40
2015/16 DkIT Library Annual Report Dundalk Institute of Technology Library
2015/16
DkIT Library Annual
Report
Dundalk Institute of Technology Library
1
Library Annual Report
2015/ 16
Section One
- Introduction
- Support for Learning, Teaching and Research p.3
Information Literacy Programmes
LibGuides
Information Skills Outreach Programme
Student Success Toolbox
Y1 Feedback IL Prize
Reusable Learning Objects (RLOs)
- Collections and resources p.6
Collection Management
Books
Periodicals
Online Subscriptions
Interlibrary Loans
STÓR Open Access Institutional Repository
- Engagement p.16
Film Club
Collaborative Projects
Events
Feedback from Surveys
- Library Environment Colour-Coded Zones
Training Room
The Whisper Library
- Organisation & Management p.18
Finances
Technology
People
Policies on Leave/Absences
2
Section 2
- The Library in Figures p.20
Detailed Statistics for 2015/16
Interlibrary Loan Activities
3
Introduction
This report records our activities during the 2015/16 academic year. It highlights
developments in service provision and the Library’s impact. It details how resources are
allocated in support of the Institute’s mission. Our expectations are that we have a positive
and continuous effect on learning, teaching and research in DkIT and that we contribute to
the intellectual and cultural life of the wider community. Through our annual reporting we
hope to highlight whether and how these expectations are met.
Support for Learning, Teaching and Research
Information Literacy Programmes
Information skills training for our library users is one of the primary services offered by the
library to support the DkIT academic community. A student-centred approach to Information
Literacy (IL) continues to inform most areas of our work in the library and is continually
evolving in conception and delivery mechanisms.
Formally booked Information Skills training classes totalled 210 hours with 1,850 students
participating, ranging across the college departments and modules. The classes offered
were:
Tour
First Steps towards Research
Next Steps in Research
Harvard Referencing and Plagiarism
Mendeley Reference Manager
Bespoke class (tailored to a particular group’s needs)
We also designed IL to the “point of need” of students offering Drop-in sessions during
assignment and exam periods. We offered a highly successful “Referencing Clinic”
intervention in the second semester where a librarian was available throughout the day
specifically for Harvard referencing queries.
We also completed the addition of a DkIT Harvard Referencing style to the available options
in Mendeley software.
IL has informed our mind-set towards library users and the Enquiry Desk is now considered
one of our core services for users. In total we recorded more than 1,450 enquiries on a
broad range of topics from subject related queries to information retrieval of specific
resources.
4
LibGuides
We continued to expand our range of Library Guides with new titles on both subject areas
and specific topics. Our LibGuides are intended to be used as a research starting point
directly by students and also as a teaching aid for Library staff when delivering Information
Literacy classes.
Information Skills Outreach programme (2nd Level Schools)
This year we continued our outreach programme offering IL introductory sessions to 2nd level
schools in the Dundalk area. The aim of this outreach was to help Transition Year (TY)
students learn about information literacy in preparation for their third level experience. We
conducted two sessions on site in O’Fiaich College that, based on both student and teacher
feedback, were very successful. We are now offering this Information Literacy programme
to all schools in the local community and hope to offer sessions during the summer months
that will be open to all 2nd Level students in the local community.
Student Success
Toolbox
DkIT Library partnered
with DCU (Lead
partner), NUIM and IT
Sligo in working on the
Student Success
Toolbox project which
was funded by the
National Forum for the
Enhancement of
Teaching and Learning.
The particular focus of the project was on supporting flexible learners through key transitions
in the early stages of their studies: from thinking about study, making choices and registering
for college, through to the first few weeks in a higher education academic environment.
A suite of eight digital tools was developed. DkIT Library contributed the content for the My
First Assignment section which helps the prospective learner navigate through information
slides relating to doing a 3rd Level. Advice on how to start an assignment and develop a
plan in breaking down a research question is also provided, with the key elements within a
plan being specifically highlighted.
Additionally a series of student orientated quotes and videos are accessible throughout the
tool in order to give users a further sense of what it is like to undertake the first assignment
in higher education.
