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Appraisal information – Update from January 2022

By Jennifer L Brown, on 7 January 2022

As per previous communications Library Services commenced its appraisal window on 1st December. You may however have seen from the UCL News on 16th December that UCL has now made changes to the appraisal process. If you have started or completed any appraisals prior to this blog you do not need to adopt for these the changes that will be outlined below until the next appraisal round, January to April 2023.

Appraisal Window

Library Services will be adopting UCL’s recommendation that we move to an appraisal window of January to April. Library appraisals should therefore be completed by the end of April 2022.

Appraisal form 

One of two appraisals forms can be used depending upon the role of the appraisee:

Developmental Conversations

The Developmental conversations approach allows for two-way conversation to take place which can enhance the appraisal experience through meaningful goal setting and personal development when using the UCL Appraisal form.

Further information can be found by visiting the guidance and e-learning for Developmental Conversations.

Appraisal Targets

There are four parts to setting Goals, the content of which needs to be agreed between the appraiser and appraisee.

  • Deliver your departments/division’s priorities – UCL recommends 3 goals in this area.
  • Discover your potential – UCL recommends 1 goal for this area.
  • Defer/Discontinue activities that hinder you from achieving your role’s purpose and focus – UCL recommend 1 goal if relevant.
  • Demonstrate how you work effectively – UCL recommends 1 goal.

Further details about goal setting can be found on the UCL HR webpage.

Training

It is advisable that Appraisers familiarise themselves with the UCL Appraisal Policy and complete the following training:

How to manage the appraisal documentation 

  1. The Appraiser and Appraisee should keep a signed copy of the appraisal document, in a confidential file/location, until the subsequent appraisal, when the document should be disposed of confidentially. (If the appraisee leaves the organisation, the paperwork should be disposed of confidentially at that time.)
  2. If revisions to the job description have been agreed during the appraisal process, please send an electronic copy to Library HR at lib-hrteam@ucl.ac.uk.
  3. Managers should record the completion of the appraisal on MyHR using the instructions that can be found via the UCL Knowledge Centre, under “MyHR Manager Self Service” – “My team employment information” – “Create employee performance appraisal“.

LibNet has been updated with the relevant information.

Appraisal window December 2021 to March 2022

By Jennifer L Brown, on 24 November 2021

From 1st December we will enter our new Appraisal Window, we would like to reconfirm some communication from the last cycle.  

Appraisal form  

Due to the ongoing impact of Covid-19, colleagues in Library Services are asked to continue with the abridged version of the UCL appraisal form, which can be found at https://www.ucl.ac.uk/human-resources/sites/human-resources/files/appraisal_review_and_development_scheme_short-form.docx . 

 

Appraisals and Covid-19

The position remains that the appraisal write-up should include acknowledgement of any agreed adjustments to objectives, workload or working patterns, for individual members of staff. Where a barrier, such as the impact of COVID-19 or lockdown, may have impacted on an individual’s ability to meet agreed objectives from the previous year, it should not impact negatively on the individual in terms of demonstrating good performance over the past year. Nor should their revised working pattern/workload create a barrier to any learning and development opportunities which have been identified as part of the appraisal process. 

 

How to manage the appraisal documentation 

1. The Appraiser and Appraisee should keep a signed copy of the appraisal document, in a confidential file/location, until the subsequent appraisal, when the document should be disposed of confidentially. (If the appraisee leaves the organisation, the paperwork should be disposed of confidentially at that time.) 

2. If revisions to the job description have been agreed during the appraisal process, please send an electronic copy to Library HR at lib-hrteam@ucl.ac.uk. 

The Libnet appraisals page has been updated with information about the abridged appraisals process: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/libnet/hr/learning-and-development/appraisals.

Developmental Conversations

The Developmental conversations approach allows for two-way conversation to take place which can enhance the appraisal experience through meaningful goal setting and personal development.

Further information can be found by visiting https://www.ucl.ac.uk/human-resources/learning-development/learning-academy/developmental-conversations .

