THE exact number of institutions that have rejected recently-negotiated ‘read and publish’ deals with the five biggest academic publishers has not been made public, but we do know the identity of some of those that have chosen not to sign up.

"Universities are not keen to be outliers to their peer cohorts, which makes moving independently on some issues difficult. One of these areas is provision of journals. – David Prosser"

Some have rejected deals negotiated with Springer Nature, Wiley, Sage and Taylor & Francis, but most of the attention has been on the 10 universities that are known to have rejected the deal from Elsevier, the biggest academic publisher.

These are Essex, Kent, Lancaster, London South Bank, Sheffield, Sheffield Hallam, Surrey, Sussex, Swansea and York. All of them have research departments, four of them – Lancaster, York, Sheffield, and Sussex – are members of Research Libraries UK (RLUK). Together they have been described as the “squeezed middle” – smaller research universities that are both teaching-focused and research-intensive.

David Prosser, executive director of Research Libraries UK (RLUK), says: “The primary driver for most institutions has been the financial situation” and that most universities who could afford the deals were signing up to them.

the attention given to the rejections, David believes they are not yet at a level to change or accelerate the current, ongoing shift to open access. He says: “There are no quick fixes. The vision is the continued shift towards open access. The vision is that there are some new models coming through. It’s just doing it very, very slowly. And for somebody who’s been an open access advocate for a long, long time that’s very frustrating.”

He adds: “Universities are not keen to be outliers to their peer cohorts which makes moving independently on some issues difficult. One of these areas is provision of journals. And that’s why it’s taken this financial crisis to actually make the shift.”

But turning this 10-strong rejection into something meaningful is what he hopes will happen. “I think people are looking at whether they can turn this from just being a purely financial decision into something that has wider benefits.”

Sheffield, York and Surrey, which dropped the Elsevier read and publish deals last year, have already demonstrated that it is possible, according to David – but the question remains “how to build on that?”

Whether they are using sector buying power to negotiate big deals or collaborating outside of these big deals, the challenge for independent institutions is how to find common goals and build enough trust to pursue them. David is sceptical about a top-down approach to steering universities toward particular content buying models. For a start RLUK is a membership body and David says: “We could never say to our members ‘you must cancel Elsevier and you must subscribe to these journals’. But we are able to facilitate the types of conversations needed, work through the practicalities and provide a framework through which it would happen.”

Get the latest news on all of CILIP's campaigns and projects, sign up to the fortnightly CILIP newsletter.

The webinar covers the adoption of open science and some interesting investigations into using AI to write lay summaries and media releases from academic research, with some controversial and insightful outcomes.

This Webinar is featured on the AI Hub

Over the past 30 years we have seen major developments in scholarly communication through the adoption and championing of Open Science (OS). The adoption and exploitation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a revolution that is only just beginning.

This session discusses firstly some achievements of Open Science in terms of support for research, and secondly the possible future impact of Artificial Intelligence

This session will provide:

• A greater awareness of the achievements of Open Science
• A greater awareness of the possible impact of Artificial Intelligence on research
• A greater awareness of their impact on the information profession

Artificial Intelligence (AI) represents risk, uncertainty, hope, and opportunity in our profession, and we are launching the AI survey to uncover where we stand on this new technology as library and information professionals.

The Survey is featured on the AI Hub and builds on the 2019 report The impact of AI, machine learning, automation and robotics on the information profession.

The survey is a collaboration between the University of Sheffield and CILIP, and aims to gain a sector-wide perspective on the biggest questions in AI right now, to better understand how to use and integrate this new technology:

1. Will AI take away jobs?
2. Is AI all hype and no substance – or somewhere in between?
3. Will AI create new opportunities and what could they be?
4. What is the top priority for AI right now in libraries?
5. Is my service ahead or behind the curve with AI adoption?
6. Is it time to create an AI policy for my organisation?
7. What do we as a sector need most to move forward in a world with AI?
8. How do we ensure AI is used ethically?

These are big questions, and we are inviting all sector professionals to submit their views and experiences from policy, to application, to emerging trends.

Using the results of the survey, CILIP and the University of Sheffield will produce an open-access report to gain a clearer understanding of where we stand as a sector and as individual professionals in terms of AI adoption, use, and attitudes in the libraries and information profession.

Andrew Cox, Senior Lecturer at the University of Sheffield, who will be producing the report, said:

"The fact is that generative AI, at least realised by Big Tech companies, is riven through with informational and ethical problems: such as inaccuracy, hallucination and bias. In educational contexts they create problems of unfair means, technology dependence and inequitable access.

"They pose significant issues of sustainability and environmental impact. Raising awareness of these issues is an important part of our role in promoting data, algorithmic and AI literacy (as discussed in the 2021 report)."

"Learning from others in your sector is one of the best ways for the profession to stay relevant. Not all professions are so good at sharing good practice. That is our collective strength."

Add your voice and experience and fill in the survey today.

The survey combines a mixture of qualitative and quantitative questions to allow you to expand on your answers and share your opinions on AI adoption.

The libraries and information sector has a highly experienced and predominantly female workforce, with 40 per cent of staff having more than 20 years of work experience, according to data gathered for the Workforce Mapping 2023 survey.

Funding for the survey was provided by organisations from the UK Information Workforce Data Consortium, which suppors the sector with accurate and comprehensive data to create growth and new opportunities for employers and library service providers.

The report comes out at a period of great change, disruption and rapid technological advancement in the sector which also includes records management, information management, data protection and knowledge management disciplines.

Key findings of the 2023 mapping report, which was commissioned by the Consortium from research specialists Kinetiq and the Local Government Association, include:

• A predominantly female workforce - women comprise 75% of respondents
• A highly experienced workforce - 40% have more than 20 years professional experience
• Significant pay disparity - 30% earn less than £22k p.a., 20% earn more than £40k p.a.
• Extensive insights into employee satisfaction in the workforce
• Evidence relating to Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and pay equality

Over the coming weeks and months the consortium members will be responding in detail to the findings of the Workforce Mapping Survey from the perspective of their organisations.

Responding to the announcement, CILIP CEO Nick Poole commented

“For the first time, the UK Information Workforce Data Consortium has brought organisations together from across the world of libraries, information, knowledge management, archives and records management to co-fund and lead this important survey.

"The findings are significant, and will inform both our collective work as a Consortium and our individual leadership role as organisations. We aim to maintain and grow this activity in the years to come, helping to ensure that the information professions can plan for the future based on robust evidence.”

John Chambers, Chief Executive of the Archives and Records Association (UK and Ireland) noted:

“As one of the co-convenors of the consortium alongside CILIP we thought it was vital to relook at workforce data post COVID-19 to understand the new landscape of work in our sector. There are many things in the initial findings which reinforce what we already knew anecdotally. We plan to examine the granular detail of the data more closely to see what actions we can take to improve on some of the areas highlighted as deficient – diversity being the most obvious example.”

This new 2023 survey builds on the previous workforce mapping published in 2015 by CILIP and ARA and lays the groundwork for future Workforce Mapping surveys co-funded by the consortium.

Download the full report

The UK Information Workforce Data Consortium consists of:

• Archive & Records Association (ARA)
• CILIP, The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals
• Culture Division of the Welsh Government (MALD).
• Historic Environment Scotland
• Information & Records Management Society (IRMS)
• Libraries Connected
• NHS England
• Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC)
• The National Archives (TNA)

CILIP, the library and information association, launched a new accreditation scheme for short and modular courses in 2020. The latest course to be awarded this accreditation is the new micro-credentials programme 'An Introduction to Information Management’ offered by the University of Glasgow.

This is a 10 week course delivered entirely on-line. New content is released on a weekly basis, including 1 hour of pre-recorded content, exercises, quizzes, and reading. These micro-credential courses are designed to allow learners to upskill and develop their career and provide a springboard onto further study: worth 5 or 10 credits.

Upskilling through micro-credentials is a great way to continue professional development with flexibility at any location while gaining and developing industry-relevant skills and knowledge. Each course is assessed through a range of innovative, Industry-relevant activities and meets the quality standards set by the Common Micro-credential Framework (CMF)

The Short Course Accreditation helps both Learning and Development providers and independent learners by offering the same quality guarantee that full CILIP Accreditation offers to degree-level courses. Employers and individuals can book quality training to enhance skills with confidence.

Helen Berry, CILIP’s Workforce Development Manager said “We know that CILIP accreditation stands for quality. By choosing a CILP accredited course, learners can feel confident that the content is high quality and has been tested against the professional standard by an independent assessor. The CILIP accreditation certifies quality learning and delivery as well as relevance to the employment market.

Our Short Course Accreditation offers the same quality guarantee to shorter courses which don’t lead to a formal qualification. This includes modular courses, day courses and online courses within the Library, Knowledge or Information field.”

Independent assessor, Ann Hindson, commented that “the University of Glasgow’s Introduction to Information Management micro-credentials, is an excellent example of a skills based short course. The learning content is varied and well-paced. The structure of the course allows candidates to build their knowledge incrementally and then demonstrate their learning through a more significant assessment at the end of the course. The final assessment allows students to combine their vocational knowledge with learning from this course and to consider how theory relates to practice in a recognisable scenario.”

Senior University Lecturer Adele Redhead has highlighted that “It was wonderful to have the opportunity to create this course to be part of the University of Glasgow’s Microcredentials portfolio. It has been developed to equip learners with in-demand professional skills and insights and provide a springboard onto further study. It is a great way for learners to continue professional development with flexibility at any location while gaining and developing industry-relevant skills and knowledge.”

