University of Warwick
Centre for Student Careers and Skills
COLLECTION MANAGEMENT POLICY
1.
Introduction
The purpose of this policy document is to identify the processes by which careers
and skills information resources are acquired, maintained, developed, displayed,
accessed and updated, for the maximum benefit to users of Student Careers and
Skills.
Easy access to reliable, comprehensive and appropriate careers information is an
essential component of the support that we offer to students in their career decisionmaking and transition. The purpose of the information resource is to enable all our
users to make informed choices and effective applications and interviews. The
resources are managed to encourage independent use and self-directed research. It
is expected that students will use the information resources to complement one-toone advice and guidance services.
The Operations and Information Team
Student Careers and Skills aims to anticipate and meet the information needs of our
users and to take advantage of new technology to provide an accessible and up-todate service. This is achieved by providing easily accessible, accurate and up-to-date
information through a range of formats, and is managed by the Operations and
Information Team.
The Information Team comprises the Head of Operations and Information, the
Information Manager, the IT Manager, the Web Librarian, six Information Advisers,
the Information and Marketing Officer, the Research and Statistics Officer and the
Senior Information Adviser.
2.
Selection and Acquisition of Information
The Centre aims to hold a rich resource of information on all occupational areas that
our students might enter within five years of graduation. Decisions about which
occupations to include in our collection are guided by the University’s subject range,
the AGCAS Classification and feedback from students.
Sources of bibliographical information
The Operations and Information Team uses a wide variety of sources to identify
materials relevant to the work of the Student Careers and Skills and needs of its
users. These include:
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notification from AGCAS and HECSU / Prospects of new publications
book publishers’ catalogues
recommendations from AGCAS colleagues
publications by professional organisations/institutions
relevant newspapers and periodicals
relevant websites
Principles of selection
The Head of Operations and Information allocates an annual budget for purchasing
books and subscriptions. The selection of materials is ongoing throughout the year
as new items are published, and the process is managed by the Information
Manager. Selection decisions are taken by the Information Manager and the Head of
Operations and Information in discussion with other team members, with regards to
quality, cost, relevance and availability of alternative sources.
In addition to purchased materials, the Centre receives substantial supplies of free
careers information and recruitment literature. The Centre subscribes to HECSU /
Prospects which supplies information for students on behalf of AGCAS and
advertising employers. We also undertake to distribute other commercial publishers’
literature by arrangement, and where we consider these materials to be of benefit to
our students.
The Centre reserves the right to refuse to distribute unsolicited materials if these are
inappropriate, inaccurate or in any way undermine the standards and objectives of
our services. All information included in both the online and hard copy collections is
evaluated by the Operations and Information Team to ensure that it is appropriate for
our customers, accurate and not misleading, and consistent with the standards and
objectives of Student Careers and Skills.
When selecting materials for inclusion in the Careers Library, consideration is also
given to whether information is available in hard copy or electronic format, and the
most appropriate medium will be selected. Selection decisions for electronic
resources will be made in the same way as for hard copy materials, but issues
relating to ongoing cost, licensing and usability will also be considered.
The Web Librarian maintains the external links on the website with input from
Careers Consultants and recommendations from students and professional
networks. While we attempt to quality assure the sites that we link to, we cannot
guarantee the quality and reliability of material on external sites.
3.
Access to Careers Information
The Centre strives to provide an accessible information resource where information
is classified and stored using a consistent and logical system, where it is processed
efficiently and where maximum use of technology and formats support the needs of a
diverse group of users.
The Careers and Skills Library is located in the Learning Grid on the Ground Floor of
University House. The Library which contains the Careers Information Resource is
accessible by University ID card 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Both the Student
Careers and Skills Library and the Learning Grid provide access for students with
disabilities. Graduates can also access the Learning Grid with their Warwick
Graduates’ Association swipe cards.
Student Careers and Skills Helpdesk
The Information Advisers staff the Student Careers and Skills Helpdesk Monday to
Friday 10.00am – 6.00pm during term time and 12.00 – 4.00pm during the vacation,
providing a friendly, knowledgeable service to assist users. Students may be given
advice or information or be referred to resources or services. Students can contact
the helpdesk by phone, email or in person during the hours listed above.
Students are also enabled to find information for themselves through effective
classification and signage. Learning Grid staff also receive training on careers
information resources so that they are able to help students when the help desk is
not staffed in the evenings and at weekends.
Online catalogue
To assist students in locating relevant information, all items except journals are
catalogued onto the Millennium library catalogue, the same system used by the
University Library. The catalogue is available via the Library’s website and through
the Student Careers and Skills website.
Reference collection
The Student Careers and Skills Library collection is clearly signed and organised so
that students are able to find the information they need independently. Occupational
information is classified using the AGCAS Classification Scheme and hard copy
information is stored in files. There are several print-outs of the classification scheme
on the shelves to assist search and retrieval of relevant information. Resources are
shelved by subject area, regardless of format, so that a student can see everything
we have on a certain subject at first glance whether it is a book, a DVD or a journal.
