Message from Ann Rossiter, Executive Director, SCONUL

SCONUL is undertaking research into the “pipeline for new talent”.  We want to collect evidence about the experience of Early Career Professionals working in SCONUL member libraries (at any level), in order to help us recruit the best people and support them in fulfilling their potential.  We are also interested in the perspectives of line managers and Heads of Service regarding the experience and potential of new library professionals.

Our research will give us a better understanding of:

• the numbers involved and the types of role occupied by new professionals in SCONUL libraries;
• the transition from Library and Information School (or equivalent) to professional practice;
• what SCONUL libraries gain from employing new professionals; and
• how managers can best support the professional development of their new recruits.

The project is part of SCONUL’s strategic priority to develop tools and materials to support members in workforce planning, and Evidence Base are undertaking this research on SCONUL’s behalf.

We would like to invite any new professionals, line managers and Heads of Service to contribute to this research by completing our survey, the link to which is below: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/SCONUL2019

We would be extremely grateful if you could you answer the survey and distribute the link to this survey to your professional networks so that it reaches as many people who fits the criteria for our research and might be interested in providing a response.

For the purposes of this research, “new professionals” means people:

• with a CILIP-accredited (or equivalent) library qualification awarded in 2014 or later; and
• either working in, or having within the past 5 years worked in, the library (in the widest sense) of a SCONUL member.

A list of CILIP-accredited programmes is available at: https://www.cilip.org.uk/general/custom.asp?page=Qualifications; a list of SCONUL member libraries is available at: https://www.sconul.ac.uk/members-and-representatives.

Please note that our definition includes leavers (ie anyone qualified as above but who has left a SCONUL library post within the past 5 years).

The survey is open until 25th October 2019 and there is an opportunity to provide contact details if you are interested in assisting further with the research project by taking part in a follow-up interview.

Every care will be taken to maintain confidentiality and anonymity; all information received will be stored securely.

Thank you for your help in supporting this project.

Take the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/SCONUL2019

Bookings are now being taken for the Biomedical and Health Information Summer School 2016, a series of training and professional development sessions which aims to enhance the knowledge and skills of UCL Library Services staff to better enable them to answer enquiries and support the needs of UCL and NHS library users. Although some sessions have a biomedical or health emphasis, some are generic in their nature and relevant to library staff from any discipline.

It’s an extensive programme this year, with a variety of sessions pitched at a range of levels, running throughout June and July:

• Open access: supporting researchers
• Exploring ebooks
• Advanced and systematic literature searching and support for systematic reviews
• Introducing the new HDAS: NHS databases
• Sources of drug information
• Bibliometrics: counting citations and why citations count
• Critical appraisal skills: getting to grips and moving forward
• Managing references on the go

This year’s programme also includes an online-online component, dare you take the 30 Day Research Support Challenge?

Full details of the programme, including the 30 Day Research Support Challenge, are available on LibNet. Sessions are open to all UCL Library Services staff, however priority will be given to those based on biomedical sites. Please ensure you have the permission of your line manager to attend.

Please email info.skills@ucl.ac.uk to book a place or for further information. Please include your name, site/team, telephone number, email address, and the session(s) you wish to attend.
Alternatively contact Angela Young (angela.young@ucl.ac.uk, 020 7794 0500 x33201) or Steven Bembridge (steven.bembridge@ucl.ac.uk, 020 7794 0500 x38238).

Best wishes,
Angela.