About CILIP Short Course Accreditation

CILIP Short course accreditation was launched in 2020.

Accredited Short Courses are recommend for L&D professionals booking training for their organisations and independent learners looking to enhance their skills. All CILIP Accredited Short Courses are independently assessed every three years to ensure they meet the following criteria:

• Relevance of the course to the professional standard (CILIP’s Professional Knowledge and Skills Base)
• The learning provider is providing a high-quality learning experience
• The learning provider engages with employers to ensure that programmes are relevant
• Staff and trainers are up to date with current professional practice
• Learners are encouraged to engage with their professional body CILIP

CILIP Short Course Accreditation

About the University of Glasgow

The University of Glasgow’s areas of specialty are museums and archives, libraries, information and records management, and digital humanities. The University’s rich environment of practice-based teaching and research is immersed in heritage and provides first-hand experience in ways that knowledge has been created, used, communicated and preserved from the past to the digital age.

University of Glasgow

By Tom Shaw, Associate Director: Digital Innovation and Research Service, Lancaster University Library .

March 2022

JUST as libraries are really about people rather than books, managing and growing relationships with stakeholders is essential for any library.

"IT governance and risk management can seem frustrating, but working with them transparently is essential."

If you have positive relationships, handling challenges and embracing new opportunities becomes far easier. A key relationship for almost any library is with their organisation’s IT department. Given how central technology is for libraries, it would be a rare library that never needed any form of external IT function.

At Lancaster University we are fortunate to have a small Digital Innovation team with advanced technical skills in the Library, and we also work very closely with the University’s IT department. This allows us to lead an ambitious digital agenda for the Library, including our own system development. However, most libraries, including most I’ve worked in, don’t have this and are reliant on the IT department for technical functions. Nonetheless, whatever the situation is in your library, there are many things that I’ve found valuable and which you might also find useful to get the best out of your relationship with IT.

More in common

Firstly, remember that libraries and IT have far more in common than might appear, and the intertwined roots of computer science and library science go back a long way. Libraries and IT both provide services to a community of users, yet we’re both at our best when we go beyond providing just a service and develop partnerships beyond our own departments. It helps to think of IT as being our natural partners, particularly since the line between what is ‘library’ and what is ‘IT’ is increasingly blurred and likely to become more so.

Don’t just contact IT when you need something from them. Think about who you need to work with or who youfeel a connection with. Invite them for coffee and suggest scheduling a regular catch-up. This isn’t just forsenior managers. If your main contact with IT is with the service desk, get to know them and make them your new best friends! Think about your IT colleagues as unique individuals rather than a faceless department, and take time to learn about what resonates with them. It’s not always easy, as they might not recognise the value in relationships or feel too busy to engage. But don’t give up! Relationships are often an incremental slow build.

Learn to speak their language and reflect their terminology back to them. I’ve found this a powerful way ofconveying understanding, that has really helped to win people round. And if you don’t already feel confident, spend some time developing baseline IT knowledge. You don’t need to learn to write code (although you should absolutely do so if you want to!), but ensure you understand key concepts such as the difference between cloud and on premise hosting, or what a VM or API is.

Digitally advanced

IT colleagues may not fully appreciate how digitally advanced libraries are, so we should invite them into our world. Include them in meetings and invite them to anything that has a technical component. They can play a vital role as a ‘critical friend’. Our Library Digital Transformation Group at Lancaster includes a senior member of IT, which brings fresh thinking, better join-up with IT and demonstrates our commitment to be collaborative. And given that we have technical staff inthe library, this helps to showcase their unique roles and counters perceptions that they are just an ‘IT department in the Library’.

Understand their priorities and challenges, particularly issues such as cyber security. IT governance and risk management can seem frustrating, but working with them transparently is essential. At Lancaster, the Library is part of the IT department’s risk management structure, ensuring our technical risks are managed alongside all other IT risks. It’s also helpful to reflect on the culture of the IT department. If it’s very risk averse, reassure them that governance and risk management have top priority, so that the library isn’t a worry for them. If the culture seems more innovative, look for opportunities to collaborate. At Lancaster, some of our most successful projects have been collaborations with IT. Rather than viewing something as a library initiative that needs IT support, consider whether you can pitch it as a joint library and IT initiative, where both departments share the kudos and the positive impact.

Finally, remember that developing relationships can be challenging. Recognise and celebrate what you achieve, no matter how small!

Interview by Rob Green, Editor, Information Professional

18 May 2022

As Higher Education looks at how to decolonise curricula, Regina Everitt and Jess Crilly – editors of Facet’s Narrative Expansions: Interpreting Decolonisation in Academic Libraries look at how decolonisation is being enacted in libraries in various contexts and places. In this Q&A they show how the picture is changing as the decolonisation movement continues to gain support, and ask how to make sure momentum is not lost.

Can you introduce yourself? Both professionally, and in terms of your role with Narrative Expansions: Interpreting Decolonisation in Academic Libraries?

RE: I am Regina Everitt, Assistant Chief Operating Officer (ACOO) (Service Excellence) and Director of Library, Archives and Learning Services (LALS) at University of East London. I have strategic leadership responsibility for delivering services that meet the learning, teaching and research needs of our institution, community and collaborative partner stakeholders. I am also lead for the cross-institution customer experience strategy. So, that’s the day job!

As one of four black or brown global ethnic majority (GEM) Directors and Assistant -Directors of academic libraries in the UK, that I am aware of, I am committed to developing more GEM staff to leadership positions in the HE sector to better represent the diverse stakeholders at our institutions. When I was appointed as Director, I was the only black or brown GEM that I was aware of, so four is a great improvement!

So, how does that link with Narrative Expansions? Well, in the introduction, we reference Keele University’s Manifesto for Decolonising the Curriculum to unpack the term ‘decolonisation’:

Decolonisation involves identifying colonial systems, structures and relationships, and working to challenge those systems. It is not ‘integration’ or simply the token inclusion of the intellectual achievements of non-white cultures. Rather, it involves a paradigm shift from a culture of exclusion and denial to the making of space for other political philosophies and knowledge systems. It’s a culture shift to think more widely about why common knowledge is what it is, and in so doing adjusting cultural perceptions and power relations in real and significant ways. – Keele University, 2018

So for me, GEM representation at leadership level is an integral and visible part of this paradigm shift toward broadening “cultural perceptions and power relations”.

JC: I am Jess Crilly, and I have worked most of my career in academic libraries: most recently I was Associate Director for Content and Discovery at University of the Arts London, responsible for the management of library and archive collections, and I retired in 2020. It was in that role that I really became interested in the significance of collections for our students and their sense of belonging in the institution, in critical librarianship and decolonisation. I wanted to understand the term decolonisation, as different from the familiar ‘diversity’ and the implications for change in the library and university. The focus on decolonisation has bought to light information that was previously absent from historical narratives1; the story of empire, slavery and colonialism wasn’t taught in history lessons or elsewhere, so like many people I have a lot to learn. The challenge for the library is what we do in response to these understandings from theory and history, recognising the impact of coloniality on knowledge production – so as to make a real difference.

Can you introduce Narrative Expansions.

Narrative Expansions includes perspectives from the UK, USA, Kenya and Canada. It explores the contexts and specific histories of colonisation and decolonisation, the resulting legacies and challenges for libraries. The first part of the book discusses experiences and impacts of legacy knowledge systems and pervasive whiteness, particularly in higher education from the perspectives of students and academic staff. In the second part of the book, theory and practice converge featuring case studies interpreting what it means to ‘decolonise’ in information literacy, collection and metadata management, inclusive spaces, LIS education, research methods and knowledge production through the lens of critical pedagogy, critical information literacy and Critical Race Theory (CRT). The book also addresses the impact and implications of the whiteness of university library staffing. The contributors bring a broad range of perspectives, as well as international focus; the authors are librarians, curators, anthropologists, lecturers in LIS and academic literacies, and there is also a broad interpretation of ‘academic’, with a case study from the British Library. The inclusion of the broader context that libraries operate in is really helpful, such as Sara Ewing’s chapter on decolonising research methodologies.

You talk about the movement to decolonise the university and the curriculum moving from the fringes to the mainstream – how is that manifesting itself?

RE: The movement to ‘decolonise the curriculum’ originated through student activism from the Rhodes Must Fall campaign at University of Capetown in 2015 and later at Oxford University through to the ‘Why is My Curriculum So White’ campaign at UCL in 2016. Hillary Gyebi-Ababio, the National Union of Students (NUS) Vice President for Higher Education, opens the main body of the book with her personal reflections about the definition of the term ‘decolonisation’ and speaks passionately about collective action with the NUS to reimagine education that ‘challenges racism, colonisation and imperialism’ and embraces ‘cultural, psychological and economic freedom’.

I would say that engagement with the movement by university staff members was at individual rather than institution-level. Individual staff members worked with students to understand what ‘decolonisation’ meant in practice and pedagogically. Those individual efforts evolved into the formation of working groups at many institutions, as discussed in the case studies in the book. Critical analysis of collections is the starting point for most library services. This analysis then progresses to metadata, procurement practices, spatial imagery, inclusive pedagogy, etc. And going back to the Keele University Manifesto, the critical analysis must also include the cultural representations and power dynamics within institutions. Is the leadership representative of the stakeholders: students, staff, local community?

