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Reminder: Logging into Alma

By Tom Beauchamp, on 4 January 2023

ISD has advised that the Shibboleth authentication route to log into Alma will no longer be available from Thursday 5 January 2023, as it has been replaced by Microsoft Azure AD, as used when logging into Explore or accessing your UCL email account (see blog post Change to Logging Into Alma, 15 August 2022). This means that you will need to update any old Alma bookmarks to the new short URL.

Change to Logging Into Alma

By Tom Beauchamp, on 15 August 2022

As part of ISD’s strategy to switch many of UCL’s services to Microsoft’s Azure Active Directory (AAD) identity management tool, how you sign into Alma is changing. If you use the short URL we have provided, e.g. via a bookmark, it will change automatically tomorrow morning (Tuesday 16 August 2022). Instead of entering your username and password into the current Shibboleth login screen, you will instead see one similar to when you log into your UCL email account, Explore, and other UCL IT services. If you have recently logged into another service using Azure, you may be logged automatically into Alma.

If you have not bookmarked the short URL, you will need to take action between now and Monday 3 October 2022. Please see the Alma page on LibNet for details.

If you have any questions regarding this change or encounter any problems, please use the Digital Services online form.

Nominate an exceptional colleague or team for a UCL Education Award

By Angela Young, on 11 February 2021

Do you know a colleague or team within Library Services that makes an outstanding contribution to the learning experience and success of our students? Then take a moment to nominate them for this year’s UCL Education Awards.

The UCL Education Awards recognise and celebrate the achievements of staff and their contributions to our learning community, with a focus on the work of colleagues that is less visible to students, so work that has enabled excellent practice or facilitated innovation in teaching and learning. Nominations will be judged on evidence of impact and examples demonstrating excellence in various categories, including:

  • Academic support, with a focus on personal tutoring and/or research supervision
  • Assessment and feedback
  • Education success for all
  • Eliminating awarding gaps
  • Outstanding response to teaching and/or support during a pandemic
  • Staff-student partnership

How do nominations work?

Nominations are made within a department and then each UCL department may submit one individual and one team nomination for each category from the nominations they have received.

We are now inviting nominations from across Library Services, from which the Library Skills Steering Group will select the final nominations for Library Services.

To nominate a colleague or team, please download and complete the appropriate form (Word document) for an individual or team in Step 1 on the UCL Education Awards webpage and send by email to Angela Young. Please do NOT complete the ‘Step two’ forms on that page as these are for the final nominations from each department. The deadline for submission of nominations to Library Services is Wednesday 31st March to allow time for the Library Skills Steering Group to decide on final nominations and submit by 12th April.

Why nominate a colleague or team?

This is your chance to ensure your colleague or a library team gets the acknowledgement they deserve, so they can be rewarded and celebrate in their achievements whilst highlighting to the wider UCL community the impact that library staff have on the experience and success of our students.

Launch of SMT Surgeries

By Rozz Evans, on 11 July 2019

The Library’s Senior Management Team (SMT) has been considering feedback from colleagues concerning the perceived lack of visibility of the team and a desire for a greater understanding of what the SMT does. We are aware that it would be helpful for colleagues to engage directly with by meeting and talking with SMT colleagues in order to raise issues of concern or suggest ideas for improvement.

As a first step we have refreshed the SMT information on LibNet and added more information about individual responsibilities as well as including photos and contact details. Feedback on the revised information on LibNet is welcome.  We have made sure that the last three months of minutes from SMT’s monthly meetings are available and will continue to ensure these are up-to-date.  Notes from earlier meetings are available on request from Noel Caliste, who is Paul’s Executive Assistant (n.caliste@ucl.ac.uk).

SMT have also decided to set up a series of Surgeries, modelled on those offered by MPs to give individuals and small groups the opportunity to meet members of the SMT face-to-face and raise issues of concern.  At least two members of SMT will be present at each surgery. This will be a pilot, and we will be asking for feedback from colleagues throughout the pilot so that we can see if this is something that is useful, or whether there is a better way to improve two-way communication.

Where possible, Surgeries will be held in non-library spaces.  They are going to be held on different days and times of the week to enable as many colleagues as possible to attend.  They will be timed to occur in-between SMT meetings, and issues and feedback raised by staff at the Surgeries will be discussed at the next SMT so that staff can be assured that issues will be followed-up.

While the pilot Surgeries are all located in Bloomsbury, there will be the option to Skype or phone in.  If the pilot is successful, we will ensure that they are offered outside the Bloomsbury campus if there is demand.

The dates and times for the Surgeries will be publicised on LibNet as soon as they are available, along with information for booking.

The Three Muskebeers win the LSG quiz

By Gillian Mackenzie, on 30 May 2019

A few weeks ago, the Library Social Group (LSG) hosted a pub quiz at the College Arms on Store Street, after a slightly extended (ahem, two-year-long) hiatus.

Five teams pitted their wits against each other, having their knowledge of cover versions, pop culture and close-up library objects tested to the limit. Quiz co-hosts Phil Leonard and Gillian Mackenzie guided teams through six rounds, who were competing for the £30+ cash prize, plus for the coveted LSG Quiz trophy!

The winning quiz team, The Three Muskebeers

All of the teams taking part performed respectably (a word used repeatedly on the night), but the ultimate champions were The Three Muskebeers (although, there were four of them in the team).