5
YI Feedback IL Prize
The 2016 Information Literacy Prize was run in collaboration with the Centre for Learning and Teaching (CELT) as part of a nationally funded Year 1 Feedback Project. We invited first year students to submit a piece of writing for formative feedback on the use of information and aspects of writing (not on subject content). They then had the opportunity to draw on the feedback to improve the piece and resubmit to be considered for a prize. Prizes (i-Pads) were awarded for the best use of feedback and most improved work, rather than for the most information literate piece.
Pictured: (from left to right) Ann Cleary – Institute Librarian; Moira Maguire – Head of CELT; Patricia
Moriarty - Vice President for Academic Affairs and Registrar – launching the Information Literacy
Prize.
The Information Literacy Prize (Y1 Feedback) for First Years – Prize Giving Ceremony
Pictured: Ann Cleary with Ann Campbell - Institute President
6
Reusable Learning Objects (RLOs)
In support of the Library’s Information Literacy programme, in collaboration with lecturers and students, we produced a collection of video interviews on topics such as:
Academic integrity
Case studies
Finding quality information
Primary research
Undertaking a Literature Review
Using Feedback
Designed to be watched individually or together, the videos explain important information skills concepts from both a student’s and lecturer’s points of view.
These RLOs, which were launched in January 2016, are available on the You Tube DkIT Library Channel.
Collections and resources
Collection Management
The budget year for DkIT was changed in 2016 and now runs from September to August
annually.
In 2016 the overall spend per full-time equivalent (FTE) was €33.53.
Books
A total of 288 titles were purchased. The average price paid for a book was €62.84. The
book spend per FTE was €3.29. Books accounted for 9.81% of the library materials spend.
A total of 305 items were deleted while 2,328 items were added to the catalogue. The library
also received two large donations which are in the process of being added to stock; subjects
covered in the donations include: religion, alternative medicine, philosophy, literature and
history.
7
Periodicals
The periodical spend per FTE was €2.58. Journals accounted for 7.72% of the library
materials spend. 21 journal titles were cancelled. Reasons cancellations included; budget
restrictions, low usage and duplication of titles already available via our library online
databases.
Online Subscriptions
The online subscription
spend per FTE was
€27.64. Online
subscriptions accounted
for 82.45% of the library
materials spend. Three
databases were cancelled
due to budget restrictions;
Web of Science, ProQuest
Dissertations & Theses
and WebDewey.
For a detailed breakdown of Acquisitions statistics see Section 2.
8
Inter Library Loans (ILL)
There were 177 ILL requests during 2015/16. Of these 110 (62%) were filled requests and
67 (38%) were cancelled requests.
The total cost of providing the ILL service during the year was €1,235.74.
(Loan refers to book, thesis, proceeding of conference, government publication, or technical
report. Photocopy refers to journal article or chapter request.).
For a detailed breakdown of ILL statistics, see Section 2.
STÓR Open Access Institutional Repository
In December 2015 the Academic Council approved
an Open Access (OA) Policy for Dundalk Institute of
Technology. The policy is intended to make DkIT’s
research output, in the form of published scholarly articles
and conference proceedings, available to a wider public.
The policy strongly recommends that academic staff and
researchers deposit their published work in STÓR.
STÓR not only showcases the work of DkIT researchers, it
also provides a sustainable platform for storage and
preservation of the Institute’s research output.
During the year DkIT researchers continued to deposit their published research outputs to
the STÓR repository with 50 new items added.
Engagement
The Library collaborated on
a variety of activities and
projects during the 2015/16
academic year, working with
students, Institute and
sectoral colleagues and the
local community in
extending services and
organising outreach events.
9
During the year The Library Film Club screened an eclectic mix of World Cinema. From the
thought- provoking drama ‘Paradise Now’ which follows two young Palestinian men, who are
recruited to carry out a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv to documentary ‘Catfish’ in which a
young filmmaker charts his online friendship with a young woman and her family which leads
to an unexpected series of discoveries. The films provided ample talking points for post-
screening discussions and were well attended.
Events
In addition to the one-off events listed below DkIT Library Film Club screenings and Reading
Group discussions took place regularly throughout the year.