JC: I have noticed the term decolonisation, and certainly decolonising work, coming into Teaching & Learning Strategies, the work of pedagogic experts in universities, in staff development, library strategies and policies2, as well as more recently into anti-racist strategies, so in that sense it is becoming more mainstream. Decolonising the curriculum is not a quick or trivial undertaking, and nor is decolonising work in libraries, whether this is being progressed as a result of individual initiatives and working groups or through more systematic approaches, is harder to know.

And where does Narrative Expansions fit into that picture?

RE: Narrative Expansions is a compilation of interpretations about ‘decolonisation’ in libraries and how these interpretations are put into practice within institutional contexts. The book is not meant to provide solutions, but to share current practice. It will be interesting to see how this practice evolves. The book was created during an interesting time in history: the Covid-19 pandemic, the Trump era, the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent global Black Lives Matter protests. When we review the essays and case studies in the book in a few years’ time, will we have the same convictions? Will the approaches taken be sustainable? Or will we simply move on to the next pressing issue?

And following on from that, Who is the book for? How and why should they use it? What are the benefits for an institution that moves to decolonise?

RE: The book will be of particular interest to LIS professionals who will be thinking critically about their practice and the audiences that they educate. However, for anyone seeking to understand what “decolonisation” means, it provides a range of interpretations in a single collection. Although the book will not and does not seek to provide definitive answers, it explains how others have approached the topic within their institutional or personal contexts. So, readers will take from the essays and case studies that which is relevant to them.

JC: I hope it’s also useful for LIS students. We are facing multiple and interrelated pandemics, of health, racism, and climate – and need multiple sources of knowledge, a plurality of narratives to try to understand and address them. There are also issues of knowledge justice, and who we recognise as a producer of knowledge, and who is excluded.

When you were editing the book, was there anything that particularly surprised you?

RE: There were no surprises to me, but I most enjoyed reading about the experiences of international colleagues. Rachel Chong and Ashley Edwards’ chapter discusses the process of reconciling with the colonial past of Canada and challenging its institutions, structures, and knowledge to acknowledge and include indigenous people and their culture. Syokau Mutonga and Angela Okune’s chapter discusses post-colonial Kenya’s reckoning with the colonial past, examining the inclination by some to ‘forget and move on’. And Angela Pashia’s chapter discusses the challenges of teaching information literacy in Trump-era America with the backdrop of misinformation and disinformation.

JC: Not surprising exactly, but I learned a great deal from the book – from all of the authors. The juxtaposition of case studies from the UK, the historic colonial metropole, alongside case studies of libraries in settler-colonial and post-colonial/ neo-colonial contexts is really interesting – revealing how these different contexts have led to both similar and different challenges for libraries. The work being undertaken by staff at the British Library, with its unique history and role, was also new to me. The case studies brought many interesting perspectives – in SOAS Library, a discussion of the issues around provenance of special collections and archives and the pros and cons of digital repatriation.

As we have said, support for decolonising the university and the curriculum is growing, but how do we make sure that the momentum is maintained?

RE: For those of us in HE, our students will hold us to account. They will, and must continue to demand to be seen and heard – to co-create their education. That challenge to the status quo is how change comes.

Also, it is our job as LIS professionals to educate our users to critically analyse information, question its origin and challenge its validity. So, we must ensure that they have access to multiple perspectives and sources from which to draw conclusions. Where our collections or services tell one story, we signpost users to other sources to get a rounded view. For me, the core of ‘decolonisation’ work is accessing stories from different perspectives.

JC: It’s also about who works in our libraries and archives, removing the barriers to entry into the profession, and recognising the negative experience of staff of colour, these experiences are described in the chapter by Ishaq and Hussain, along with recommendations for improvement. Briony Birdi’s chapter advocates the inclusion of content around decolonisation into the LIS curriculum and this is another way of ensuring that it remains on the agenda.

What challenges do you see to keeping this on the agenda and ensure long-lasting change?

RE: A major challenge is leaders having the bandwidth to keep driving change. Transitioning out of the pandemic. Rising operating costs. The Augar review. Student numbers. Global events impacting people, mobility, research and partnerships. Colleagues liken the balancing of priorities to a game of whack a mole; once you deal with one crisis, another one pops up! We must get to a place where respect, or at least tolerance for others’ culture, history, right to exist is endemic.

JC: The rapid adoption of a decolonising discourse does risk it being seen as a transient cause, and in the Introduction we discuss the risks and tensions of using the term, in summary – of decolonisation being used as a metaphor for various social justice aims as described by Tuck and Yang, and of being reduced to a buzzword. The idea of the library as a neutral space is effectively debunked, and that idea and its implications will persist whether it’s under the framework of critical librarianship, decolonisation, or ongoing institutional anti-racist and EDI initiatives. Librarians need time to think and unlearn/learn. Some problems seem if not ‘wicked problems’, then certainly logistically and philosophically challenging – the inherent bias of legacy classification schemes for example. The case studies describe realistic and strategic interventions for example in cataloguing and classification practices at the Scott Polar Research Institute and African Studies Libraries at Cambridge University. Strategies of acknowledgement and Critical Information Literacy are very effective and perhaps a way of understanding library users’ positions and priorities.

Libraries are also using their influence and purchasing power with publishers, aggregators, metadata suppliers who are recognising what libraries are trying to achieve3. Libraries have quite reasonably focussed on efficiency, but there is a tension between efficiency (of staff time, money, speed of delivery) and increasing the diversity of collections for example working with smaller suppliers may be more time consuming.

These challenges, of labelling and narrative construction, exist across the cultural sector and we can learn from each other. Change can come from clarity of vision and persistence, and the uptake of calls for cultural restitution of looted artefacts in the museum sector is an example of that. Despite the challenges we should be optimistic, and I really like the concept of hopeful practice described by Eades-Miller, Ramejkis and Duncan in their chapter on workshops with students at University of the Arts London.

Where does the university library fit into overcoming those challenges?

RE: We continue to educate our users to question and enable access to information to provide multiple perspectives. In our institutions, we ensure that our staff members are representative of the communities that they serve. To achieve this, we need to attract more GEMs into the profession and appoint more GEM leaders. We have been having the conversations about equity, diversity and inclusion in our institutions for years. Keep the conversations flowing but a bit more action, please.

JC: The western university is ‘a key site through which colonialism – and colonial knowledge in particular-is produced, consecrated, institutionalised and naturalised’. (Bhambra, Gebrial and Nisancioglu 2018) Libraries are clearly a part of that function of institutionalisation and naturalisation. They reflect the curriculum and research interests, what it is to study a particular discipline, past and present, but are also a pool of resources, expertise and relationships that enable the construction of new or silenced narratives, knowledge, and voices. Concepts such as epistemic coloniality are really pertinent to the library, and explain many legacy systems, resulting in a shift in understanding and perspective that is evidenced in practice in many ways – librarians working with course teams, with students, looking at reading lists, looking critically at the metadata they use; how the library works as a space. This activity is broader than supporting curriculum change and is happening in many types of library and archive, as evidenced in the book.

• Order your copy of Narrative Expansions: Interpreting Decolonisation in Academic Libraries – and don’t forget CILIP members get a 35 per cent discount on Facet titles.

References

Bhambra, G, Gebrial, D. and Nisancioglu, K. (2018) Decolonising the university. Pluto Press

Keele University (2018) Keele Manifesto for Decolonising the Curriculum

Rhodes Must Fall

Rhodes Must Fall Oxford

Tuck & Yang.(2012) Decolonisation is not a metaphor. Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society Vol 1, no.1 pp1-40 UCL Why is my curriculum white.

1. An example being the work of the Centre for the study of the Legacies of British Slavery.

2. An example is LSE Library Collections Policy

3. OCLC Reimagine descriptive workflows

If you want to explore this subject further there will be a session at CILIP Conference - Decolonisation 2.0 – lessons learned covering projects and programmes to decolonise the curriculum have been taking place across the UK for a few years. The session will look at what lessons have been learned from the first efforts to put this work into practice and how our experience of ‘Decolonisation 1.0’ can drive ‘Decolonisation 2.0’ and the work going forward.

By Rob Green, Editor, Information Professional

4 May 2022

CILIP Conference and Expo is taking place in Liverpool on 7 and 8 July, and here Rob Green speaks to keynote speaker Sayf Al Ashqar, Director of the Central Library at the University of Mosul, about how the library has literally risen from the ashes.

MOSUL is Iraq’s second largest city after Baghdad. Situated on the Tigris River, close to the northern border with Syria and Turkey, it has a population of some 1.6 million people. Settlements in the area can be traced back thousands of years, and it grew to be one of the most important cities in the region, coveted by dynasties over the ensuing centuries before becoming part of Iraq in 1918 at the end of First World War.

In 1932 Iraq gained its independence and was ruled by the Hashemite Monarchy, which lasted until 1958. Two decades of civilian and military rule followed, and it was during this period, in 1967, that the library was built – opening up new opportunities to support the university (which was founded in 1921) and education in the region.

In 1979 Saddam Hussain gained control of Iraq, and it was under his regime that a US-led coalition entered the country in a bid to unseat him as Iraq’s President. Despite US President George W. Bush claiming a military victory in 2004, Iraqi people faced continued attacks from insurgents in the country and instability in the region led to the creation of ISIS (The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria). This group was to lay siege to Mosul in 2014, and after six days of fighting it gained control of the city.

Around half a million people fled Mosul, but for those who could not escape Mosul became a brutal and unforgiving place.