The recommended Developmental Conversations training module is available for staff to complete via https://www.ucl.ac.uk/staff-training/enroll.php?code=ODDC .

Appraisal Targets

In line with the Library Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Action plan, all staff are required to have a target of engaging or undertaking at least one Equality, Diversity and Inclusion associated activity or event in the 2021/2022 academic session. For example contributing content to the Library Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) newsletter, engagement in wellbeing initiatives, attending a training session or team building exercises using the theme of EDI.

When developing the targets, consideration should also be given to the UCL Ways of Working and the indicators relating to the grade of the post that the employee holds.

 

4 dimensional (4D) goal setting:

UCL has introduced a goal setting framework based upon the following principles:

  • Discover my potential – 1 goal required

  • Deliver my role and alignment to UCL’s strategy – 3 goals required

  • Defer/Discontinue activities that hinder me from achieving my role’s purpose and focus

  • Demonstrate UCL’s way of working – 1 goal required

Further details about UCL’s 4 dimensional approach to goal setting can be found here.

Training

Please ensure you review training completed in the past year and that any mandatory refresher training is set as a training objective. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/human-resources/learning-development/mandatory-learning

There are 9 core mandatory courses:

GDPR refresher course  completion required every two years.

Mandatory training for Managers

Managers should complete UCL recruitment essentials  before participating upon recruitment panels.

UCL has a vast amount of training available for staff which can be found by visiting the Learning Academy.

 

UCL Library Services Staff Summer School – initial programme and some bookings now open

By Angela Young, on 26 May 2021

The UCL Library Services Staff Summer School is a series of training and development sessions, events and online activities aimed at library staff from across UCL Library Services, to support them in answering enquiries and in providing support, training and advocacy to library users and stakeholders.

This year the entire programme will be delivered online throughout June and July, with a mixture of self-directed online learning and live sessions. Here is a taster of what’s on offer, with more sessions to be announced soon:

  • Introduction to digital accessibility (Wednesday 9 June – Wednesday 21 July, self-directed online learning).
  • Creating videos: an introduction (Thursday 10th June, 10.00-12.00)
  • Blended learning by design (Monday 28th June, 10:00-11:00)
  • LibAnswers and LibChat: Developing our online enquiry service (Tuesday 13 July, 11:00-12:00)
  • eXperience eXchange and Feeback from FestivIL (Tuesday 20th July, 10:00-12:00)

Full details are available:

Sessions are open to all UCL Library Services staff, with the permission of your line manager.

Angela Young, Head of Library Skills

eXperience eXchange 2021 – bookings now open

By Angela Young, on 15 April 2021

eXperience eXchange – what happens?

experience exchange logoLibrary staff come together to share ideas and good practice about library skills training and academic engagement activities through short presentations or other activities.

How does it work?

Colleagues from across Library Services are invited to give short presentations (5-7 mins) to exchange their experiences, feedback from events, or ideas relating to library skills training and academic engagement activities. The event will be delivered using Zoom. If you have not presented using Zoom before, this is the perfect opportunity to try it out with peers as your friendly and supportive audience. You may find our guidance on using Zoom for live online training helpful and we can provide individual support and guidance on presenting online if you wish.

If you’d rather not present, you can attend as an attendee only.

Is there a theme?

This year we invite contributions relating to any aspect of library skills training and academic engagement activities, but we particularly welcome contributions relating to delivering or supporting these activities in and beyond the pandemic.

How do I sign up?

Simply complete the registration form and we will send you the link to join.

Appraisal Window December 2020 to March 2021

By Jennifer L Brown, on 16 December 2020

Decorative image

As we have entered our new Appraisal Window, we would like to bring to your attention some changes for the upcoming cycle.

Appraisal form

During the current Covid-19 pandemic, colleagues in Library Services are asked to complete the abridged version of the UCL appraisal form.

The new format dispenses with Parts A-C in favour of a single document.

