cpd25 Group 5: User Resources and Services Group meeting

Room 417 of the Science Library in the DMS Watson Building, UCL

In attendance: Coral Black (Chair), Simon Collins, Claire Hackshall (Administrator), June Hedges, Grainne MacDermott, Craigie-Lee Paterson, Pat Simons, Jennifer Treherne, Antonella Yarnold. Apologies were received from Karen Drury who is currently on maternity leave.

1. Welcome and introductions

CB introduced herself to the group as the new Chair of Task Group 5 and welcomed everyone to the meeting.

2. Group remit – what is our focus?

The group discussed the current remit of the group and agreed that it was still applicable with no alterations or amendments needed.

3. Review of programme delivered during 2009/2010

CB asked the group for their views on how this year’s programme has gone in general before looking at the individual feedback for each event and visit. The main comment was that the group had lost a bit of focus and needed to be ‘re-invigorated’. CB also suggested that like Task Group 1, Task Group 5 should work in pairs on each event, rather than individually as done this year.  Each event was then discussed and reviewed:

3.1 Counter Cultures

SC and AY reported that this event went well and everyone had found it very useful. The speaker from John Moores University had been particularly well received with questions at the end of his session running 15 minutes over time. 

3.2 Information Skills

PS reported that this event was very well received.

3.3 Roving

PS reported that this event went well, with the afternoon session in particularly being very good due to the two external speakers for this.

3.4 OPACs

CLP reported that this event had been very interesting to organise and run on the day due to the conflicting demands of the different suppliers who gave presentations at this event. Attendees had found it very useful to compare the different suppliers altogether.

3.5 Visit To Reading University's Special Collections

JH reported that this visit had gone well.

4. Planning programme for 2010/2011

After discussion the group agreed to run the following events and visits:

Research Support event

JH and AY agreed to run a half-day event on this topic during December 2010. This would be particularly aimed at subject librarians.

Enquiry Handling Software event

PS and JH agreed to run an event (possibly a whole day) on this topic during March 2011. Both suppliers and actual users would be invited to speak at this.

Focus Groups and Survey Feedback event

PS and CB agreed to run an event on this topic during May 2011. This would cover areas such as measuring, interpreting and using data from focus groups and survey feedback.

Mash-Ups event

CLP and SC agreed to run a whole-day event on this topic at Goldsmiths during June 2011. The morning session would be a speaker and the afternoon would be a hands-on session.

Self-Service Reservations/Roving/RFID/Open Access

GM and CB agreed to run an event on the above topics for April 2011 (before Easter). The venue might possibly be the University of Sussex. They particularly hoped to get this event to examine the impact of the above on library assistants.

N.B. After the meeting CH checked her notes for Task Group 4 and noted that they hoped to arrange a visit to Sussex University on the subject of space usage next Summer. CH to give the details of this organiser to GM and CB to compare details.

Visit to Surrey

JT agreed to run a visit to Surrey University and ‘Splash’ on the themes of both refurbishment and helping students with information literacy and study skills for next Summer.

N.B. After the meeting CH checked her notes for Task Group 4 and noted that they also hoped to arrange a visit to Surrey University on the subject of space usage next Spring. CH to give the details of these organisers to JT to compare details.

The group also agreed to investigate the options for the following:

A process-fix visit to Goldsmiths

CLP agreed to investigate this, with a view to possibly running it before Christmas.

A visit on the theme of ‘Attracting and Dealing with the Public’

PS agreed to investigate a possible visit to a public library on the theme of how they attract and deal with members of the public.

A visit on refurbishing Special Collections at Kingston

SC agreed to investigate this.

5. Marketing of future events

CH gave an overview of how events and visits are marketed and emphasised that it was important to get the advertising for these to her as soon as the organiser was able to. One of group pointed out that it sometimes takes a while for the SDO’s to filter information onto their colleagues re new cpd25 events and visits so it is important that they get this information in good time. There was also some discussion around using other mailing lists which CB said that she would discuss at the next Steering Group meeting.

It was agreed that CB would receive the information for TG5 events from the organisers first of all and would then pass these onto CH for putting onto the cpd25 website.

6. AOB

CH was asked to make enquiries about possibly putting presentations from cpd25 events onto the cpd25 website for everyone to view.

7. Date of Next Meeting

It was agreed that this would take place in October with a starting time of no earlier than 11am, so that cheaper off-peak train tickets can be bought where necessary. CB suggested that the annual task group lunch could also be held before/after this meeting.