Fighting began on 4 June, 2014 and by 10 June ISIS fighters had entered the city and they quickly tried to stamp their authority on the city. One of their first targets was the university and its library, which was looted and eventually burnt to the ground.

Library Director Sayf Al Ashqar says the attack on the library was a clear signal from ISIS – against freedoms and against education. He says: “I was aware that they would target everything that contradicts their terrorist thinking, and I was very shocked by their terrorism, they are inhumane.”

That inhumanity was felt first-hand by Sayf and his family when his father, an academic in Mosul, was murdered by ISIS fighters. The destruction of the library and cruelty of ISIS, was no surprise after losing a loved one at their hands.

Sayf says: “ISIS is a terrorist group that robbed people’s will, using false beliefs. Raped, killed, burned and destroyed society. In a difficult time, there was no one to support us, and we did not know that they would control the city so easily from 2014 to 2017 through their possession of weapons and the terrorist organisation.

“The terrorists killed my father, who was an academic, and destroyed my family's house, destroyed the university and burned the library.”

Despite the horrendous oppression and violence, some library staff did what they could to save the collection, as Sayf recalls: “Librarians and staff tried to prevent terrorists from stealing and burning books and resources, but the terrorists had weapons and were insulting everyone. Some content was saved by taking risks.”

ISIS waged violence against people, attacking institutions and those connected to them. Sayf, like hundreds of thousands of others from Mosul, was lucky enough to find a route out of the city.

He says: “When ISIS took control of Mosul, with difficulty I left Mosul for the city of Dohuk in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. As a civilian, I must use my intellectual and scientific knowledge to fight terrorism.”

To that end, “alternative locations were established for the University of Mosul, and I was working on a daily basis in the main alternative location of the university to provide services and to clarify our difficult situation to obtain support to fight terrorism.”

It is not hard to understand why Sayf wanted to carry on providing services, despite the fact that “life was very difficult”, when he explains why he wanted to become a librarian in the first place. He says he was inspired to join the profession by “knowledge, relationship, hope, learning, experience, sharing and understanding”.

In the same year as ISIS entered Mosul, the university library was able to deliver services from its temporary home.

“University of Mosul began providing its services by opening an alternative location in the Kurdistan region of Iraq during a short period of ISIS occupation of the city of Mosul in 2014,” Sayf explains. “To ensure continuity in the same year, the library restored its services through the alternative location.”

ISIS continued to hold Mosul until 2017, and in July of that year Iraqi troops declared victory following eight months of fighting to regain control of Mosul.

Sayf says that this moment marked the start of the library’s return to the city, although it would take many years before that dream came to fruition. Library staff continued to work at the temporary home in Kurdistan, but at the same time preparation for a return to Mosul were under way.

Staff and students returned to the university, but more than one million items had been lost or damaged during the occupation of Mosul. While library staff had done their best to save some of the collection, it was an impossible task to save them all.

Following the liberation of the city, the university library did its best to support students and academics, but without the resources it was not easy.

A campaign, the Mosul Book Bridge, was established to help restore some of the lost books. It brought together academics from Mosul and the UK who set about finding ways to rebuild stock. Book Aid UK also joined the campaign, helping to coordinate the donations of thousands of books and other resources back on the shelves.

Dr Alaa Hamdon, a lecturer at the University of Mosul, was the founding force behind the campaign and he was joined by Dr Caroline Sandes (International Council on Monuments and Sites, UK); Dr Alice König (Senior Lecturer in Classics, University of St Andrews, UK) and Ms Kate Walker (Education Consultant and PhD Candidate, University of Sheffield, UK). Over a five-year period, some 50,000 core texts were delivered to the library, thanks to donations and funds raised through the campaign.

In February of this year, the rebuilt library reopened, marking a dramatic change in fortunes for the library, as well as the city. Sayf says the re-opening demonstrated the commitment of his staff to their students, and the hard work that everyone put into the project of restoring services.

He adds that when the doors were finally opened, “I felt that who was right, won. Despite our sorrows and pains, we had hope, energy and commitment to the work that contributed to achieving victory.”

*Sayf Al Ashqar will be a keynote speaker at this year’s CILIP Conference and Expo, taking place at Exhibition Centre Liverpool on 7 and 8 July. Early bird tickets are available for those who book before 27 May.

By Rob Mackinlay, Senior Reporter, Information Professional

21 April 2022

Lancaster University Library’s immersion in technology has enabled it to work on cutting-edge, cross-campus IT projects.

In this Q&A, Thomas Shaw, Assistant Director for Digital Innovation and Research Services, explains and explores the potential and pitfalls of HE library technology.

What is your role at the university?

I oversee two key areas at Lancaster University Library: our use of digital technology, and our services that facilitate academic research. Having a portfolio that incorporates digital as a leading component allows us to be innovative and creative in the way we use technology, to be at the forefront of digital innovation across the sector and to maximise impact and value for our users. We have played a significant role in the leadership and ¬delivery of the university’s Lancaster Digital 2.0 strategy, and are a key partner in future strategic planning around digital, including in areas outside of the ‘traditional’ library sphere.

"Having a portfolio that incorporates digital as a leading component allows us to be innovative and creative in the way we use technology."

Key to our success is the ‘special relationship’ we have with Information Systems Services (ISS), the University’s IT department. We place top priority on managing and cultivating this relationship, working in a way which is as open and collaborative as possible.

We also benefit significantly from having a small Digital Innovation team embedded within the Library. This micro development team provide advanced technical skills at the heart of our library service. They have a deep understanding of the needs of our users, and work seamlessly with library staff from other teams to deliver technical services that maximise the value of our investment in library systems. The team are not merely an ‘IT department in the Library’ or a library systems team, but are a unique and customised resource, reflecting the seismic and revolutionary impact that technology has had on libraries over the past two decades.

Our approach to digital ensures that we are strategically engaged across the institution. This has provided opportunities for us to embrace the ‘service provider, partner, leader’ model, outlined in SCONUL’s 2017 report Mapping the future of academic libraries. Our digital services remain core and deliver significant value to our users, but we also increasingly work as partners with others across the institution, and in certain areas we lead the strategic direction and activity.

What LMS and other digital products do you already have?

The heart of our digital ecosystem is Ex Libris’s Alma, which delivers our core library functions. We use Ex Libris’s ¬Primo discovery layer and Leganto resource list system to power our OneSearch and Resource Lists services. Additionally, as an institution we use Ex Libris’s Campus M to power our university app, iLancaster. We are heavily reliant on Ex Libris, which some may perceive as being ‘in too deep’ with a single vendor, or having ‘all our eggs in one basket’. Although we are conscious of the risk of vendor lock-in, we see advantages here too: being a major customer makes us a greater stakeholder. We judge each requirement for a system on its merits, and the most appropriate product for us may not always be from Ex Libris. But we see value in being a significant customer, with the greater heft and influence that brings.

In addition to Ex Libris we are major users of SpringShare products, and rely increasingly on LibCal, LibAnswers, LibChat and LibGuides. These products were invaluable for responding to the pandemic. We rapidly introduced LibChat to allow users to live chat with library staff, which complemented our existing email enquiry services via LibAnswers, and allowed us to swiftly respond to the closure of the physical library space and the need to deliver services digitally.

Our Ex Libris and SpringShare products are integrated into a wider portfolio of services, and using Ex Libris’s APIs we have created an integrated digital ecosystem. We have developed digital services from scratch to plug into existing systems and fill niches and bespoke needs that off the shelf commercial products don’t meet. For instance, in 2019 we developed a content ordering system that integrates with Alma and other systems including the university’s user ¬management systems and the Copyright Licensing Agency’s Digital Content Store. This provides a single front door for all library users to request new content and an admin interface and workflow for content team staff to fulfill requests via the most appropriate and cost-effective route.

Could you give any examples of projects you are doing that show how you use library technology?

Our approach to digital has provided opportunities to work beyond the ¬traditional parameters of the Library. For instance, we were a major stakeholder in a project in 2018/19 to design Ask L.U., Lancaster University’s voice and chat service for students. Using Amazon’s Alexa technology, and accessible via an Amazon Echo smart speaker, smartphone or tablet, Ask L.U. allows students to access a wealth of university information using their voice. We were significant partners in this project in two ways:

• Providing expertise on using Amazon technologies, based on our experience of working with Amazon’s AWS cloud services.
• Designing and delivering integrations with library systems. For instance, students can use Ask L.U. to find out what books they have on loan or book a group study room in the library, via integrations with Alma and LibCal.

In other areas, we are working with stakeholders across the institution to lead an initiative to increase the value and impact of special collections and visual outputs from academic research. We have partnered with Cambridge University to develop and implement an instance of their Cambridge University Digital Library platform, which follows Manchester’s launch of Manchester Digital Collections in 2019. Our own Lancaster Digital Collections will host high quality images and multimedia content from our archives and special collections and from partnerships with others, including our academic researchers.

In other areas, we are working with stakeholders across the institution to lead an initiative to increase the value and impact of special collections and visual outputs from academic research. We have partnered with Cambridge University to develop and implement an instance of their Cambridge University Digital Library platform, which follows Manchester’s launch of Manchester Digital Collections in 2019. Our own Lancaster Digital Collections will host high quality images and multimedia content from our archives and special collections and from partnerships with others, including our academic researchers.

How are you managing and using data?

