UK Higher Education Libraries Research Articles

Pandemic pedagogies: reflections on pedagogical approaches to art and design librarianship during a pandemic

The covid-19 pandemic instigated a rapid digital shift in UK higher education libraries, changing the way teaching was delivered. The digital shift of the pandemic meant library teaching was reimagined for online delivery, however pedagogical principles were challenged by new ways of working. How can a pedagogical approach for art and design librarianship adapt to online delivery when grounded in embodied, material and sensory experiences? Taking a reflective approach which brings together personal experience with discussion of selected literature, this article explores how pedagogical approaches to art and design librarianship have been continually reshaped by the pandemic.

Collection development in UK university libraries

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to highlight collection development activity in UK higher education libraries and to place it within both a conceptual and strategic context.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses a theoretical approach to collection development and content strategy derived from literary theory to contextualise debates. It uses current examples from collection management within UK academic libraries.FindingsThis paper suggests that collection development is not exclusively a library practitioner activity but needs to be considered within a wider context that takes account of multiple strands of collection selection and management. Collection development cannot be considered in isolation but alongside collection management and in relation to content strategy.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper includes consideration of the topic of collection development that is influenced by other disciplines, notably literary theory. This suggests that research in library science should include input from other disciplines.Practical implicationsThis paper includes implications for content development within academic libraries that suggest that a re-focus at the strategic level of content is required.Originality/valueThis paper introduces a conceptual register to collection development outside of traditional library science models and posits a move to strategy.

Engaging international students in academic and information literacy

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to discuss a collaborative initiative between a module leader, librarian and academic skills tutor to support information and academic literacy skills development of a group of international students from a partner college in Malaysia during their three-month study visit to Sheffield Hallam University.Design/methodology/approach– The paper explores the transferability of active learning and teaching techniques used with second-year home students to a cohort of final-year international students. It discusses the development, implementation and assessment of learning workshop activities and the use of mobile phones in the classroom to enhance student engagement.Findings– The embedded active learning and teaching techniques used with second-year home students transferred well to the international student cohort. At the end of the module, international student feedback and reference list analysis suggests that the embedding of both information and academic literacy skills within modules does support student development of these skills. Mobile technology proved both enjoyable and engaging for the students.Originality/value– The paper’s findings are transferable to other international student cohorts in UK higher education libraries and suggest ways of engaging students in information and academic skills workshops and supporting their skills development to achieve academic success.

The Impact of RDS on Usage of Electronic Content in UK Academic Libraries: Selected Results from a UKSG-Funded Project

Resource discovery services (RDS), also called web-scale discovery services (WDS), have attracted considerable attention in recent years. This article aims to provide an environmental scan of the adoption of RDS in UK higher education libraries and provide an analysis of RDS resource usage data to gauge whether RDS have an impact on the overall usage of ejournals and ebooks. Findings show that there appears to be a positive impact in most cases, although the extent of this impact varies across libraries and publishers. There is undeniably a degree of complexity in the usage analysis owing to the multidimensional nature of the environment.

Open source, open minds?

Purpose – This paper aims to report a small-scale study that investigated attitudes to open source library management systems (LMS)s in UK higher education libraries. The study sought to establish why the sector has been slow to adopt this technology, and how attitudes towards it in UK universities might change in the future. Design/methodology/approach – A quantitative online questionnaire was sent to all 181 libraries within the UK higher education sector and received a response rate of 46.4 per cent. The questionnaire was followed by qualitative telephone interviews with five selected professionals. Findings – UK higher education libraries rely on peer feedback when choosing a LMS. With limited experience and a need for strong commercial support given uncertainty about staffing in the present financial climate, HE librarians are reluctant to choose open source LMSs. Participants also demonstrated a lack of motivation to change from current LMSs, suggesting limited adoption of alternatives in the near f...

‘The Engagement is Announced …’: Collaborative Ventures between the British Library and the Higher Education Sector

Following the appointment of Lynne Brindley as Chief Executive of the British Library – the first professionally-qualified librarian to lead that institution – a new spirit of collaboration between the BL and UK Higher Education libraries was to emerge. This article identifies the factors that led to an environment in which innovative strategic partnerships between the two sectors could bear fruit, and it describes and assesses two significant collaborative ventures, EThOS, an online, electronic thesis service delivered by the BL on behalf of HE under a shared service arrangement, and the UK Research Reserve (UKRR).

