If you are hosting a presentation or meeting at UCL and want to use one of the Library meeting rooms, but want to check how many people can fit in the room, you can now find the information easily on LibNet:
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/libnet/training/meeting-rooms

For small meetings, you can also book Science Library pods and meeting rooms (with more coming soon!) at http://www.ucl.ac.uk/library/rm_intro.shtml

I am writing on behalf of the RFID Project Board to let you know about the work we currently have in progress that aims to install self-service machines across library services over the next two years – and the potential for our Library Assistant roles in this process.  

The first stage of the project is now underway and by the start of next academic year, we will have self-service facilities available at the Main library, IoA, LaSS and the Bartlett. We already have self-service at the Science library, the Cruciform and the Eastman.

In rolling out self-service across Library Services, we do not intend to make staff savings. We do intend to improve the student experience however. The concept of ‘the student experience’ continues to play a significant part in the next library strategy and will do so in the forthcoming UCL strategy as well. Self-service is one very practical and effective way to realise the objectives in these strategies. 

Our students really like Self-service. From all of the feedback we receive via Reader Services, it’s up there among the most asked after/requested thing, especially after a library has had to close due to unforeseen circumstances. Self-service complements the way our current students like to work and study. As our opening times become longer and extend out over traditional closed periods, self-service gives them access to material that would otherwise be unavailable when we are not there to issue it to them.

The presence of self-service machines in a library also changes the way we deliver services on the front line. When it was introduced to the Science library, the Library Assistants were understandably worried about what their role would be. The popularity of self service within academic libraries coincided however, with this new emphasis on the student experience and hence, having the machines really aided and abetted our re-examination of the way in which we provided front line services to our students.

Freed from the issue desk, staff are now able to provide help much more proactively. We can spend more time with our students and collaborate with them to provide the services they really want and where they are really needed. This could be library inductions, help with enquires, helping with IT problems, finding missing items on reading lists, responding to comments on Twitter or just having the time and space to listen to someone who doesn’t understand how something works or finds that some aspect of our service just isn’t working for them. And of course, we do still issue a few books from time to time.

Colleagues,

The 2014 Library Open Forum will be held on Wednesday, 26 February 2014 in the Anatomy G29 J Z Young Lecture Theatre, 13:30-15:30.

While the Forum is primarily designed for academic colleagues and students, colleagues from the Library are welcome to attend. If you do wish to attend, you should check first with your line manager. The topics for the 2014 Forum are:

• Space to learn – engaging with students to create successful Hubs
• UCL Press – aims and ambitions
• Measuring the Library’s success in delivering the Library Strategy

The full programme for the afternoon is available on our library website.

Do join us if you can.

Paul

The Green Impact programme has started again for the third year here at UCL. This scheme has successfully raised awareness of Green issues and the impact the staff (and students) in a department can have on the bigger picture of the environmental footprint that UCL makes. Last year Library Services achieved a Silver Award for the Main and Science Libraries, a Bronze Award for nearly half of our other library sites and the other sites were working towards an award. This was a notable accomplishment and I want to build on this to achieve the goal of all Library Services sites achieving at least a Bronze Award this year. Scott Foulon, as Green Group Chairman informs me that this is an achievable target. To this end, Scott will be running a workshop on January 14 at 14.00 in room 417 in the Science Library. This will enable Scott to answer any questions about the programme generally, or any specific criteria that you may have questions about. Scott will also be available to make a site visit or offer any assistance as it is needed.

Participating in Green Impact shows that we as a department are working towards the aims in UCL’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy. I strongly encourage all Library Services staff to get involved with the Green Impact programme this year and show what a difference can be made.

Library Services’ Open Forum

At the recent Staff Conference (2013), a question was raised in one of the plenary sessions about the timing of the Library’s Open Forum. This Forum is intended for end-users of the Library’s facilities and services, to give them the opportunity to comment on the Library’s offering. Members of library staff are more than welcome to attend the Forum, which (it is hoped) will be held in Second Term 2014. Arrangements for this meeting are already in train.

The Library’s Staff Development and Training Committee has, at my request, considered whether the Library should hold another Forum on the same model in the 1st Term. This would complement the Open Forum in 2nd Term and the Staff Conference in the 3rd Term. The feeling is that this Blog could usefully fulfil the role of a Forum in 1st Term instead, by providing a vehicle for colleagues to share notes of their attendance at Conferences, and to offer news of new developments in the Library where they work.

I look forward to reading such reports on this Blog, and I will let you know details of the Open Forum as soon as they are known.

Paul Ayris

Director of UCL Library Services

11.8.13

The UCL Library Services Staff Conference 2013 was held on Friday 19 July.

Presentations from the keynote address and some of the morning and afternoon sessions, together with entries from the Photo Competition are now available at

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/libnet/training/ls/conf2013

We hope to be able to provide you with a summary of the feedback from the conference in the next few weeks.

If you are interested in joining the staff conference organising committee please get in touch with me by email (n.larch@ucl.ac.uk).

Many thanks

Nova

(on behalf of the Staff Conference Organising Committee)

A task-and-finish group has recently been created to help with some actions on induction and information for researchers, required by the Library Strategy, and going under the names of RE09 and RE11. As part of these actions, the group has created a Support for Research Checklist and Leaflet, currently available from https://www.ucl.ac.uk/libnet/strat-pol/strategy-2011/research-sup. We would greatly appreciate if you could look at these and let us know what you think, so that we can finalise the documents before the start of the next academic year. The deadline for feedback is 26/07/2013. Please email your comments to Anna a.diiorio@ucl.ac.uk / Angela  angela.young@ucl.ac.uk.

Many thanks

Anna and Angela (on behalf of the Research Support Task and Finish Group)