September 2015
Our new colour-coded noise management zones were launched
October
The Library Customer Care Charter was launched
“The Great Divide – Sustainable Development and the Global Research Agenda” – we
celebrated Open Access Week by hosting a panel discussion on international development
issues in the context of open access to information.
Halloween Pumpkin
Carving Competition –
with a 1st prize of free
tickets to the Halloween
Ball (donated by DkIT
SU)
10
November
“Pop-up Library” – we took the library out to students and staff around the campus with our
pop-up stands and on-the-spot enquiry services
We also ran a
Fines Amnesty
with students
encouraged to
donate the waived
fine or part of it to
the Student
Assistance Fund.
December
Christmas Craft workshop - making items from recycled materials
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February 2016
Valentine’s craft workshop
April
At a time of year when students may struggle with finishing off their assignments including
making sure they have referenced them correctly we held a “Referencing Blitz”.
Library staff were
on call for any and
all Harvard
Referencing
queries for two
weeks from April
18th
We celebrated World Book Night on April 21st by having a free book giveaway. Book blogger
Margaret Madden kindly donated copies of three books which went at the rate of one per
minute!
12
Collaborative Projects
The National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning funded the Student
Success Toolbox Project in which DkIT Library was a partner. For details see Support for
Learning, Teaching and Research section above.
Feedback from surveys
We are very proactive in gathering feedback from our readers to inform the ongoing
evolution and enhancement of our services.
We actively seek out and welcome constructive input from our patrons both informally and
formally on various aspects of service at regular intervals through our numerous contact
channels and surveys.
In our most recent survey of c. 200 patrons, we were delighted to receive some very useful
feedback where a massive 95% of total respondents stated that they had gotten what they
wanted in DkIT Library.
The most valued aspects of the Library highlighted in the responses were: 32% of
respondents specifying quietness; 21% resources; 13% computers and 9% space. Of the
remaining responses group work rooms came in at 8%, staff and printing each came in at
6% and last but by no means least internet at 5%.
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14
We review all our reader comments and we strive to prioritise areas of improvement that are
directly related to this feedback
Our continuous observation and analysis of our patrons’ usage preferences significantly
influences all our future service planning and provision.
Library Environment
Colour coded zones
The Library tries to manage its space in a way that meets people’s need. Our space is limited, with a ratio of about forty students to one Library PC, and our priority is to make the space as good as we can for people who are committed to their studies.
We realise that there is a need for silent, quiet spaces as well as space to work in groups. So, in September, based on student feedback, and designed during the Summer of 2015, we introduced students to an experiment with colour-coded study zones, where each zone represents a different type of study. The impact of these zones was reviewed throughout the year and is generally considered a success in reducing noise levels while facilitating a range of learning styles.
15
Training Room
In November we made the Library Training Room available for individual, silent study (from 9 am until 5 pm) when not booked for classes. As demand for access to PCs in the Library is very high our hope was that the extra computers would go some way towards addressing that demand.
A room timetable for the week was posted on the door of the Training Room so that students would know when the space was free.
The Whisper Library
Based on the success of the Whisper Library initiative in the previous academic year Floor 2 of the Library was designated as strictly for silent study for the January 5th to 18th examination period. All other open areas including the computer areas on Floor 1 were again designated as Whisper level only.
16
Organisation & Management
Finance
In Summer 2016 the Institute moved from a January to December financial year to an
academic year, September to August model.
The total budget allocation to the Library for 2016/2017 was €215,000.
For detailed expenditure figure see Section 2.
Technology
In September 2015 the Follow-Me print system, managed by Irish Business Systems, and
already in use for student print services, was extended to staff printing in the Library.
Charges for staff printing/copying are based on a unit costing model across the Institute.
Older printers/copiers will be phased out over time.
People
In order to work towards our goal of continuous improvement all staff engage in professional
development through both formal and informal activities.
During the year several Library staff members participated in external workshops and
training sessions. In addition to these we continue to support in-house peer learning
opportunities via a regular schedule of update / review / planning sessions. These sessions
are generally held at out-of-term times each year when the Library is less busy.
