UoL Library Blog

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Library Users Forum Nov 08

Posted by gazjjohnson on 6 November, 2008

Just back from LUF which was more lively than the last one, with the Library reps asking a fair few questions of Louise and the rest of PMG.  Sadly non of my reps made it again, but I guess they must be too busy teaching/researching.  Bit of a shame as there were a fair few developments that I think they would have been interested to hear.  Among them were:

  • We went through the library strategy, new resources and materials budget for 08/9.  Dollar/Euro look like they’re hitting our sector a bit, but no journal cuts needed and book budgets glowing and healthy. 
  • Plenty of encouragement to spend the book budget to ensure student satisfaction levels are met as well as continuing development of the research collections.  Something I know I keep reminding my reps about, and when I get a moment I’ll be going through all the chemistry module books to see if we’re missing anything!
  • A brief resume of the awards the DWL’s won, and is nominated for.  I wonder if we’ll be getting a big trophy cabinet?
  • We’ve had a 50% increase in foot traffic to the DWL since we opened (compared to last year)
  • 14th Janurary we’ve a Sepcial Collection event, celebrating our collections as well as illustrating what academics can and are doing with them.
  • Quite a bit of discussion on open access and pay-up front model of publication and what the University is doing about this.
  • A good bit on how much VFM our document supply costs are, especially in contrast to the other nearby institutions.
  • The LIBX toolbar will be launched in two weeks time (it’s in beta testing right now).  I hadn’t had a chance to try this out myself yet (way too much teaching/prep) but it looks very promising in giving desk top access to the library key pages as well as easing EZProxy access to resources without going through the A-Z.list page.
  • News about Hywel and Anne moving on was also announced.

Now if I can just work out why we’re a blended library not a hybrid one I’ll be a happy man…

2 Responses to “Library Users Forum Nov 08”

  1. sarahw9 said

    swift blogging.

    I’m not sure what the difference is between ‘blended’ or ‘hybrid’ – both imply a mix of electronic and print resources. Its a funny term b/c to librarians at least, just about all libraries are blended / hybrid by definition in this century – surely you only have to define the ones that are not? I realise the public are probably a long way behind on this one.

    Perhaps we need to move on to become a ‘social’ or even ‘semantic’ library? Or shouldn’t be just be all those things anyway without having to declare it.

    It reminds me of the old ‘just don’t call us a library’ chestnut and all the different terms that have been used: information resources centre, learning resources centre, blar blar blar. Do we need to reject the ‘library’ brand or capitalise on its strenghts?

    I’m off on a complete tangent again.

  2. gazjjohnson said

    I blog like the wind…

    I always thought my drinks were blended and my car was hybrid*! I worry about a sematic library as I think far too many librarians worry about the sematics of issues rather than just cracking on with the task in hand.

    As for the library as a brand – I’m happy enough with it, people know what we do which is provide/facilitate/store information at the end of the day in one format or another. Having heard some of the risable alternative names (honestly what DOES an “information commons” actually mean? Scraps of information lying about on Hampstead Heath?) I think what we’ve got is fine. And in our case the building speaks volumes…

    *I wish, the Wife got to drive a Prius recently for work and I was green with eco-envy

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