Looking to the future:

This paper looks at factors influencing the development of information literacy (IL) teaching within UK Higher Education (HE). It includes a review of recent literature on the current HE climate, curricula developments and the scope and breadth of IL. Using the experience at Leeds University Library as a case study, the paper outlines the development of a new strategy to deliver IL teaching and support to students. It describes the process of developing an academic skills strategy, which places IL within a broader range of academic skills, with the aim of contributing to the overall learning development of students. The case study describes the implementation of the strategy and the key stakeholders involved in this, including faculty team librarians , academic skills development officers and academic staff. The paper concludes that there were significant external and internal developments which had an impact on the direction taken by the strategy, specifically in embedding IL within an academic skills framework. In looking at the broad picture and by providing a case study from one of the few UK HE libraries to have progressed the academic skills agenda, it is hoped that the issues raised in the paper allow for reflection of the position of IL at the current time by all those involved in ensuring the acquisition of these skills by students.

Health and Safety in the United Kingdom Higher Education Libraries: A Review of the Literature

The focus of this article is to review the literature relating to health and safety in UK Higher Education libraries. This will include an overview of the literature on accident theories and also the human element. Various key findings emerge from this analysis. Personal safety is achieved through self-responsibility, following guidelines and having a working knowledge of reporting procedures. A safety culture in the work environment is developed through a proactive approach on the part of management, the provision of information, training, and carrying out safety inspections. These inspections are aimed at preventing the environment from creating a situation where an accident could occur. There can never be a work environment in which no accidents will occur and best practice can only minimize the risk of accidents.

The Journal Usage Statistics Portal (JUSP): delivering usage data through collaboration

The Journal Usage Statistics Portal (JUSP) provides a single point of access for UK higher education libraries to view, download and analyze their journal usage reports. In a period of economic constraint, and against a background of the increasing importance of the shared services agenda, this is a timely development. JUSP enhancement depends on a process of regular and ongoing com- munity consultation.This paper outlines the main features of the service, and describes how the team is working with libraries and publishers to establish a responsive and valu- able community resource.

UK higher education libraries and the role of JISC, the Joint Information Systems Committee

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to give a working librarian's view of the role of the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC), and make some suggestions about how effective it is from the perspective of practice with a view to justifying its role in terms of recent policies introduced by national government in the UK.Design/methodology/approachThe author sketches some of the broader government initiatives that affect this area and combines this sketch with commentary from the arena of information practice, in order to sum up the case for and against the value of JISC.FindingsIn balance, this paper finds the evidence for the beneficial impact of JISC's work to be quite compelling, but also argues that there is a lack of awareness of how strong this case is at practitioner level. At a time when all public services are under strong financially led scrutiny, this lack of appreciation at practitioner level is of some concern.Research limitations/implicationsThis is a brief and selective account of one particular sphere of JISC's workings. In order to make the case more effectively, a broader investigation could be carried out, but with the requirement that the findings should be focussed on practical outcomes and benefits that are well understood by information professionals working in everyday library and information environments.Practical implicationsThis account tries to make clear in straightforward and practical terms what the larger specific benefits of introducing federated access into the UK university community have been.Originality/valueThis paper gives a double viewpoint on its topic, combining a high‐level view of national information management issues from the government perspective, with a practice‐led view of the same issues.

A survey of copyright advice and guidance in UK higher education libraries

The results of a questionnaire sent out to members of the lis-copyseek discussion group in Summer, 2003 to assess who currently provides copyright advice in UK higher Education libraries and what concerns these people have. There is a clear feeling that not all the answers given are correct, even though many queries are rated as quite easy. Queries arrive from a variety of sources. There is a need for continued short courses to keep copyright advisors up to date, but lis-copyseek itself is considered by far the most helpful source of information.

Access of Digitized Print Originals in U.S. and U.K. Higher Education Libraries Combined with Print Circulation Indicates Increased Usage of Traditional Forms of Reading Materials

A Review of:
 Joint, Nicholas. “Is Digitisation the New Circulation?: Borrowing Trends, Digitisation and the nature of reading in US and UK Libraries.” Library Review 57.2 (2008): 87-95.
 
 Objective – To discern the statistical accuracy of reports that print circulation is in decline in libraries, particularly higher education libraries in the United States (U.S.) and United Kingdom (U.K.), and to determine if circulation patterns reflect a changing dynamic in patron reading habits.
 
 Design – Comparative statistical analysis. 
 
 Setting – Library circulation statistics from as early as 1982 to as recent as 2006, culled from various sources with specific references to statistics gathered by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the Library and Information Statistics Unit (LISU), the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), and the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL).
 
 Subjects – Higher education institutions in the United States and United Kingdom, along with public libraries to a lesser extent.
 