We got some really positive comments about the evening (not least that the quiz itself was a “well-oiled machine”), which we hope will encourage more quizzers and teams to join us next time:

“The Library Pub Quiz was the perfect opportunity to meet colleagues I don’t already know or hardly ever get to see, and then alternately suffer the embarrassment of my own ignorance or boast over my superior pop culture knowledge. In other words, a really great night!”

Thanks to all who came along, and see you again soon for another round.

 

 

 

Student Choice Awards – celebrating library staff

By Rozz Evans, on 10 April 2019

The UCL Student Choice Awards are a way for students to thank an amazing member of staff, and let them know that their hard work makes a difference. All UCL students are invited to nominate members of staff who have, in some way, made their experience at UCL a particularly good one. They are judged by students themselves and so are especially meaningful. There are several categories including Amazing Support Staff and it is very gratifying to see that four members of UCL Library Services staff were nominated in this category. Congratulations to Nazlin Bhimani, Peter Field, Vanessa Freedman and Debora Marletta. For more information about the awards see: http://studentsunionucl.org/make-change/make-your-voice-heard/student-choice-awards/student-choice-awards-2019-all-nominees

Biomedical and Health Information Summer School 2017 – Bookings now open

By Angela Young, on 25 May 2017

Bookings are now being taken for the Biomedical and Health Information Summer School 2017, 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.

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

  • Literature searching: the essentials OR A flipped learning experience
  • Critical appraisal library staff journal club
  • Reference management software training and support forum
  • Systematic Review Support Forum
  • PubMed and OvidSP: training the trainer
  • Research Data Management for biomedical and health librarians

As in previous years there is an online component – Literature searching: the essentials OR A flipped learning experience. This combined online and face to face experience is perfect for novice literature searchers to learn the basics, but it’s also a chance for staff interested in flipped learning to experience it first hand. If you can’t make the face to face session, feel free to work through the online component only.

Full details of the programme 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.

London Underground and Southern Rail travel disruptions next week

By Benjamin Meunier, on 6 January 2017

SouthernAs mentioned in my December news message, Southern Rail has advised that planned industrial action will result in further significant disruption to its train services in January. Southern and Gatwick Express services will be affected on a number of dates:

  • Tuesday 10th, Wednesday 11th and Friday 13th January
  • Tuesday 24th, Wednesday 25th and Friday 27th January

Please refer to the Southern Rail website for specific information regarding these planned strikes.

Furthermore, the RMT trade union and Transport Salaried Staff’s Association have voted in favour of industrial action in relation to a dispute around ticket office closures and the need for more staff.  Discussions are due to continue on Friday 6th January and throughout the weekend however, TfL have warned that if agreement is not reached industrial action will go ahead as planned. This will result in 24-hour strike action taking place from Sunday 8th January from 1800 with the majority of central London Tube stations being closed during this time.  Services across the network will be severely disrupted particularly stations in Zone 1 which may not be open at all.  Commuting into UCL central buildings will be particularly affected.

In the event this industrial action goes ahead, UCL will make every attempt to keep activities running, with staff asked to try to come in to work if possible. If your commute is affected by this disruption and you are unable to get to work, you should advise your line manager as early as possible.  Consideration should be given to working flexibly, including working from home where possible, to minimise work disruption if possible. Managers are asked to consider sympathetically alternatives such as working from home or earlier or later arrival and departure times. Where such alternatives are not feasible, staff who will not be able to get to work should arrange to take a day’s annual leave or flexi-time.. 

Normal service by TfL is expected to resume on the morning of Tuesday 10th January. 

For further updates on potential action please go to the TfL website https://tfl.gov.uk/campaign/tube-strike?cid=tube-strike

Staff Office Moves – Final Plan and Schedule

By Jay Woodhouse, on 18 October 2016

The Office Move plan has now been approved by the SMT following changes in response to feedback from two rounds of staff consultation. The aim is to put teams together where possible, provide suitable space for all staff and even out the occupancy of rooms. We are also taking this opportunity to create an extra meeting room in Science, two new meeting rooms in Main and an extra student study room in Senate House Hub.  The final relocation plan is below, this only impacts Main, Science and Senate House Hub. If your room is highlighted in grey then you will not be moving:

Office Plan

Team managers will be contacted about room design and an A3 floor plans of the room their team are moving into provided. The Buildings Team will assist with room layouts for each team. Below is the schedule for the Office Moves that runs from now until March 2017:

Schedule 2016 v2

Please send all queries and feedback to lib-buildings@ucl.ac.uk

Building Team Availability

By Jay Woodhouse, on 2 September 2016

Since the re-structure on the 1st April this year the Library Buildings Team have had a working pattern focused on liaising with Estates and contractors. This has meant the team starting early in the morning, at 07:30, to ensure that projects are kept on track and delivery and installation runs smoothly. This is a fairly standard practice within the Construction Industry.

However, this has caused problems with the Buildings Team being unavailable to meet and interact with other Library Staff as they would usually leave at 15:30. This has made organising meetings difficult with limited time in the afternoon to meet before the Buildings Team home time.

From Monday 12th September the Library Buildings Team will be operating to a new schedule with more availability in the afternoons. The new team availability will be 07:15 – 17:15 Monday to Friday. Please continue to contact lib-buildings@ucl.ac.uk as this will be monitored by the Team during the above times, but individual staff may not be available.

The Buildings Team can be available outside of the above times with prior arrangement.