As a library we have developed plans to make greater use of the data held within our LMS and other sources to drive evidence-based decision making. We already use Alma Analytics reporting functionality, and through the recent formation of two new staff groups within the Library we will be expanding its use and maximising its value. As with many libraries, we have historically been very good at capturing data but perhaps less good at realising the latent value in the broad range of data sources and exploring how to use it to make better decisions.

We are also using technology to develop new data-driven services in Research Intelligence. Tools such as Scopus, SciVal and Altmetric have enabled us to help researchers explore the impact of their research through analysing citations and other activity around academic publications. We’re beginning to push this use of citation data further, via a current piece of work to explore the relationship between research grant income and publication and citation of research papers. And we have future plans to explore ways of automating much of this data reporting, ensuring that relevant users have access to data on tap at the point of need.

What is the biggest challenge for technology now?

The need for flexibility from vendors and their systems is critical. No single vendor will be able to provide everything a modern academic library service needs, and those needs change with increasing frequency. Interoperability with other systems, and the ability to reconfigure and adapt systems, is critically important:

• Ability to configure systems differently according to business needs. The business needs should power the design and configuration of the system, not the reverse. For instance, we have recently repurposed functionality in Alma to create pick lists for a book delivery service for students who are self-isolating. This type of flexibility will be increasingly important in meeting future needs for rapid service design.
• Access to APIs for bespoke development. The ability to build upon existing systems through data transfer to other systems and bespoke developments is increasingly important. For instance, our students are able to see information from Alma, such as loan information, in the student portal. This mirrors the approach taken by Gov.uk web services, where users don’t need to understand the organisational structure in order to access a service.

What are the next big challenges for the sector?

As the academic library landscape continues to change rapidly, it is essential that systems keep pace and can underpin these changes. In recent years, services within scholarly communications, particularly open access and research data management, have moved centre stage for libraries. And the development of transformative agreements driven by Plan S is creating closer synergy between open access workflows and content/subscription workflows. It is essential that vendors work with these changes, as Ex Libris has sought to do with the development of their Esploro platform. But the added presence of current research -information (CRIS) systems (e.g. Pure, Symplectic, Converis, Worktribe) introduces a future with potentially greater flux and competition, with both CRIS vendors and library system vendors increasingly operating within the same space.

Library systems will also need to encompass the library’s growing role as content creator and publisher. This is already well established from the perspective of institutional open access repositories, and has been accelerated by the open access requirements for REF 2021. But repositories are still relatively siloed from other library systems, and there is an opportunity for greater integration. Additionally, library systems will need to develop into areas such as research data, and support the growing needs of researchers to find, work with and cite datasets as well as publications. And academic libraries will increasingly need infrastructure to support institutional publishing and hosting of monographs, particularly given the likely requirements of UKRI’s forthcoming revised open access policy.

Conclusion: How do you see vendors helping?

Vendors need to appreciate that this is a varied landscape and not all libraries are identical. In many respects we are in a privileged position at Lancaster in having a great depth of technical expertise in house. Working in other institutions I’ve also experienced the challenge of having no technical staff resource within the library, and having to compete with a myriad of other priorities in the IT department. Vendors need to accommodate the ability for bespoke development by customers themselves, but also offer off the shelf, flexible, customisable solutions, configurable without in depth technical knowledge, for those who can’t undertake their own technical development. The pandemic has demonstrated the extent to which user and business needs can change instantaneously, and libraries (and the systems that underpin their services) need to be able to respond rapidly.

In addition, it is undoubtedly an understatement to say that current financial circumstances are challenging. Almost every library will be under significant pressure to save money. It would be a rare library that is able to abandon its LMS to save costs, so it remains a major overhead in terms of budgets. It is more important than ever for vendors to deliver fair and transparent pricing, including clarity about the rationale for any annual price increases. And vendors must ensure that their systems can facilitate the rapid and agile development of services demanded by the pandemic. It is crucial that every financial commitment pays its way and delivers impact and value.

Originally published in CILIP's Annual Directory 2021 Buyers' Guide.

Book your free place at CILIP's Supplier Showcase on 12 May in London.

The last five years have seen mounting evidence of the need for universities in the UK to increase their care for the mental health and well-being of their students. Matthew Lawson, Director, Library and Student Support at Middlesex University, talks to Rob Green about how the institution responded to mental health issues among students.

Nearly one in three UK university students professionally diagnosed with a mental health condition according to as this year’s annual National Student Survey run by the Office for Students. It also found that more than half of UK university and college students feel their mental wellbeing has not been supported enough this year.

The pandemic has clearly accelerated student mental health issues, and the consequences are highly troubling. The effects of Covid-19 have led to more than a fifth of students surveyed now taking medication for their mental health, and nearly a quarter now requiring mental health counselling or therapy. It is also very concerning that a fifth of students have found they are more likely to depend upon alcohol or recreational drugs, due to pandemic stress.

Matthew Lawson, Director, Library and Student Support at Middlesex University, says there has been a recognition in recent years of the importance of being able to support students. The pandemic has made matters worse for many students, and Matthew says: “There has definitely been an increase in students and staff mental health concerns over the past five years and that was before the added pressures brought by the pandemic. “Students are facing pressures that I certainly didn’t have when I was at university. The financial and social challenges that many of our students have to deal with can interfere with their capacity to focus on their studies. Mental health support has become an important part of student support services across the sector as we recognise the role of universities in the holistic development and equipping of students for life beyond higher education alongside the need for responsive and safe support.

Designated Safeguarding Officers (DSOs)

The university has understood the need for support networks to help students and staff who are suffering with mental health issues. A number of safeguarding officers are in place across the university and these staff members are able to coordinate and deliver support where and when it is needed.

Matthew said: “We are in the fortunate position at Middlesex of having a well-established approach to student safeguarding. This includes a network of Designated Safeguarding Officers (DSOs) comprising volunteers from across the services and faculties, including several from Library and Student Support (LSS). This has helped to provide a consistent approach to dealing with complex cases and also to embed understanding of the issues across the university.”

That network of support has been expanded as a result of Covid and its impact – not only on mental health, but also on the way students are accessing services. Lockdowns have seen face-to-face contact vastly reduced, with teaching and study shifting to virtual spaces. This has created new issues, as it becomes harder to engage. One solution for the team at Middlesex was to enlist peer support as a way of reaching out to other students.

Matthew explains: “Challenges during the pandemic have arisen from both the increase in numbers of students needing support, many of our students are on the frontline of the NHS response to Covid-19 and the reduction in visibility of many cases where students are studying remotely. “We have tried to address this by employing students as a form of outreach support for other students who aren’t engaging for one reason or another. They phone students for a friendly chat and can direct them to expert support if necessary.

“We also work closely with the Students’ Union and collaborate in response to the various types of student need, from food parcels and vouchers to mental health and safeguarding crisis, as well as enhanced offers of community to combat the impact of isolation.”

And while the shift to virtual and hybrid working led to greater isolation, there have been some positives brought about by the changes. This includes easier access to care and new partnerships, as Matthew reveals: “Working remotely has provided opportunities for greater flexibility in providing counselling appointments which has resulted in reduced waiting times, fewer no-shows and positive feedback from students. It has also enabled the development of stronger working relationships with third sector organisations and NHS partnerships.”

Libraries are supportive spaces

The role of the library in supporting mental health initiatives at the university builds on a well-established tenet of libraries – that they are viewed as safe and supportive spaces. Libraries across different sectors are open, accessible and non-judgemental. Within the HE Sector they also provide crucial work space, meaning students regularly spend time in them. And while there has long been an informal supportive role for libraries in society, the work at Middlesex University is adding to that welcoming atmosphere.

Matthew adds: “Libraries have an important role to play in supporting student mental health. Throughout society they are seen as supportive spaces, open to all and a hub of activity and community; and despite the proliferation of online resources many students still prefer to work and study in a library. This was especially apparent during lockdown. Students told us that not being able to access the library was one of the main things they missed. Many of our students don’t have appropriate spaces to study in at home, or can feel isolated, so knowing that the library is always there and that they can meet helpful, friendly staff is really important.

“In my experience library staff have always been interested in issues around student wellbeing and being part of a converged student support service provides opportunities for information sharing and working on joint projects around inclusivity, safe spaces and wellbeing.”

The Wellbeing Library and Student Success Festival

As well as cultivating a supportive atmosphere within the library, there is also work to provide students with information and resources about mental health issues. Matthew explains that a number of initiatives within the library service have been initiated, saying: “The Wellbeing Library resources collection is an example of this approach, as is the Student Success Festival where we integrate a variety of support, presented in an engaging and accessible way. While SLAs (Student Learning Assistants) are students employed with a focus on learning, they provide an important pastoral role and signposting to support.

“The vision at Middlesex University is of a collaborative approach to students’ mental health where everyone who works with students has a stake. One which is flexible and responsive to the various identities represented within our student population – which are multicultural, multi-lingual, multi-religious, and non-binary.”

The university will continue to develop and deliver activities, support and practical help to students who need it. Mental health issues are likely to remain high on the agenda, and Matthew says that steps are continuously being taken to ensure the university can support students. Partnership working is already in place, but there will be opportunities to develop these further. Another key role in support during a student’s time at the university will be to offer them solutions to help them focus on wellbeing into the future.