Appraisals and Covid-19

This has not been a ‘normal’ year. UCL’s position is that the appraisal write-up should include acknowledgement of any agreed adjustments to objectives, workload or working patterns, for individual members of staff. Where a barrier, such as the impact of COVID-19 or lockdown, may have impacted on an individual’s ability to meet agreed objectives from the previous year, it should not impact negatively on the individual in terms of demonstrating good performance over the past year. Nor should their revised working pattern/workload create a barrier to any learning and development opportunities which have been identified as part of the appraisal process.

See more information about holding appraisals this year.

How to manage the appraisal documentation

 

  1. The Appraiser and Appraisee should keep a signed copy of the appraisal document, in a confidential file/location, until the subsequent appraisal, when the document should be disposed of confidentially. (If the appraisee leaves the organisation, the paperwork should be disposed of confidentially at that time.)
  2. If revisions to the job description have been agreed during the appraisal process, please send an electronic copy to Library HR at lib-hrteam@ucl.ac.uk.

The LibNet appraisals page has been updated with information about the abridged appraisals process.

Developmental Conversations

The Developmental conversations approach allows for two-way conversation to take place which can enhance the appraisal experience through meaningful goal setting and personal development.

Further information on developmental conversations is available.

The recommended Developmental Conversations training module is available for staff to complete.

Appraisal Targets

In line with the Library Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Action plan, all staff are required to have a target of engaging or undertaking at least one Equality, Diversity and Inclusion associated activity or event in the 2020/2021 academic session. For example contributing content to the Library Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) newsletter, engagement in wellbeing initiatives, attending a training session or team building exercises using the theme of EDI.

A discussion should take place regarding the Library Strategy and targets that link to the Strategic Key Performance Action objectives.

When developing the targets, consideration should also be given to the UCL Ways of Working and the indicators relating to the grade of the post that the employee holds.

Diagram: Ways of Working

4 dimensional (4D) goal setting:

UCL has introduced a goal setting framework based upon the following principles:

  • Discover my potential – 1 goal required
  • Deliver my role and alignment to UCL’s strategy – 3 goals required
  • Defer/Discontinue activities that hinder me from achieving my role’s purpose and focus
  • Demonstrate UCL’s way of working – 1 goal required

Further details about UCL’s 4 dimensional approach to goal setting are online.

Training

Please ensure you review training completed in the past year and that any mandatory refresher training is set as a training objective.

There are 9 core mandatory courses:

GDPR refresher course completion required every two years.

Mandatory training for Managers

Managers should complete UCL recruitment essentials before participating upon recruitment panels.

UCL has a vast amount of training available for staff which can be found by visiting the Learning Academy.

New support for library staff working towards HEA fellowship awards

By Angela Young, on 17 June 2020

HEA Fellowship awards provide a great opportunity for anyone who wants to demonstrate their commitment to professionalism in supporting learning and teaching in higher education. The UCL Arena Open programme, which is free to UCL staff, provides a route to Higher Education Academy (HEA) / AdvanceHE fellowship and is open to all staff at UCL who teach or support students’ learning, regardless of role or job title, so it’s relevant to all sorts of roles within Library Services. In addition to gaining you post-nominals, the process of applying means you reflect on your teaching and learning support work and develop your skills, identify areas for your future development and enhance your support of students so contributing to the user experience.

UCL Arena are launching a brand new course that is being delivered online this summer, specifically to support Professional Services staff, including Library Services staff. This is a great opportunity for anyone thinking of applying for Associate Fellowship or Fellowship. Details of the course are below.

Contributed by Angela Young.

Professional Services Staff – Pathway to Arena Fellowships

Course description:

Professional Services (PS) Staff make an important contribution to UCL’s mission, by providing training and support for learning. This course is a development pathway for PS Staff, leading (ideally) to the submission of an application for fellowship of the Higher Education Academy.

The course will enable you to think creatively about supporting teaching, learning, and assessment in your role. It will guide you in developing a fellowship application in a structured way over four synchronous, interactive sessions and through a variety of tasks. You will also have the opportunity to meet colleagues from different parts of UCL and to discuss how your experience maps to the UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF).