 Methods – This study consists of an analysis of print circulation statistics in public and higher education libraries in the U.S. and U.K., combined with data on multimedia circulation in public libraries and instances of digital access in university libraries. Specifically, NEA statistics provided data on print readership levels in the U.S. from 1982 to 2002; LISU statistics were analyzed for circulation figures and gate counts in U.K. public libraries; ARL statistics from 1996 to 2006 provided circulation data for large North American research libraries; NCES statistics from 1990 to 2004 contributed data on circulation in “tertiary level” U.S. higher education libraries; and ACRL statistics were analyzed for more circulation numbers for U.S. post-secondary education libraries. The study further includes data on U.K. trends in print readership and circulation in U.K. higher education libraries, and trends in U.S. public library circulation of non-print materials. 
 
 Main Results – Analysis of the data indicates that print circulation is down in U.S. and U.K. public libraries and in ARL-member libraries, while it is up in the non-ARL higher education libraries represented and in UK higher education libraries. However, audio book circulation in U.S. public libraries supplements print circulation to the point where overall circulation of book materials is increasing, and the access of digital literature supplements print circulation in ARL-member libraries (although the statistics are difficult to measure and meld with print circulation statistics). Essentially, the circulation of book material is increasing in most institutions when all formats are considered. According to the author, library patrons are reading more than ever; the materials patrons are accessing are traditional in content regardless of the means by which the materials are accessed.
 
 Conclusion – The author contends that print circulation is in decline only where digitization efforts are extensive, such as in ARL-member libraries; when digital content is factored into the equation the access of book-type materials is up in most libraries. The author speculates that whether library patrons use print or digital materials, the content of those materials is largely traditional in nature, thereby resulting in the act of “literary” reading remaining a focal point of library usage. Modes of reading and learning have not changed, at least insofar as these things may be inferred from studying circulation statistics. The author asserts that digital access is favourable to patrons and that libraries should attempt to follow the ARL model of engaging in large-scale digitization projects in order to provide better service to their patrons; the author goes on to argue that U.K. institutions with comparable funding to ARLs will have greater success in this endeavour if U.K. copyright laws are relaxed.

Acquiring E-Books for academic libraries

This paper outlines the recent work of the UK’s Joint Information Systems Committee ( JISC) in the area of e-books. The JISC Collections Team is responsible for negotiating deals with publishers and aggregators of e-content for all UK higher education libraries - some 180 in total. In other words it acts as a national consortium for the UK academic community, although it should be noted that all deals are negotiated on an ‘opt-in’ basis. The JISC Collections Team is advised by a series of format-based working groups - comprising senior academic librarians and library practitioners - including the E-Books Working Group, the Journals Working Group and the Moving Images Working Group. Recently the working groups have formulated vision statements to help inform both their own activities and the education community as a whole. The vision for e-books in UK education is as follows: “The UK education community will have access to quality e-book content that is of high relevance to teaching, learning and research across the broadest range of subject areas. Flexible business and licensing models will support a diversity of needs, allowing users to do what they want when they want and how they want for education purposes. All e-books will be easily discoverable and consistent standards will allow all content to be fully integrated into library, learning and research environments.”

Cataloguing e‐books in UK higher education libraries: report of a survey

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss the results of a 2006 survey of UK Higher Education OPACs in order to provide a snapshot of cataloguing practices for e‐books.Design/methodology/approachThe OPACs of 30 UK HE libraries were examined in July/August 2006 to determine which e‐books were catalogued, and the level of cataloguing treatment e‐books received. Interviews were conducted by e‐mail with representatives of eight of these libraries.FindingsA total of 28 universities surveyed provided some OPAC records for e‐books; most of these were for subscription collections from suppliers such as ebrary and netLibrary. Five universities included records in their OPACs for individual e‐book titles from collections such as Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO); four OPACs included records for free e‐books. There are wide variations between institutions in terms of which e‐books are selected for cataloguing.Research limitations/implicationsThe survey was undertaken at a particular point in time (summer 2006) and was not exhaustive of all UK HE OPACs.Practical implicationsThis research suggests that it should be made easier for users to search OPACs for e‐books, and that libraries should provide more information on their websites about which e‐books are catalogued.Originality/valueThis paper addresses a gap in the UK literature on cataloguing e‐books.

Building on sand?

