guides into the new platform on quite a tight timeline, to create an enhanced experience for our users in support of Connected Learning.

UCL Ear Institute and Action on Hearing Loss Libraries not to re-open in current location

By Anna Di Iorio, on 17 July 2020

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.

UCL Ear Institute and Action on Hearing Loss Libraries closure

By Anna Di Iorio, on 27 January 2020

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 21st 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.

UCL 2034 Progress Report

By Benjamin Meunier, on 4 December 2019

UCL has published the Progress Report 2019, highlighting some of UCL’s key achievements and steps towards realising the vision set out in UCL 2034. Highlights in this year’s report start with a Library Services initiative, the UCL Open megajournal as an example of academic leadership. You can see the review on the 2034 website at https://www.ucl.ac.uk/2034/progress-report-2019

Here’s a summary:

Principal Themes 

  1. Academic Leadership
    UCL Open’s Megajournal – The Constitution Unit’s role in a think-tank for Northern Ireland – Forming closer ties with the European Space Agency
  2. Integration of Research and Education
    Posters in Parliament – UCL’s 1000th Arena Fellow – the Bloomsbury Theatre and Performance Lab
  3. Addressing Global Challenges
    Antiretroviral treatment preventing the transmission of HIV – Developing a legal tool to protect refugees’ rights – Helping an indigenous community restore parts of Brazil’s Atlantic Forest
  4. Accessible and Publicly Engaged
    Public art at UCL – Growing community-university partnerships in East London – Building robots inspired by nature
  5. London’s Global University
    Working with Camden to drive innovation and social change – planning approval granted for new UK Dementia Institute – “Cosmic Coffee”
  6. Delivering Global Impact
    The RELIEF centre working to better integrate the forcibly displaced – Tackling chronic pain in children – Biogas project awarded Horizon 2020 funding

    Key Enablers

    1. Best Student Support – the Accommodation team’s Welcome programme
    2. Valuing our Staff – Welcome to UCL programme for onboarding new staff
    3. Financing our ambitions – an update from the It’s All Academic campaign
    4. Excellent systems – new UCL Staff Intranet
    5. Sustainable estate – Transforming the IOE
    6. Communicating and engaging – the #MadeatUCL campaign

HO! HO! HO! from Archaeology Library

By ucylpma, on 4 December 2019

Christmas has officially arrived here at the Archaeology Library. We have used our creative skills to decorate our Library space and made it look very Christmassy. We have also received a letter from far, far away in a form of a Christmas poem. As this is the most magical, festive and incredible time of the year and we would like to share this experience with all of you.

We would also like to use this opportunity and wish you ALL to have a cheerful, holly, jolly, and a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year too!

Christmas joy…
Hoping to get my
Reading list finished
In time for the end of the term.
Stopping for a moment, I
Take in the
Merry lights on display
And hope the students and
Staff have had a great term!
– Lewis Rushton

 

“I Heart Consent” campaign launches today

By Benjamin Meunier, on 27 November 2019

Student Support and Wellbeing and Students’ Union UCL are together launching the ‘I ❤ Consent’ campaign today (27 November).

The campaign encourages students to take a brief sexual consent online training course on Moodle – no longer than 15 minutes to complete. The aim of the training is to help promote healthy and respectful relationships within the UCL community and beyond.

The campaign will be promoted to students via digital screens and messages in myUCL and local communications?

Once students have completed the training, they will receive a ‘I ❤ Consent’ badge on Moodle.

If students come along to the Student Centre Wednesday 27 to Friday 29 November (this week) and show us their badge, they will be able to collect a reusable ‘I ❤ Consent’ cup and a free hot drinks voucher!

The training does cover some difficult topics, so if a student needs support around this, please direct them to the Report + Support website, which has much more information.

Nominate your colleagues for UCL Professional Services December Awards

By Benjamin Meunier, on 8 October 2019

There is always a lot of great work happening in Library Services. We want to celebrate this and ensure that teams receive well-deserved recognition for achievements. Can your team emulate colleagues who were shortlisted this summer, when Gillian Mackenzie, Vicky Robertson, Noreen Beecher and Breege Whiten were shortlisted for leading a series of very successful Customer Service Excellence workshops?

UCL want to hear about the people who demonstrate integrity, outstanding service and commitment to UCL, about the teams who are striving towards UCL’s future and about the incredible things people are doing beyond the boundaries of our institutes and departments. Nominations for the UCL Professional Services December Awards are open until 5pm Monday 4 November.

There are 7 categories for nominations, based on the UCL Ways of Working:

  • Leadership Award for Outstanding Contribution
  • Way of Working – Personal Excellence Award
  • Way of Working – Working Together Award
  • Way of Working – Outstanding Individual Contribution to Achieving our Mission
  • Way of Working – Outstanding Team Contribution to Achieving our Mission
  • Community Spirit Award
  • Outstanding Contribution to the Staff Experience

Further details of the award categories, the judging criteria and a link to the nomination form can be found at www.ucl.ac.uk/professional-services/prof-services-awards.

You can also use the link above to register for the Awards ceremony on Tuesday 10th December in Elvin Hall, IOE, 20 Bedford Way.

Research IT & Data Management drop-ins – autumn 2019 dates

By t.johnson, on 10 September 2019

The Research Data Management team and Research IT Services jointly run regular drop-in sessions.  These sessions are open to all UCL research staff and students. 

Someone from the Research Data Management team will be there to help you with:

– at all stages of the research lifecycle.

If you’d like to come along to one of our drop-in sessions, please contact the RDM team at lib-researchsupport@ucl.ac.uk with a summary of your research data query beforehand.

Representatives from all of the RITS service areas teams will also be on hand to answer questions or problems related the following areas:

  • research programming
  • workflow automation
  • finding tools and services for your research programmes
  • high performance computing
  • handling large datasets
  • handling personal and GDPR special category data
  • data storage

For RITS queries, there’s no need to book, but the RITS team can make sure there’ll be someone there to help with your problem if you email rits@ucl.ac.uk, ideally two days before the session.

Researchers are encouraged to attend however small their query. The sessions will also be a good opportunity to discuss research funder requirements, find out about services available at UCL and to get support with particular issues you are having.

Upcoming sessions

Date Time Location
Thursday 19 September 10am-12pm Common Ground, Institute of Advanced Studies, South Wing, UCL Main Building (www.ucl.ac.uk/maps/south-wing)
Tuesday 1 October 10am-12pm Common Ground, Institute of Advanced Studies, South Wing, UCL Main Building (www.ucl.ac.uk/maps/south-wing)
Thursday 17 October 10am-12pm Common Ground, Institute of Advanced Studies, South Wing, UCL Main Building (www.ucl.ac.uk/maps/south-wing)
Tuesday 5 November 10am-12pm Common Ground, Institute of Advanced Studies, South Wing, UCL Main Building (www.ucl.ac.uk/maps/south-wing)
Thursday 21 November 10am-12pm Common Ground, Institute of Advanced Studies, South Wing, UCL Main Building (www.ucl.ac.uk/maps/south-wing)
Tuesday 3 December 10am-12pm Common Ground, Institute of Advanced Studies, South Wing, UCL Main Building (www.ucl.ac.uk/maps/south-wing)
Thursday 19 December 10am-12pm Common Ground, Institute of Advanced Studies, South Wing, UCL Main Building (www.ucl.ac.uk/maps/south-wing)

Updated from the original post by Myriam Fellous-Sigrist, dated 11 December 2018