Matthew says: “Mental health is likely to be a key element of student support in the future, so it is important that we offer proactive support to manage their wellbeing every day, while ensuring that expert advice and guidance is available for students in crisis. We already work in partnership with the Student Union, external charities and the NHS, but there is scope for expanding and formalising this in future. “The future also involves the development of approaches to mental health that are designed as the foundational equipping of students for beyond university and to shift the narrative to view asking for help as effective self-management – ‘successful students ensure that they have the support they need’.

“To be really effective it’s important that libraries don’t set up initiatives which are separate from others that are already in place within their universities. It’s important to reach out to mental health services and work collaboratively with them. There is already a lot of interesting work taking place in libraries across the sector, so external networks can be really useful for sharing ideas and assessing which might work in your context. The M25 Consortium of Academic Libraries launched an initiative sharing approaches to wellbeing just before lockdown.

Student in the Sheppard Library.

“It is extremely important that library staff understand how other support services within the university works and how to refer people to the right service. Library staff aren’t trained mental health professionals and there are important issues of boundaries and roles. It is important to ensure students get the right support, but also to protect library staff.”

MDX Student App

Much of the work at Middlesex has revolved around support delivered directly through the institution, but there has also recently been work to look at what is already available elsewhere. These additional services are incorporated into the student offer and Matthew says they have been well received.

“At Middlesex, we have taken the approach of providing services and support which are predominantly designed and delivered in-house with an understanding of our student needs. With this foundation in place we have started to include external resources, such as Fika (an evidence based mental fitness app), which has proved popular with students since being included within the MDX student app.

“We have increased networks of support with NHS partners in recent years and established an affiliation with a local GP to ensure students have access to support according to their individual needs.”

Student Minds

On a final note, Matthew provides insight into two other external services that enable students to connect with support in different ways. He says: “Increasingly we are also using technology to help us support students. Since 2014 we have developed a successful relationship with Kortext providing free personal eTextbooks to our students. Their partnership with Student Minds is a really positive development; promoting both Middlesex and the Student Space mental health and wellbeing resource and support.

Sheppard Library.

Under the leadership of Janet Peden, University Librarian and Deputy Chief Digital and Information Officer (CDIO), the Library Service at Ulster University has been engaged in a digital transformation process with the adoption of an E-First Collection and Information Access Policy alongside a process to digitise services where possible. Here she talks to Rob Mackinlay about the benefits and challenges of digital transformation.

Ulster University is a widening access institution, the Library Service has a critical role to play in providing access to information in a variety of formats to allow learning, teaching and research to take place at a time, place and pace of the user’s choosing.

This student-focused approach, supported by new ways of working, will be at the core of library service delivery in Ulster’s new state of the art Belfast campus which is scheduled to open in September 2021. Against a backdrop of significant challenges to include Brexit, Covid-19, spiralling eBook costs and the ever-shifting landscape of HE, Janet Peden, Ulster University Librarian and Deputy CDIO, is overseeing the opening of a new library at Ulster University’s new city centre campus which will welcome 15,000 students in September 2021.

“It’s an exciting time for me to be a leader at Ulster,” she says. “Not every university librarian gets the opportunity to be part of a team working on a transformational development which is one of the largest higher education projects of its kind in Europe. This summer will see the fulfilment of eight years of hard work, not just on my part, I am simply one element of a large library services team. The Library Service at Belfast will be the result of a collaborative effort, teamwork at its very best. But it is my responsibility to get the library environment right and make it accessible for everyone. We want to deliver a 21st Century library service which will meet the needs of staff and students at Ulster University for a long time into the future.”

E-first

“Ulster University is a geographically dispersed institution with four campus libraries, this number will reduce to three with the opening of the new Library at Belfast. When you have a finite budget with which to meet the information needs of all users regardless of location, the most advantageous way to ensure that a critical mass of information is available to users at their point of need is to provide it in electronic format. Put simply, we are taking the library service to the user by pushing the service outside of the boundaries of a physical building.

The current economic environment is challenging for many students and Ulster University is committed to encourage young people who wouldn’t normally consider HE as an option. As a core central service, the Library Service has a key role to play as an enabler to support retention and progression. We have been focussed on an e-First service delivery model for the last eight years at least. This is about delivering added value services to the end-user beyond the confines of the physical library space. It’s about ‘minding the gap’. There shouldn’t be a gap between the service we provide and what students need to help them to complete their academic studies.

Moving forward, flexibility and adaptability of service delivery models will be key as we seek to support users across a variety of learning environments, whether that is electronic or face-to-face. One size will not fit all, a blended service delivery model will be required. Whilst many users are very comfortable working in an electronic environment others are less so. As Librarians we have a responsibility to ensure that we can we meet users at their point of need wherever that might be. This of course challenges traditional service delivery models and requires creative approaches to service delivery. As a service we need to ensure the accessibility of information professionals and the added value service that they provide to users to help them to navigate the complexities of digital information environments.”

E-first challenges

There are some immediate problems with e-First: “Content is not always available in electronic format,” Janet says. “So a hybrid model of information provision will be essential, but eBook costs have also recently increased exponentially. This has been very noticeable during the Covid-19 lockdown period. As a general principle we buy one textbook per 20 students and we manage demand using a variety of loan periods. If demand is high, we supplement with ­additional print copies and the same applies to eBook licensing, we purchase additional licences. I am now seeing more requests than ever before to authorise ­increased costs for the licensing of eBooks.”

Janet added that “if all HE institutions are in the same position why are we paying more? Costs appear to be rising in parallel with demand. I think pricing models need to be ­reviewed. The change to the VAT rate has helped somewhat, but that is missing the point – the point is why are eBooks so expensive?”

Change and management

The success of a digital first approach to information provision and the delivery of a new library space at the enhanced Belfast campus will not be predicated on cost and the application of new technology. It will be driven by the “can-do attitude” of the library team that Janet leads and their ability to flex and change. However, the current speed of change and level of disruption in the HE environment does not lend itself to conventional top-down work cultures, according to Janet.

“I have a team of around 100 staff spread across four campus libraries. Each campus team varies in size and out of necessity there will be a considerable amount of multi-tasking across smaller teams. A blanket approach to skills development is not always appropriate. As one way of supporting change, Ulster has introduced an innovative Self-Directed Achievement approach to CPD whereby employees take responsibility for identifying developmental needs which will support them in their role. This encourages personal responsibility and a sense of ownership for professional development.”

In addition, giant shifts in working practices are no longer far-fetched: “If Covid-19 can ever be said to have had a positive impact, it has helped the Library Service to accelerate the pace of change in relation to the way that services are delivered which hitherto would not have been considered possible. Had we been asked to implement a new service or way of working within a compressed timeframe, we would have said ‘absolutely not, we can’t introduce a library chat service within three weeks’ or ‘you can’t redesign service delivery effectively in three weeks’. But we discovered that you can.”

Leadership

Although disruption has flattened hierarchies and unsettled top-down leadership structures, leadership during periods of change and disruption is critical. Janet sees self-awareness as one of the most important qualities for those aspiring to leadership roles in the future.

“There is an assumption that if you get beyond a certain grade you must instinctively know how to lead. I don’t believe that is necessarily true. I would certainly never have said it was true for me. Leadership is a muscle that needs to be exercised on an ongoing basis. I have benefitted immensely from the leadership training offered as staff development opportunities at Ulster. I was also very fortunate to be selected to participate in the AHUA (Association of Heads of University Administration) Leading with Impact programme.

“In terms of my personal and professional development this was one of the best things that I have ever done. The opportunity to meet with and learn from a group of like-minded people in leadership roles across Professional Services in Higher Education was a completely liberating experience. The programme was supported by action learning sets where I had access to a wide range of perspectives and expertise, we all had a lot of lightbulb moments! Not only did this course help me with my current role, but I also felt much better equipped to contribute to the corporate agenda at Ulster.”

Start early

“I firmly believe that you don’t have to be in a leadership role to demonstrate leadership. If you have an aspiration to move into a leadership role, there are steps that you can take to prepare yourself for the future.” She says that encouraging this responsibility and grassroots leadership thinking, benefits existing leaders: “We can all learn from each other. It is important to seek feedback across the structure at all levels and all grades, the person who has face-to-face contact with the user will be able to provide an insight into service delivery that you may not get from your leadership team. This is a two-way process as it also encourages members of staff to consider the opportunities that are available to them to develop their skill set in preparation for the time when they can step up into a leadership role.

“If you find yourself promoted to a leadership role for the first time it is important to identify a trusted colleague who can act as a mentor to support you to develop into the role. A safe space to discuss issues and concerns with a more experienced colleague is invaluable. Leadership can be a difficult, lonely place and you do need people to talk to that you can trust and who will give you an honest, impartial perspective. I’m a very strong advocate for coaching as an aid to leadership development and we have a very active coaching network at Ulster. I am a qualified coach myself and coaching has been adopted as a strategic enabler for leadership development across the Library Service at Ulster.”

Finding roles

Janet says: “I do have a training matrix for every role in the library but that will only help you to a certain point. Beyond that, team members who aspire to leadership roles are taking personal responsibility for their development in preparation to move into leadership roles.”

The rapidly evolving HE environment and the application of digital technology in the library environment has had a significant impact on the skill set for academic librarians. This poses a significant challenge for those Institutions who deliver Library and Information Management courses to prepare the work force of the future. “At Ulster we are fortunate to have a close working relationship with colleagues who deliver the Library and Information Management course with several members of library staff actively contributing to curriculum delivery. Whilst we can’t predict the future with any certainty, traditional roles in libraries are changing and evolving. The skill-set of librarians is evolving, adapting and flexing to meet the demands of working in a digital information environment. Covid has accentuated this. The shift away from face-to-face teaching has accelerated the uptake of new tools and software to support learning and assess understanding. The role of the academic Librarian has become even more important as they play a vital part in establishing communities of learning in their respective institutions and equip students at all levels with the skills to succeed as citizens and professionals in their respective careers. Roles will be more digitally focussed; communication skills will be critical to support interaction with users – and not necessarily in a face-to-face environment.”