One member of staff is undertaking a PhD in University College Dublin in the area of
Information Literacy.
Training course and workshops included:
Acquisitions Group Ireland workshop
Marketing in Academic Libraries - ANLTC
Data Protection Training
Mental Health Awareness & Agility
First Aid
Open Access Resources for Health
Intercultural Awareness
Open AIRE RIAN workshop
Key issues for Library Space: international perspectives conference
Social Media and Marketing
_ Supporting students with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorders)
17
Policies on Leave / Absences
The Library provides a much used service to high standards of satisfaction. To do so the
Library aims to anticipate and manage needs, to plan, and to recognise that contingencies
may arise.
Through our Library policies, and in adherence to overall Institute policies, we aim to ensure
that service needs are met as a priority, and within that context create a framework for staff
leave and other absences. The Library has to balance and address:
- the needs of the service - the need of staff for leave - the risks to other staff and services of not having adequate staffing in place - periods of heavy demand vs. lower demand throughout the year
We review our policies regularly and always endeavour to manage staffing levels in a way
that ensures sustainability of service and reduces risk.
18
Section 2 – Detailed statistics
Jan to Dec 2016 Annual Statistics for Acquisitions
Part One – figures from this section taken from Millennium Acquisitions
Titles ordered 288
Items ordered 368
Titles received 309
Items received 340
Orders Cancelled 1
Outstanding orders 24
Items donated 765
Items created 2328
Total items deleted (incl. withdrawn, missing and lost and paid/lost and waived) 305
Department Titles ordered in each department
Business 22
Engineering 23
Video and Film 5
Multimedia 14
General 26
Humanities 19
Law 10
Languages 40
Nursing 7
Hospitality 6
Science 9
Social Studies 20
Music 12
Computing and Maths 31
Veterinary Nursing 1
Learning and Teaching 13
Early Childhood 20
19
Subject Average Price per book in €
Business 62.91
Business Masters 187.44
Humanities 42.49
Hospitality 108.73
Social Studies 62.78
Engineering 48.20
Nursing 65.68
Science 95.13
Early Childhood 31.50
Veterinary Nursing 144.14
Computing 76.87
Multimedia 84.83
Video & Film 45.89
Music 55.77
Music Masters 36.13
Law 140.44
Languages 16.19
General 19.14
MA Learning & Teaching 47.42
20
Department/Section Expenditure on Books in € and %
Business Studies 2597.96 14.89%
Humanities 806.95 4.62%
Social Studies 1310.51 7.51%
Hospitality 761.09 4.36%
Engineering 1188.61 6.81%
Computing and Mathematics 3145.97 18.03%
Music 664.29 3.80%
Multimedia 1187.71 6.80%
Nursing & Midwifery 650.47 3.72%
Early Childhood 736.15 4.22%
Science 864.07 4.95%
Veterinary Nursing 144.14 0.82%
Video & Film 229.47 1.31%
Law 1404.47 8.05%
Languages 647.77 3.71%
Teaching & Learning 616.53 3.53%
General 487.67 2.79%
(Department not specified)
21
Vendors
BookNest
Average length of time to deliver (days) 6.14
Number of titles ordered 35
Amount in € 1712.55
Orders outstanding 9
Betterworld Books
Average length of time to deliver 1.83
Number of titles ordered 6
Amount in € 109.54
Orders outstanding 0
Amazon.co.uk
Average length of time to deliver 0.50
Number of titles ordered 11
Amount in € 135.48