Learning outcomes:

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

  • identify ways in which your role and work experience supports high quality student learning and student outcomes
  • reflect on your professional practice and consider the ways it impacts on the learning of others
  • recognise the importance and value of your work and how it contributes to UCL’s operations and strategy
  • understand what a good UCL Arena fellowship application looks like
  • demonstrate how your experience and knowledge meet the relevant criteria of the UKPSF for the appropriate fellowship category

Dates/times of sessions:

  • Session 1: Thursday, 9 July 2020 (14.00 – 15.30)
  • Session 2: Tuesday, 21 July 2020 (14.00 – 15.30)
  • Session 3: Thursday, 6 August 2020 (10.00 – 11.30)
  • Session 4: Tuesday, 11 August 2020 (14.00 – 15.30) OR Wednesday, 16 September (11.00 – 12.30)

Who should apply:

This course is ideal for PS staff who have worked in higher education for at least two years and provide teaching and student support. It is most suitable for (but not restricted to) PS staff who work in programme/teaching administration, digital education, library services, teaching laboratories, and student wellbeing.

How to register:

Please complete this form by 5pm on Monday, 29 June, if you are interested in participating in this course:

We can only accept a maximum of 20 people for this course and will be confirming places on a “first come, first serve basis”. We will confirm your place on the course by 6 July 2020.

Please be aware that there will be a little bit of preparation to do before the first session and ‘homework’ to do between each session. We’ll be targeting Associate Fellow applications, but with scope for Fellow application development if participants have the appropriate experience.

UCL Library Services Summer School 2020 – bookings now open!

By Angela Young, on 18 May 2020

The UCL Library Services Staff Summer School is a series of training and development sessions, events and online activities aimed at library staff from across UCL Library Services, to support them in answering enquiries and in providing support, training and advocacy to library users and stakeholders.

For the first time this year, the entire programme will be delivered online, with a mixture of self-paced online learning and real-time, ‘live’ sessions.

The programme this year has a variety of sessions, running throughout June and July:

Self-directed online training:

  • Introduction to Open Science (1 June – 10 July, self-directed online training). An introduction to this key area of our library strategy. Each week a new real-world problem will be addressed.

Real-time, ‘live’ online training sessions:

  • Accessible Word and PowerPoint templates training (2 June, 10.30-11.30): Learn how to use Library Services templates developed to help you meet new accessibility regulations.
  • Health librarianship in a pandemic (10 June, 11.00-12.30): Discover what it’s like being a health librarian during the current COVID-19 crisis, with contributions from library staff at Public Health England and colleagues from our libraries which support NHS Trusts.
  • Launch of the Systematic Reviews and Advanced Literature Searching Network (23 June, 11.00-12.00). Are you involved in any aspect of supporting systematic reviews or advanced database searching? Or would you like to develop your professional skills in this area? Join this session to help shape how we support each other.
  • Social Media for Professional Development (29 June, 14.00-15.00). Find out more about social media tools and how they can be used for professional development.
  • Liaison Librarians Panel Session (30 June, 10.00-11.30). Gain an insight into what it is like to be a liaison librarian.
  • Live online training experience (7 July, 10.00-11.30): A chance for participants to take control and experience delivering live online training using Blackboard Collaborate.

Full details of the programme, including how to book, are available on the Library Services Summer School Moodle Course. If you do not already have access, please email libraryskills@ucl.ac.uk for an enrolment key. Sessions are open to all UCL Library Services staff, with the permission of your line manager.

Angela Young, Head of Library Skills

eXperience eXchange 2020 – bookings now open

By Angela Young, on 21 April 2020

Join experience exchange logoour first ever online eXperience eXchange on Wednesday 20 May 2020, 10.00-11.30am.

eXperience eXchange – what happens?

Library staff come together to share ideas and good practice about library skills training and liaison activities through short presentations or other activities. For the first time this year the eXperience eXchange will be taking place completely online, with no limit to the number of library staff who may attend.

How will it work?