CILIP’s role

“I firmly believe that the role of the Information Professional is critical in today’s information rich society. I have been part of this profession for over 30 years and the role of an information professional is even more valuable today than it was at the start of my career.”

But Janet says the new information environment has disrupted established relationships including those of professional bodies. She adds: “I am a chartered member of CILIP. That was very important to me when I was starting out in my profession. I have also mentored several individuals towards chartership status. I believe strongly in the importance of the professional status of librarians along with adherence to a code of conduct which reflects the ethical and standards of a professional body. As the professional body, CILIP has a key role to play in supporting and advocating for the profession. It is important that as information professionals we play our part in safeguarding the value and relevance of our professional status in the future.”

Janet said: “I’ve had positive discussions with CILIP Ireland, about its Virtual Mentoring Network which could benefit my staff team and the profession in Northern Ireland as a whole. I am a strong advocate for the sharing of information and learning from each other. The Virtual Mentoring Network will provide a platform for this to happen and will support staff to identify a mentor outside of their own organisation. Ulster will be a key stakeholder in this process and I will be actively encouraging my staff, especially early career professionals make use of this facility. I’m also considering other initiatives and interactions with CILIP Ireland to offer further opportunities for staff to develop and enhance their skill sets. Professional development is a journey, there is always something new to learn.”

For further information check out CILIP Ireland’s Virtual Mentoring Network blog.

The Office for Students is running a consultation which closed on the 6 May 2021 relating to the recurrent funding distribution for 2021/22. The consultation includes a Government-mandated policy to increase funding to ‘high-value’ courses like science, engineering and medicine and to reduce by 50% the funding to ‘high cost but lower value’ courses, including Library and Information Science.

CILIP strongly opposes reducing the subsidy for LIS courses as well as the general principle that there is an either/or choice to be made between supporting the arts and supporting the sciences. We believe that the proposed measures will significantly damage our ability to attract diverse talent into the profession, and will have a disproportionate impact on people with protected characteristics.

You can read our full response to the consultation below. The key points in the consultation which we have addressed are:

• Pitting sciences versus arts is bad economics – a strong economy is a creative economy and a competitive industrial base depends on the flow of ideas and creativity


• ‘Librarianship’ has been mis-categorised by Learn Direct as part of media studies when in fact most LIS courses sit alongside Computer Science, Technology and Business


• Reducing subsidy for LIS courses will significantly damage our ability to attract diverse tablent into the profession, and will have a disproportionate impact on people with protected characteristics

Consultation response

1. Introduction

1.1 CILIP is the professional association representing people working in information and knowledge management, data science and libraries. We have operated since 1898 under Royal Charter and represent a significant proportion of librarians and information professionals in the Higher Education sector.

1.2 Our purpose is to support, unite and advocate for all librarians and information professionals. Our vision is of a professional community dedicated to changing lives through access to quality information.

1.3 We welcome the opportunity to respond to this consultation on recurrent funding arrangements in Higher Education by the Office for Students (OfS).

1.4 We are, however, concerned that since the parameters of the outcome are effectively set by HM Government’s Statutory Guidance letter, this significantly reduces the scope of the potential outcomes, and hence the efficacy of this consultation process.

1.5 We would be pleased to schedule a call with representatives of the OfS to discuss any of the matters raised in this response.

2. Overall commentary

2.1 We are extremely concerned that the consultation document proposes what amounts to a 50% cut in subsidy for a broad range of creative media and arts courses, including specifically the teaching of Librarianship

2.2 We are of the view that the proposals are drawn from a simplistic viewpoint which values courses that are directly connected to economic and industrial activity while systematically devaluing those that are less directly so.

2.3 In our view, a successful economy and a growing industrial base depend on a broad and inclusive education and a thriving creative, media and arts sectors. We believe that the ‘either/or’ approach proposed fundamentally misses the point that a thriving economy is a creative economy.

2.4 More specifically, however, we would contest the inclusion of librarianship in the proposed C1.2 category. It is not commonly a ‘high cost’ course of instruction and the only rationale we can see for its inclusion here is that it has been miscategorised under ‘Media Studies’ in the Learn Direct Class System Code.

2.5 We note that Librarianship (commonly ‘Library and Information Science’) is in most cases included alongside other information-based teaching and learning as part of a IT/Computer Sciences and related disciplines.

2.6 The teaching of Library and Information Science requires very little specialist equipment, the costs of instruction are low and support can be obtained from existing facilities (University libraries).

2.7 We would therefore strongly argue that the Office for Students should reconsider the mis-classification of Librarianship as a ‘high cost’ course which sits alongside the Creative Arts and Media and instead recognise it as a lower-cost course which sits alongside Computer Sciences and Technology.

3. Responses to individual questions

3.1 We have only responded to the questions that pertain directly to the classification of Librarianship within the category C1.2. Please see our responses below:

CILIP response submitted to the Office for Students Consultation on Recurrent Funding for 2021-22 (pdf).

CILIP is delighted to announce that the Bachelor of Arts Cultural Heritage Studies, Libraries, Archives and Museums course at the University of Aberystwyth has become the first of its kind to receive CILIP accreditation, recognising that it provides solid preparation for professional practice and a suitable base for anybody entering the cultural heritage sector. At the institution’s assessment visit in December 2020, the programme was added to the current offer of accredited degrees from the Department including a new undergraduate Joint Honours degree.

Helen Berry, CILIP’s Workforce Development Manager said “CILIP is delighted to expand its accreditation programme to this area. As with our information and knowledge Learning Providers, this degree has been judged against the Professional Knowledge and Skills Base tool (PKSB) and demonstrates the breadth of experience and attributes required for a skilled professional in the GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums) sector."

Independent assessor, Roisin Gwyer, herself an Alumna of the university, commended the way the University of Aberystwyth programmes combine theory and practical teaching to support students in gaining a thorough understanding of the subject. Additionally, the inclusion of external speakers to share knowledge and experience and opportunities to work within and visit a number of institutions reflects the emphasis on preparing future practitioners.

Head of the Department of Information Studies, Dr Anoush Simon commented “We are delighted that CILIP has recently accredited the Department’s new undergraduate schemes. The BA in “Cultural Heritage Studies: libraries, archive and museums” seeks to fill a gap in the educational landscape, responding to and acknowledging the interest of students in information and cultural heritage – covering libraries and information services, archives, museums, and the wider heritage sector. This broad-based scheme introduces student to key information providers in their historical and current contexts, and highlights important social, cultural, and ethical debates around the collection, preservation and provision of access to our intellectual and cultural heritage. The degree is a professional qualification, allowing students to explore and develop their interests and skills in this area, and also acts as a route into more specialised study at postgraduate level. The role and impact of digital information is integral to this degree, acknowledging its growing importance but also the challenges it places on the information and heritage professions around privacy, security, preservation and information ethics. A complementary Joint Honours scheme in “Information Studies” allows students to pair their study with other selected subjects in the University."

CILIP’s Learning Provider accreditation programme is designed to help students choose information career programmes that cover the essential skills and knowledge, and have been rigorously assessed by CILIP. Accredited programmes are assessed using the CILIP PKSB which identifies the core knowledge and skills of the very broad information profession.

Facet Publishing announce the publication of The Academic Teaching Librarian’s Handbook by Claire McGuinness.

The Academic Teaching Librarian's Handbook is a comprehensive resource for academic library professionals and LIS students looking to pursue a teaching role in their work and to develop this aspect of their professional lives in a holistic way throughout their careers. The book is built around the core ideas of reflective self-development and informed awareness of one's personal professional landscape. Through engaging with a series of exercises and reflective pauses in each chapter, readers are encouraged to reflect on their professional identity, self-image, self-efficacy and progress as they consider each of the different aspects of the teaching role..

This handbook will:

• provide a comprehensive resource on teaching, professional development and reflective practice for academic teaching librarians at all stages of their careers
• explore the current landscape of teaching librarianship in higher education, and highlight the important developments, issues and trends that are shaping current and future practice
• examine the roles and responsibilities of the academic teaching librarian in the digital era
• introduce the essential areas of development, skill and knowledge that will empower current and future professionals in the role
• inspire prospective and current academic teaching librarians to adopt a broad conception of the role that goes beyond the basic idea of classroom-based teaching, and provide practical tools to engage in personal development and career planning in this area.

This is an indispensable reference, suitable for early career professionals at the start of their teaching journey, as well as mid- or late-career librarians who may have moved into leadership and managerial roles and who wish to advance their teaching role to the next level.

Dr Lai Ma at University College Dublin said, ‘Claire McGuinness’ The Academic Teaching Librarian’s Handbook is a timely and substantive contribution as we face rapid changes in the publishing and scholarly communication environment. While library instruction was once about basic information literacy for students, now we must also include topics such as research data management, research integrity and research evaluation, to name a few, and involve a wider audience including researchers at different career stages. The role of librarians as teachers, advocates and leaders is well described and discussed in this book. I would recommend every librarian has it on their shelf as you are sure to need it from time to time!’

