Stephen Town, Director of Information & University Librarian

Welcome & Overview

Sheffield University Students1st December 2011

Programme

1300-1345 Director’s overview1345-1415 Liaison & relationships1415-1515 Buildings, services & tour1515-1545 Digital library developments1545-1600 Final questions

Director’s Summary

• University Context• Information Directorate• Information Strategy• Projects• Finance & Governance• Quality & Performance• Current issues

UNIVERSITY CONTEXT

• Founded 1963• UK top ten; RAE 8th; World

81st; 94 Group; WUN• 15,265 students• >30 departments in

humanities, social sciences, science

• Campus growth– Heslington East

• Collegiate and inclusive

The University

• > 1m items• >100 staff• Archives extensive & unique• Developing digital library

expertise• Director of Library &

Archives 2007; Director of Information 2009

• Part of a broader Information Directorate

The University Library

Branch Libraries & beyond

• York Minster: the oldest and largest Cathedral Library in the country– Operated under a unique

partnership between the Dean & Chapter and the University of York

• King’s Manor Library• Associations with

– The Railway museum– Yorkshire Country House

partnership

• Directorate reorganised in 2010/11

• Aims:– Support the Director in

strategy fulfillment– Ability to offer joined up

services, particularly in new user facilities

– Better structured to deliver University Information Strategy

Information Directorate

Senior Management Structure

Example Divisional Structure (Operations)

Example Divisional Structure (Strategy)

Content Division

Archives Division

INFORMATION STRATEGY

University Plan 1

“A world leader in the creation of knowledge…the sharing of knowledge … and the application of knowledge”

“We are custodians of knowledge …”

University Plan 2

“1.2 Information technology plays an increasingly important role … academic excellence will increasingly depend on implementing technological innovation … [for] learning … research … and multidisciplinary collaboration”

Needs

‘Students want high quality, stimulating T&L’‘They still desire a good library service ..real space for

group work and interaction’‘Researchers want collaborative tools … mechanisms

for depositing research outputs … communication for … collaborative research’

‘Library needs to support a range of repositories … new teaching materials require management and storage’

‘All require training and support’

Consultation priorities – in top six

• Information contentMore than half the respondents ranked this first,

and two-thirds in the top three• Repositories and processes for academic

content collection• A virtual library platform• Learning spaces

Information Strategy Roadmap

Strategy “vision-led and outcome driven”; consisting of six programmes:

1. Information & Communications Systems2. Portals & Access Systems3. Content & Knowledge Assets4. IT Infrastructure5. Integration Processes & Policies6. Spaces

Portals & access systems

• Virtual Library platform• Staff and student

portals• Web site development• Discovery tools

Content

• World class information resources– Print and digital

• Academic repositories• Modern media

capability

Spaces

• Learning spaces on Heslington East

• Refurbishment of the JB Morrell Library

• Refurbishment of the former Computer Science Department as the Harry Fairhurst building

Enabling strategies

• Relationships• Quality• Staff & culture• Resourcing• Collaboration &

partnerships

FINANCE & GOVERNANCE

Library Finance

• Staff (50%)– Numbers 150; 90 fte– Cost £3.2m

• Content (40%)– Books £0.4m– Serials £2.3m

• Other expenditure (10%) £0.4m– Income (£0.4m), capital (£25m+) & new fees (£0.7m)

Governance structure

QUALITY & PERFORMANCE

Quality & Data collection

• Quality assurance• Peer review & benchmarking• Performance indicators– SCONUL statistics– Balanced scorecard

• Quality culture– User satisfaction measures & surveys

LibQUAL+: all core items trends

2008 2009 2010 20110

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2

3

4

5

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University of York LibQUAL+ Survey Trends

Minimum MeanDesired MeanPerceived Mean

Year

Mea

n Ra

ting

LibQUAL+ 2011: all Library users

Culture, Policy and current issues

• Change and staff culture & capability• Extension of traditional role• Digital media, services and curation• Pedagogical change & technology• Relationships• Information policy• Publishing

Questions?