Reference books are available for use in the Student Careers and Skills Library. The
collection includes a wide variety of occupational information and employer
directories, and covers areas such as making applications, interview technique and
working abroad. The Centre also purchases additional copies of the most popular
reference books, and makes these available for 3-day-loan through the University
Library. There is also a small collection of relevant titles for reference at WHRI
Library and in the BioMed Grid.
Website
The website is a comprehensive careers and skills information resource which
supports our hard copy collection. The content-rich website aims to provide
resources and materials on all major topics covered by the Centre, to assist students
and graduates with their career research.
Where possible and practical, we include electronic versions of careers information
resources on our website to provide as comprehensive a resource as possible. This
can include streaming of DVDs, licensed and password-protected databases,
podcasts and other documents and handouts. Permission to use materials in this
way is always sought from the owner, and the Head of Operations and Information is
responsible for ensuring that Student Careers and Skills adheres to the terms of a
licence where one exists.
myAdvantage
myAdvantage is our IT system through which students and employers interact with
us. Accessed via our website, it is a separate system which manages our
appointments, events, vacancies, email bulletins and student and employer contacts.
Both students and employers can book services online. We encourage students to
manage their profiles so that we can proactively provide tailored information to them
on events and vacancies, according to their preferences.
Vacancies database
Our vacancies database holds information on jobs after graduation, vacation work
and courses, long term placements, voluntary work, work experience and funding
opportunities. It is available for students to access both on and off campus via
myAdvantage. Warwick graduates can register online via the Student Careers and
Skills website for a username and password to access myAdvantage after leaving
university.
Journals and periodicals
Student Careers and Skills subscribes to a wide range of periodicals to provide up to
date information and commentary on all employment sectors that we anticipate would
interest Warwick students and graduates. These are a valuable additional source of
vacancy information for specific occupational areas. The journals and periodicals are
for reference only, for use in the Student Careers and Skills Library.
Computing and audio visual facilities
Users of the Student Careers and Skills Library, who are current Warwick students,
are able to make use of Learning Grid facilities, including PCs, DVD equipment,
photocopiers and printers.
Takeaway materials
Takeaway materials, including employer literature, magazines and booklets, are
received regularly throughout the year. Takeaway materials are displayed in the
entrance to the Student Careers and Skills Library. We do not keep bulk copies of
employer brochures as these are usually available electronically on an employer’s
website.
We also provide copies to take away of Student Careers and Skills leaflets and
guides. Due to the costs of printing and limitations of space in the Student Careers
and Skills Library only the most popular handouts will be available as hard, with the
complete series being online on our website.
Students with disabilities
Student Careers and Skills is committed to providing a consistently high level of
service to all our students. If, as a result of a disability, students require assistance to
use any services, a member of staff will be available to assist. We are able to
provide information in alternative formats if necessary, on request.
4.
Maintaining and Developing the Collection
The Operations and Information Team aims to:
 ensure that all information received is accessioned and processed in the
shortest time possible so that it can be of greatest benefit to our users
 ensure that materials in the Student Careers and Skills Library can be found
where the classification systems indicate they should be.
The constituent parts of the careers information resource are maintained and
developed differently according to variations in format, availability of updates and
available staff time. The chart below shows how each aspect of the collection is to
be maintained.
Resource
Format
Updating
schedule
Monthly,
with
annual
review
Daily, with
data
cleansing
annually
Staff involved
Notes
Hard copy
careers
information
Files
Information
Manager,
Information
Advisers
Information
Advisers,
Information
Manager
Website
Daily with
annual
review
Web Librarian &
all Careers staff
Hard
copy
Fortnightly Information
with
Advisers, Senior
We aim to place updated
and new materials in the
relevant files within two
weeks of receipt
As part of the annual
review, employers are
asked to check their
records and update
where necessary
The Web Librarian has
responsibility for
overseeing the content
of the website, and
some Careers staff have
editing rights for content
which needs their
expertise
The collection is
reviewed to ensure it
Vacancies
database
Online
Student
Careers and
Skills
website
Reference
book
collection
Periodicals
Hard
copy
Videos /
DVDs
Video
5.
annual
review
Daily with
annual
review
Annually
Information
Adviser
Senior Information
Adviser,
Information
Manager
Information
Manager
continues to meet the
needs of our customers
The collection is
reviewed to ensure it
continues to meet the
needs of our customers
All AGCAS videos are
purchased as they
become available
Evaluating the Careers & Skills Information Resource
All resources are subject to an annual review and are evaluated to ensure that we
continue to offer a good quality, cost-effective and up to date service which meets
our users’ needs. The following methods may be used:
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User survey in Student Careers and Skills Library
Online survey questions
Focus groups
Student Careers and Skills HelpDesk statistics
Usage data, e.g. catalogue statistics, web statistics
Website feedback form & online suggestion box
Student Marketing Team feedback, including roadshows
Suggestion box in Student Careers and Skills Library
Feedback file comprising individual feedback from students.
Student Careers and Skills also takes feedback from larger-scale evaluation
exercises such as the Academic Satisfaction Review and the International Student
Barometer where relevant to our remit.
TG/ER September 2010