As usual we invite colleagues from across Library Services to give short presentations (5-7 mins) to exchange their experiences, ideas or feedback from events relating to library skills training and liaison activities. The event will be delivered using Blackboard Collaborate. If you have not presented using Blackboard Collaborate before, this is the perfect opportunity to try it out with peers as your friendly and supportive audience.

If you’d rather not present, you can attend as an attendee only.

Is there a theme?

This year we invite contributions relating to any aspect of library skills training and liaison activities, but we particularly welcome contributions relating to the online or remote delivery of these services. Ideas for presentations include:

  • Something new you have tried to implement, or that you would like to try out in an online environment.
  • A report back from a training event or conference you have attended.
  • A review of an interesting article you have read.
  • How you have been working to develop your own teaching or liaison skills.
  • Using new technologies in training or liaison.

How do I join the event?

Full joining instructions will be provided. You will need:

  • A computer / mobile device with Internet access and sound (speakers or headphones).
  • If presenting you will also need a microphone (internal laptop / mobile device microphone or headset microphones are sufficient).

How do I sign up?

Simply complete the registration form and we will send you full joining instructions.

HEA Fellowship: ‘Get on and write’

By Angela Young, on 21 October 2019

What is ‘Get on and write’?

This series of sessions is for any UCL library staff working towards their HEA Fellowship, or anyone interested in doing so. Each session will give you some protected time where you can focus on getting some work done towards your application whilst also getting some support from peers. It’s an opportunity to bounce ideas off colleagues, discuss what you might include in your application and find out more about HEA  Fellowship. Angela Young, Head of Library Skills, will be there to provide support from the perspective of someone who has been through the process already. There will be samples of successful applications from Library Services colleagues for you to look at. Every session is open to any library staff interested in applying for fellowship or who are at any stage in the application process. Sessions are in Room 417 in the Science Library on the following dates:

  • Thu 7 Nov 2019, 10.30-12.30
  • Mon 2 Dec 2019, 10.00-12.00
  • Tues 14 Jan 2020, 10.00-12.00
  • Wed 12 Feb 2020, 11.00-13.00
  • Tues 17 March 2020, 14.00-16.00

Come to as many dates as you like, and if you cannot make a whole session then it’s fine to turn up for part of it.

What is HEA fellowship?

If you don’t know much about HEA fellowship, it’s a nationally recognised award which gives you formal recognition for your commitment to professionalism in supporting learning and teaching in higher education? The UCL Arena Open programme, which is free to UCL staff, provides a route to Higher Education Academy (HEA) fellowship and is open to all staff at UCL who teach or support students’ learning, regardless of role or job title, so it’s relevant to all sorts of roles within Library Services. In addition to gaining you post-nominals, the process of applying means you reflect on your teaching and learning support work and develop your skills, identify areas for your future development and enhance your support of students so contributing to the user experience.

If you would like to attend any of the dates, please contact Angela Young to secure your place.

UCL Ways of Working

By Benjamin Meunier, on 9 May 2019

Last week, UCL launched the new behavioural framework for professional services staff, UCL Ways of Working.

The framework enables individuals, teams and leaders to set clear expectations, support development, have quality conversations and be their best in the workplace. The nine Ways of Working are clustered around three central themes:

The framework was built for and by colleagues working in professional services roles across UCL, from faculties, departments, institutes, other academic units, offices of Vice-Provosts (including Library Services ) and central services.

The UCL Ways of Working Wheel (see below) and Descriptors provide a simple overview of the central Ways of Working, outlining how we work consistently, successfully and happily as an integrated professional services community. Supporting indicators and steps to development are then detailed for each grade and these can be used to support appraisal conversations, induction and probation meetings, and in recruitment – writing adverts, job descriptions and preparing for interviews. Detailed guidance is available on how to use the UCL Ways of Working.


The UCL Ways of Working are closely aligned to our values:

“UCL Library Services is empowering our staff and our users. Our staff are skilled and knowledgeable experts.

We are community-minded, inclusive and innovative. Our approach to service is professional, responsive and friendly. We are proud of our service, and we are honest and transparent.

Our strategy presents our goals to be cutting-edge, visionary and eco-friendly.”