Orders outstanding 0
ProQuest
Average length of time to deliver 6.31
Number of titles ordered 193
Amount in € 9021.30
Orders outstanding 15
YBP
Average length of time to deliver n/a
Number of titles ordered 31
Amount in € 3351.14
Orders outstanding 0
22
Library Purchasing Card
Average length of time to deliver 2.00
Number of titles ordered 1
Amount in € 46.92
Orders outstanding 0
Part Two – figures for this section taken from Agresso Finance System
Breakdown of spend Library General in €
Books 12741.26
Online Subscriptions 116972.44
Periodicals 11652.16
Interlibrary loans 436.71
Library Other Costs 561.94
Other Subscriptions 3240.34
Other Protective Clothing 58.36
Other Equipment 236.16
IT Equipment 30.00
Office Materials - Stationery 1835.45
Office Materials - Printing 2219.27
Office Materials - Photocopy 4.00
Seminars 100.00
Conferences 120.00
Travel 26.01
Campbell Catering 465.59
Other Catering External 342.70
Other Miscellaneous Costs 166.00
Fixed Assets 1414.50
23
Breakdown of spend Library Postgraduate in €
Books 2073.93
Online Subscriptions 6447.01
Periodicals n/a
Breakdown of spend Library Nursing in €
Books n/a
Online Subscriptions 999.99
Periodicals n/a
% of total spend on material types (general Library budget)
Online Subscriptions 87.41
Journals 2.7
Books 9.86
% of total spend on material types (Level 9 Fees income)
Books 24.33
Online Subscriptions 75.66
Periodicals n/a
% of total spend on material types (Nursing budget)
Books n/a
Online Subscriptions 100
Periodicals n/a
24
% of total spend on material types (all budgets and incomes)
Books 9.81
Online Subscriptions 82.45
Periodicals 7.72
Total € book spend per FTE all funds 3.29
Total € online subscription spend per FTE all funds 27.64
Total € periodical spend per FTE all funds 2.58
Total € material spend per FTE all funds 33.53
Age of Collection Totals %
2010-2016 4498 8.55
2000-2009 16590 31.55
1990-1999 12009 22.84
1980-1989 3725 7.08
1970-1979 3899 7.41
Pre 1970 4376 8.32
No date 7479 14.22
Total 52576
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Database Cost per Search 2016:
Database Number of Searches
Total Cost in €
2016 Cost per Search
in €
2015 Cost per Search in €
Bibliography of British and Irish History
13158 971.71 0.07 0.11
British Standards Online
8287 5,643.08 0.68 0.63
Cinahl Plus with full text
9966 7,867.08 0.78 0.73
Dictionary of Irish Biography
2173 356.70 0.16 0.13
Emerald 13325 14,838.72 1.11 0.65
IEEE/IET Electronic Library
21529 5,419.44 0.25 0.39
IHS 306841 23,310.91 0.07 0.11
Irish Times Digital Archive
11916 1,722.00 0.14 0.13
JSTOR 205458 3,251.25 0.17 0.02
Naxos 2016 608.85 0.30 0.13
Oxford Music Online 1996 2,574.39 1.28 1.10
ProQuest Dissertation & Theses
4693 881.91 0.18 0.10
ProQuest Hospital Premium Collection
342161 479.70 0.001 0.03
RILM Abstract of Music Literature
1040 3,148.80 3.02 3.03
ScienceDirect 319604 46,115.44 0.14 0.15
Scopus 11566 12,564.45 1.08 2.93
Taxfind 286 1,230.00 14.30 1.32
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Interlibrary loan activities - detailed statistics :
There were 177 ILL requests during 2015/16. Of these 110 (62%) were filled requests and
67 (38%) were cancelled requests.
Loan refers to Book, Thesis, Proceeding of conference, Government Pubication, or
Technical Report. Photocopy refers to Journal article or chapter request.