Claire McGuinness is Assistant Professor and current Deputy Head of School at the School of Information and Communication Studies, University College Dublin, Ireland. She has a long-term interest in researching and teaching information and digital literacy and has published extensively in these areas and others including academic librarianship, reflective practice and teaching skills for librarians. She has designed and taught multiple information and digital literacy modules over the past two decades, and currently leads several courses on the MLIS and BSc Social Sciences programmes at UCD. Since 2004, her advanced teaching librarian course on the MLIS and Diploma programmes at UCD has prepared trainee librarians for the instructional work that is increasingly part of their professional remit in different sectors.

The Academic Teaching Librarian’s Handbook | Jan 2021 | 304pp | Paperback: 9781783304622 | £55.00 | Hardback: 9781783304639 | £110.00 | eBook Available

University of East London has a 70 per cent BAME student population, 32 per cent of which is black, and is based in one of the areas hardest hit by Covid-19 – a disease that is more likely to result in death for sufferers from BAME communities. Regina Everitt, Director of Library, Archives and Learning Services, explains how and why she organised a forum to help students make sense of George Floyd and Covid-19.

On the morning of 25 May 2020 (Memorial Day in America), Christian Cooper, a black man, was bird watching in Central Park, New York. Amy Cooper (unrelated), a white woman, was in the same area of the park with her dog, which was off the lead. When Christian asked Amy to put the dog on the lead, in compliance with park rules, she threatened then proceeded to call the police claiming that an African American man was threatening her life. She knew exactly what she was doing. In a nation where black people, men particularly, have lost their lives due to police brutality, she knew that Christian Cooper would automatically be considered a threat because of the colour of his skin. Christian Cooper filmed the incident, which later went viral on social media. Amy Cooper apologised after furious backlash on social media.

On the same day, George Floyd was arrested in Minneapolis, Minnesota, after allegedly trying to pass a counterfeit $20 bill. He was handcuffed and killed as one police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes whilst two other officers held Floyd down. A fourth officer simply stood by and watched. The filming of this heinous act did not deter the officers. In fact, at one stage, the officer with his knee on Floyd’s neck looked straight at one of the cameras in much the same way as those photographed witnessing lynching in Jim Crow’s American south.

Floyd’s death sparked protests led by the Black Lives Matter Movement (BLM) across America and around the world. BLM was started in 2013 in response to the acquittal of the killer of Trayvon Martin, a teenager visiting family in Florida in 2012. BLM is a global movement aimed at ‘eradicating white supremacy’ and building local networks to challenge violence against black communities thereby ‘creating space for black innovation’ (Black Lives Matter 2020). The police officers responsible for Floyd’s death were immediately fired after the emergence of the video, but were not charged until people took to the streets.

Meanwhile, the Covid-19 pandemic continued to claim lives across the world with BAME populations disproportionately impacted. According to a June 2020 Public Health England report, BAME people have a 10 to 50 per cent higher risk of death when compared to white British people (Public Health England 2020). Bangladeshi people, specifically, have around twice the risk of death, according to the report. Contributing factors, according to the report, include dwelling in urban areas and/or extended-family households (called ‘crowded households in report) as well as presence of illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension. There is a danger that some people may infer that BAME people brought this on themselves due to living conditions and lifestyle. However, one must consider the systems and structures that lead to poverty and poor health care.

After Floyd’s death, I surfed the breadth of news outlets watching peaceful protests by day turn to violent clashes at night. My emotions flipped between sorrow at the loss of a yet another life and intense anger at the metaphor of the white man’s knee on the black man’s neck. Meanwhile, the video of Floyd’s death played on loop showing our children and our students that their lives had no value. Our student population at UEL is nearly 70 per cent BAME, of which about 32 per cent is black. The institution is located in Newham, one of the councils hardest hit by Covid-19 due to poverty and health inequalities (Fiaz 2020). I knew that our students would be struggling to make sense of everything that was happening, so I Whatsapp’d the Black Academy at UEL and said: “We have to do something.”

The Black Academy, a collective of black academics and professional services staff focused on social justice, anti-racism, and black representation, was founded at UEL in 2019 by Lurraine Jones, senior lecturer and acting head of social sciences.

Since the government lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic in March, UEL pivoted to online delivery like all HEIs. At UEL, many departments and services had been experimenting with MS Teams for about a year previously, which helped with the transition to online delivery.

As we have libraries on two sites (Stratford and Docklands), we used Teams for meetings to save travel time and cost. After lockdown, beyond use of Teams and Moodle for academic delivery and meetings, it was used across the institution for coffee mornings, pub evenings, conferences, and other events. Library teams also created chat areas where staff and students shared book reviews as well as news about virtual gallery tours and plays. So, a Teams forum was the obvious way to reach out to our students about Floyd’s death, the protests, and Covid-19.

Of course, we were aware that there were students within our population who did not have access to PCs or internet access (the digital divide). Of those who did have access to devices, the equipment may have been of low specification or their internet connections unreliable, thus hindering them from accessing Teams or Moodle. In response to the quick switch to sole online delivery, the institution spun up a loan scheme where, upon application, a student could have a loan device delivered to their home. There was also a limited supply of high specification machines available for loan for students on specific programmes (e.g. computer sciences, gaming, etc.). As ever, funding was limited, so not all students’ needs were met. The library team is working cross-institution to understand the extent of the “digital divide” and how to close the gap.

A Place to Breathe

Authorisation from the Vice Chancellor and President’s (VCP) office (Professor Amanda Broderick) was swift. Our communications and events teams pushed out invitations and promotions within one day. Within hours of posting the event, entitled ‘A Place to Breathe: Making Sense of George Floyd and Covid-19 Impacts on BAME Communities’, the allocated 220 places were filled. The space allocation was estimated by the events team based on their experience of managing online events and allowed for last minute requests.

The 1.5 hour-programme was deliberately kept simple so that students would be given the maximum amount of time to speak. Lurraine Jones gave the context for the event: an opportunity for students to share their stories, grief, and anger about the killing of George Floyd, the impacts of Covid-19, and other issues around racism and discrimination. I and a few academic colleagues made brief comments to encourage discussion, then monitored the chat as the floor was opened to students. Students used the hand-raising function to request to speak. The event was not recorded, and participants were reminded that it was a safe space for all to share their views without naming specific individuals within the forum or institution. (Students were invited to raise issues about specific individuals or issues after the event). Students were made aware and welcomed the fact that the VCP and other members of the university executive board were listening.

The student and staff stories about their experiences of racism, discrimination, and exclusion were heart-breakingly raw. They spoke of being called derogatory names, antagonised by the police, ignored in the classroom and receiving lower grades than peers for the same level of work. And they spoke about having ‘the talk’ with their children, particularly with sons. ‘The talk’ is a set of instructions about how to behave (stay alive) if encountered by the police (e.g. keep your hands visible and no sudden moves); I, too, have had ‘the talk’ with my son. The students were unflinching in their challenge to university leadership about how they needed to do better to support students through their education and to professional success. UEL has a degree awarding gap of about 25 per cent between black and white students (UEL 2019). The university has a bronze Race Equality Charter (REC) and is working through an ambitious action plan to close the gap and to improve outcomes for all students.

To this end, the university has created an Office of Institutional Equity (OIE), (the first of its kind in the country) to lead on the REC and other equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) initiatives. The Dean of the OIE is Prof Marcia Wilson, who is a keen supporter of UEL library initiatives around ‘decolonisation’ of collections and inclusive resources and educational practices. She provided keynote addresses last year at the M25 Consortium of Libraries conference and the Talent Untapped knowledge exchange for BAME LIS professionals. By the end of the session, there were still a number of hands raised as there was simply not enough time to say all that had to be said. So, we hosted a second event a week later, this time focusing on hope and resilience. Although emotions were still raw, we wanted to focus on the hope and resilience that will help students to reach their full potential against all odds.

This second event was entitled ‘And Still I Rise’, referencing Maya Angelou’s poem Still I Rise (Angelou 1978). The event opened with a video of Maya Angelou performing the poem with her notoriously infectious smile. The 180 attendees at this event were also candid in their discussions around calling out racism in the university and the workplace. The presenters and I reinforced the need for optimism, hope and resilience, for the students are the agents for change (e.g., Rhodes Must Fall campaign). We also encouraged students in the forum to develop support networks with one another and to use the services available to them at the university such as careers coaching and wellbeing services. Finally, I linked a resource list in the chat for those students and staff who wanted to educate themselves about critical race theory. The list was also made available on the library Teams site chat; conversations sparked within minutes of the posting. Clearly, students are keen to gain a deeper understanding about the roots of racism.

Conversations in the chat continued long after the events ended. We have received numerous emails from students and staff asking what they can do to continue conversations and make a change.

I have no doubt that the level of attendance at both virtual events was due to restrictions on movement due to Covid-19. With three campuses and a student population with caring and other responsibilities, it was challenging to get students to attend extra-curricular events pre-Covid-19. Even engagement with Students Union events at the university was low. Of course, the strength of feeling around the killing of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests will have changed the level of engagement.

Library, Archives and Learning Services will continue to build the Teams communities as a blend of online and physical delivery has been and will continue to be the norm. The ‘new normal’ for us will be around enhanced use of Teams for remote or cross-site working, delivery of events, and intra-/inter-institution collaboration. The key challenge, however, is to ensure that we don’t lose students or staff in the digital divide.

Header image: UEL Library, Docklands