Minutes of the cpd25 Steering Group
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, 10.00am, 18th October 2006

Present:  Jean Yeoh (Chair), Janet Smith, Judith Cattermole, David Gee, Carole Pickaver, Caroline Lloyd and Dave Puplett (Administrator).
 
1. Apologies
None

2. Minutes of the last meeting – 
Page 2 - M25/London to be added, from instead of form.
Page 3, point 9, Learner Support Steering Group to be added.
 
3. Matters arising.
Exchange scheme: This has been advertised via email and fliers to SDO's and Directors of Service.
David and Judith also give an introduction to the scheme at the first chartership event on October 11th.

If the scheme is eventually extended to cover other working roles, we will need to address any potential HR problems. Most of these are likely to be overcome by referring to the scheme as two placements rather than an exchange.

JS asked what would happen if training was undertaken during the exchange. It was agreed that this would have to be looked at by the SDO's before the exchange took place.

CP noted that the number of chartership candidates in M25 institutions is much larger than just those who attend the chartership series.

The group agreed to reassess our publicity for the scheme in the light of registrations between now and Christmas in the new year. The M25 meeting in January would be a good opportunity for a reminder.

4. M25 Consortium Report:
JY reported that M25 have decided that some of the M25 groups have reached the end of their life. In the resulting re-evaluation, it was highlighted that in the future cpd25 should be responsible for organising all exchange of experience events.

cpd25 continues to be well received by the consortium and was described as M25's 'flagship service'. cpd25's internal structure is also seen to be working well. In the future there is the possibility of extra administrative support from the M25 administrator to even the load on cpd25's administrator.

The procedure for selecting a new chair for cpd25 has also been discussed. It will be recommended that the procedure is more formal than for other M25 groups, and will involve an invitation for submissions of interest from which a chair will be chosen. The next chair is likely to be given a fixed term.

5. 2005/6 review:
A breakdown of statistics was presented to the group. It outlined the number of people attending events by each task group, and a list of participating intuitions to cpd25 events.
CP expressed the difficulty in Task group members planning events for the Autumn term. The group agreed this was difficult for everyone, but also that this is an important time of year for some events to take place. DP feels that visits should be scheduled for this time as they are easier to prepare and will help balance the programme out as much as possible.

DP to circulate a list of institutions without the LMN events included.

Legal Compliance Group Remit:
The exchange of experience sessions previously covered by M25 will now fall under this group. It was also discussed how to include more explicitly disability awareness. CL to discuss the wording of the remit at the next task group meeting.

WebCT for cpd25:
CP introduced the idea of cpd25 using WebCT or a similar technology as an extra teaching aid. The group held a brief discussion but felt that the time and resources required to set up such a scheme would be prohibitive.

Finance:
DP confident that our accounts are completely up-to-date and representative. The surplus was disclosed, and it was agreed that we should continue to use the surplus money on the staff development programme.
The summer conference had been a successful example of how to invest the money into the programme, and could be repeated this year.
CP asked about equipment costs. DP assured the group that the only investment we have is the laptop, which would be easily replaced should it be lost or damaged. Most of our resources are still owned by University of Westminster, therefore there should be no unexpected replacement costs in the future.
LMN finance will continue at the same level as before.

6. 2006/7 Plans:
International Event:
The theme for this potential event was discussed. Customer Services Issues emerged as a possibility, with a range of speakers possibly including a high profile student / recent student from the NUS / similar to speak.

IFLA:
cpd25 will fund at least one place on the IFLA satellite, dependent on the quality of the applications received. DP to investigate timings of the previous competition.

Survey:
The staff development survey from 2003/4 will be updated during 2007. It will be based upon the previous survey and developed on the basis of the most recent survey by Ian Smith in Australia.
Val Straw should be available to assist again, and we would be able to pay someone to do the statistical analysis.
The survey would be easiest to undertake over the summer months.

Task Group Reports:
TG1: David reported good progress on all events. In terms of membership, the group could benefit from a new member, of around senior library assistant level.
JY to contact South Bank about Ruth Moore and a possible South Bank representative.

TG2: Caroline reported planning well underway on their programme. Again, they could take another member if an appropriate volunteer arises. Nick Hollis from Reading has found it difficult to make meetings and may resign from the group if he can't get to the next one.

TG3: CP submitted a written report to the group. This group has recently lost Rose Coughlan, and will need a replacement for her.

TG4: Judith reported that all events planning is underway, and that the numbers in the group are fine. The first event in the managers programme, on the Toolkit of Coaching skills, has been postponed due to lack of interest. The group agreed that the timing of the event is the likely cause, and the group will try and reschedule for later in the year.

TG5: JS reported on the one-day conference planned for 23 April - The library in the learning environment: using new technologies to enhance the student experience". Jean Sykes has agreed to introduce the day and Paul Miller, Talis, to give the final presentation on future possibilities. Topics for specialised sessions, from which delegates can choose, were discussed.

Next Meeting:
David has offered IALS as a venue.
Dave to arrange a date via email.

Lunch then taken:
JY Reported an expression of interest from Larian Consultancy in running a day of one-to-one sessions. Larian would not charge us a cancellation fee if we did not receive any demand for the sessions. The group agreed this would be an interesting avenue for cpd25 to pursue.
JY to respond to Larian positively about arranging a session for later in the academic year.

DP 26/10/06