76
34
ILLs 2015-2016: Filled Requests
Loan
Photocopy
41
69
ILLs 2015-2016: Filled Requests
Staff
Student
27
Costs of Requests
Overall
Loans Photocopies Total
780.62 455.12 1235.74
27
40
ILLs 2015-2016: Cancelled Requests
Loan
Photocopy
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
ILLs 2015-2016: Reasons for Cancelling
28
Items per Supplier type
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
ILLs 2015-2016: Cancelled Requests in Library Databases
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
ILLs 2015-2016: Suppliers
29
Overview of Schools;-
Business & Humanities 38
Engineering 6
Informatics & Creative Arts 36
Health & Science 21
Other 4 Total 110
Department breakdowns were as follows;-
7
2 4
5 2
8
5
7
0123456789
10
Day
s
ILLs 2015-2016: Average Supplier Times
4
6
0
28
ILLs 2015-2016: Business & Humanities
Business Studies
Management & Finance
Hospitality
Humanities
30
Costings for School of Business & Humanities
Loans Photocopies Totals
Business 84.11 17.00 101.11
Management & Fin 49.58 - 49.58
Hospitalities - - -
Humanities 143.90 124.13 268.03
Overall totals 277.59 141.13 418.72
26
12
ILLs 2015-2016: Business & Humanities
Loan
Photocopy
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
ILLs 2015-2016: Business & Humanities
Business Studies Management & Finance Hospitality Humanities
31
1
0
5
0 ILLs 2015-2016: Engineering
Electronic & Mechanical
Civil & Environmental
Construction & Surveying
Engineering Trades
6
0 ILLs 2015-2016: Engineering
Loan
Photocopy
32
Costings for Engineering
Loans Photocopies Totals
Electro & Mechanical 18.55 Nil 18.55
Const & Survey 85.74 Nil 85.74
Civil & Environmental Nil Nil Nil
Engineering trades Nil Nil Nil
Totals 104.29 Nil 104.29
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
ILLs 2015-2016: Engineering
Electronic & Mechanical Civil & Environmental Construction & Surveying Engineering Trades
33
32
4
ILLs 2015-2016: Informatics & Creative Arts
Loan
Photocopy
1
35
ILLs 2015-2016: Informatics & Creative Arts
Computing & Maths
Music & Creative Media
34
Costings for Informatics & Creative Arts
Loans Photocopies Totals
Computing & Maths Nil 48.03 48.03
Music & Creative Med
283.52 31.22 314.74
Totals 283.52 79.25 362.77
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
ILLs 2015-2016: Informatics & Creative Arts
Computing & Maths Music & Creative Media
8
13
ILLs 2015-2016: Health & Science
Loan
Photocopy
35
Costings for School of Health & Science
Loans Photocopies Totals
Applied Sciences 17.95 57.50 75.45
Nursing 34.55 31.00 65.55
Totals 52.50 88.50 141.00
13
8
ILLs 2015-2016: Health & Science
Applied Science
Nursing, Midwifery &Health
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
ILLs 2015-2016: Health & Science
Applied Science Nursing, Midwifery & Health
36
Costings for Research Centres
Loans Photocopies Totals
NGEN Nil 43.36 43.36
Regulated software 29.16 40.88 70.04
Totals 29.16 84.24 113.40
0
1
2
3
4
5
ILLs 2015-2016: Research Centres
Loan Photocopy
37
Costings for Other Sections
Loans Photocopies Totals
Learning & Teaching Nil 26.00 26.00
Non-Academic Staff 33.56 36.00 69.56
Totals 33.56 62.00 95.56
Interlibrary Loans supplied to DkIT by Institute of Technology Partners*
IoT Total
Athlone 2
Blanchardstown 2
Carlow 1
Cork 4
DIT 8
Dún Laoghaire 2
Galway-Mayo 1
Letterkenny 3
Limerick 0
Sligo 0
Tallaght 1
Tralee 0
Waterford 4
Total 28
0
1
2
Lifelong Learning Learning & Teaching Non-Academic Staff
ILLs 2015-2016: Other Sections
Loan Photocopy
38
Interlibrary loans supplied by Partners to DkIT
IoT Total
Athlone 5
Blanchardstown 3
Carlow 3
Cork 1
DIT 1
Dún Laoghaire 0
Galway-Mayo 6
Letterkenny 2
Limerick 4
Sligo 1
Tallaght 3
Tralee 3
Waterford 3
Total 35
*The IoT Libraries Partners scheme facilitates Interlibrary Loans at no cost, other than
postage cost, between its members.
28
35
Partner Libraries
Books supplied to partnerlibraries
Books received frompartner libraries
39
Tutorial attendees
83 students attended Interlibrary loan tutorials, 48 of these students (58%) made requests
for items via ILL
83
48
ILL Tutorials 2015-16
Number of students whoattended tutorials 15-16
Number of students whomade requests 15-16