PurposeThis paper sets out to consider the importance of statistical measures for any study of the impact of electronic services and to describe how relevant statistics can be collected and analysed.Design/methodology/approachIt is based on the results of two complementary research projects at evidence base, the first, the e‐measures project, working with UK higher education libraries on establishing a set of national and local measures for electronic services, and the second, a study and analysis of usage statistics for four publisher deals within the NESLi2 initiative.FindingsThe e‐measures project has demonstrated some of the issues involved in the collection of reliable usage statistics, while the NESLi2 study has developed a framework for analysis which can be applied more widely. The successful introduction of COUNTER compliance has created a more reliable statistical basis for this analysis.Research limitations/implicationsThe NESLi2 study covered only a limited time period (January 2003‐June 2004) and its findings remain confidential. The study is now being extended to cover the whole of 2004 and it is hoped that agreement will then be obtained to publish some of the major findings.Practical implicationsThe NESLi2 report contains a number of recommendations that are designed to help higher education libraries with the management and analysis of statistical measures. These, and other initiatives, are discussed.Originality/valueThe paper is of interest particularly to higher education libraries that wish to gain a more accurate picture of their use of electronic services. The methods of analysis described will also be relevant to other types of library.

LAMDA: an example of a resource‐sharing document delivery service in UK Higher Education libraries

PurposeAims to describe the development of the LAMDA service, from its inception as an eLib project in 1995 to its current status as a commercial service.Design/methodology/approachDescriptions of the staff structure, turnaround times, equipment and software and the LAMDA Union list are all included.FindingsAttention is drawn to LAMDA's influence on subsequent projects such as Docusend and SUNCAT.Originality/valueThe article concludes that the steep rise in electronic journal subscriptions in academic libraries has been a major factor in reducing the number of LAMDA transactions made in recent years.

E‐measures: developing statistical measures for electronic information services

Purpose. Describes the work of the e‐measures project, which aims to produce a set of statistics for measuring electronic information services in UK higher education libraries, to be used nationally as part of the Annual Library Statistics produced by the Society of College, National and University Libraries (SCONUL) and locally for library decision making and user support. Design/methodology/approach. A group of 25 higher education libraries are piloting a range of 21 e‐measures covering holdings, usage and costs of electronic services. Data collected over a four‐month period in phase 1 are currently being analysed and a review of issues raised will inform case studies planned for phase 2. Findings. Issues raised by phase 1 of the project are presented here. Reports from pilot libraries illustrate both the importance of the work being undertaken and its complexity. Research limitations/implications. The project has highlighted the issues involved in the collection of data for measuring use of electronic information services and drawn attention to the difficulties in getting reliable, consistent data. Practical implications. After testing by the pilot libraries, selected e‐measures will be incorporated into the SCONUL Annual Library Statistics, to be collected on a regular basis by all SCONUL libraries. Libraries will also have a greater understanding of their use of electronic resources through the guidance and support provided by the project. Originality/value. This paper, in describing the results of phase 1 of the e‐measures project, increases awareness of the project and the understanding of the issues involved in collecting data for e‐measures.

The research support libraries programme access survey

Major holdings libraries within the UK higher education (HE) sector have until very recently received no compensation for the ‘burden’ imposed by visiting research‐active staff and students from other UK higher education institutions. The joint UK higher education funding bodies' Research Support Libraries Programme (RSLP) Access strand seeks to compensate the libraries for extra costs incurred in providing access and services for these ‘external researchers’. As there was no comprehensive and auditable data already available, RSLP commissioned the first large‐scale survey of the use made of UK higher education libraries by external researchers. Almost 5,000 research‐active staff and students were surveyed. The work was carried out between March and August 1999 and measured the number (and length, where appropriate) of in‐person, e‐mail, letter, fax and telephone contacts that researchers had with libraries other than those of their own institution. It also asked respondents to list the top five UK HE libraries in terms of importance for research in their discipline(s). The survey confirmed that there is very extensive use of libraries beyond those of the ‘home’ institution and provided the data on which the RSLP Access strand annual allocations for the academic years 1999–2000 to 2001–2002 were made.

Retrospective conversion of library catalogs in UK institutions of higher education: a quantitative analysis

As part of an investigation as to whether a national retrospective catalog conversion program is justified, presents a summary of the results of a survey of retrospective conversion programs in UK higher education libraries. The survey was conducted by the author in association with Philip Bryant of the University of Bath. Questionnaires were sent to 266 higher education libraries in the UK.

Retrospective conversion of library catalogues in UK institutions of higher education A quantitative analysis

As part of an investigation as to whether a national retrospective catalogue conversion programme is justified, presents a summary of the results of a survey of retrospective conversion programmes in UK higher education libraries. The survey was conducted by the author in association with Philip Bryant of the University of Bath. Questionnaires were sent to 266 higher education libraries in the UK.