An Coiste Feabhais Acadúil
The Committee on Academic Quality Improvement
The Academic Quality Assurance Programme 2005-2006
Report to Údarás na hOllscoile
Review of
James Hardiman Library
Self-Assessment
Review Group Visit
Follow Up Meeting
June 2005 to September 2005
20th – 24th November, 2005
11th April 2006
This Report was compiled for members of Údarás na hOllscoile, NUI Galway and its
committees as a readily accessible but comprehensive source of information on the above
review, its context and its outcomes.
Professor Jim Gosling, Director of Quality, March 2007
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1. Overview of Department
1.1 Background
The Library of NUI Galway is named after James Hardiman , noted antiquarian and first
Librarian of the College (1849-1855). The Main Library building was completed in 1973 but
has undergone subsequent extensions and now offers approximately 8,800 m2 of space. There
are 1,861 reader places under the Librarian’s control, most of which are in the Main Library.
The Medical Library is located in the Clinical Sciences Institute at University College Hospital
and there is a separate Nursing Library in the Business Park at Dangan.
1.2 Personnel and Budgets
Personnel
The Library employs approximately 109 members of staff (including student help) or 72.89 full
time equivalents including:
• The Librarian
• Deputy Librarian
• 4 Sub-Librarians
• 16 (13fte) Assistant Librarians
• 1 each of: Archivist, Library Systems Technologist, Personal Assistant to the Librarian
Budgets
Total recurrent Library funding for the financial year 2004/2005 is €5,799,479. €2,539,453 is
spent on non-pay of which 1,970,000 is spent on books and journals according to formula.
1.3 Facilities
Collections and Archives
Collections number ca. 350,000 monographs, of which approximately half are in secondary
storage. The Library receives approximately 2,068 current periodical titles in printed format.
More than 10,000 full-text electronic journals are now available to Library patrons. The Library
is a beneficiary of the statutory deposit provisions of the Copyright Acts (1963 & 2000) and is a
designated European Documentation Centre. The Collection Management Policy of the Library
is on the Library website. Special collections and archives include the Douglas Hyde
Manuscripts, Galway’s Municipal Records, the Delargy Collection, significant Theatre
Archives, the McGahern literary archive, a substantial photographic archive and the Library of
the Galway Franciscan Friary.
Services
The Library provides the normal range of academic library services, but places particular
emphasis on providing a proactive information and liaison service to the academic community.
The Library provides special services to users with special needs and an Assistive Technology
Centre is located at the Library entrance level. Communication with, and feedback from users
is achieved through a variety of means: newsletters, committees, surveys, from the Library’s
Web pages and the Faculty Library User Groups.
Library Systems
The Aleph Library Management System is used for OPAC, Cataloguing, Circulation,
Acquisitions and Serials functions. SFX and MetaLib are also used to optimize access to eresources. Public access PCs number around 100 in the three libraries.
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2. Review Group Report Overview and Recommendations
The Review Group consisted of: Mr. Sean Phillips, Librarian, UCD (Chair), Ms. Chris Bailey, Director of Library
Services, University of Glasgow, Professor Kevin Barry, Department of English, NUI Galway and Carmel Browne,
Deputy Director Human Resources, NUI Galway (Rapporteur).
2.1 Summary and Main Recommendations from Report
The Review Group was impressed by many positive features of the Library. The Library has
placed strong emphasis on the development and delivery of a high quality library service.
Library management has made extensive contributions in the general area of academic
community service at the level of University, faculty and department.
The Review Group fully endorsed the Self Assessment Report, citing it as being well prepared,
thorough and comprehensive. It was evident from the Report and from discussions with library
staff that the Library was abreast of developments in academic librarianship and information
work generally, though of course constrained in their application by resource constraints. The
Review Group was impressed by the substantial level to which library management had
developed the Library service from their previous quality review in 1997. The review group
also noted that the Library’s forward planning is characterized by a high level of strategic
thinking and awareness, not just in the context of the Library, but in the broader University and
third-level sectoral context.
The recommendations were presented under the following four headings:
a) Strategy
i)
There is a need for the UMT and the whole University community to place the
Library at the centre of strategic planning, academic change, and new teaching
initiatives. The Library, for its part, must become an equal partner in the academic
planning process and a key enabler in realizing the academic goals of the
University. In order to enable a partnership role, it is important to consider the
means by which the Library can be plugged in to the academic decision-making
structures of the University. It is recommended that the Librarian (or nominee)
be an ex officio member of the Academic Planning and Resources Committee.
ii)
To update and maintain a dynamic library information resource, the Academic
community need to articulate more timely their annual acquisitions to ensure
funding and acquisition of best information resources. There is a comprehensible
relevance for the Library to be represented at faculty, department, schools, centres
and institute meetings. Alongside these initiatives an active and clear policy on
deselection and storage policy needs to be developed.
b) Resources
i)
The Library should undertake a formal review of its collection development
policy to ensure that this is fully aligned with the University’s research
aspirations; furthermore we recommend that the Library’s needs are included in
grant applications.
ii)
The Library, in partnership with the academic community, is proactive in
acquiring archival collections that will allow the University to develop specialised
and unique research activity.
iii) A review of finding to support research at a higher level.
c) Staffing
i)
ii)
Providing genuine promotional opportunities for ambitious para-professional staff
to realize their potential and to acquire experience in routine management.
Releasing assistant librarians to deploy their professional skills more effectively
to develop services and to integrate them with all levels of academic activity in
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the university. An overall building planning exercise should be undertaken
immediately that reflects the growing strategic role of the Library in a student and
research driven University and balances the elements of provision that are now
required.
d) Buildings
i)
An overall building planning exercise should be undertaken immediately that
reflects the growing strategic role of the Library in a student and research driven
University and balances the elements of provision that are now required.
ii)
Preparation for balancing the elements of provision for the Library service into
the future could be identified and implemented directly vis a vis:•
Study Spaces should be dispersed. This has potential for the Postgraduate
population in terms of Schools, Centers and Institutional space.
•
On line Information should by definition be dispersed.
•
Print information resources should not be dispersed and kept centrally for
more cost effectiveness and will need adjacent study spaces. However,
‘deselection’ policy as referred to earlier in this section should ensure
relevance and vitality of the print collection.
•
Library Services to include staff services should be centrally located,
however web based services that can be used without staff assistance can
be dispersed. This could also include the relocating a service within the
Library e.g. Systems support/Bibliographic services.
•
Development and implementation of Storage and a robust policy of
‘deselection’.
3. Action Plans
Follow up Meeting
2.15 p.m., Tuesday 11 April 2006 in Siobhán McKenna Theatre
th
Present: Prof J Gosling Director of Quality (Chair), Prof J Ward (Vice-President), Prof N Canny (Vice-President),
Prof J Browne (Registrar), Mr S Philips (Review Group), Ms C Browne (Review Group), Mr I MacLaren (Director
of CELT), Ms M Reddan, Ms D Garvey, Mr N McSweeney, Mr T Collins, Ms E Maloney, Ms B Walsh, Ms M
O’Malley, Ms G Honan, Mr J Costello, Ms S Nutley, Mr F D’Arcy, Ms M Crump, Mr J Cox, Ms N Condon, Ms E
Flanagan, Ms Maureen Linnane (of Quality Office in attendance).
3.1 Action Plan for the James Hardiman Library
a) The Librarian, management and staff of the James Hardiman Library support the full
recognition of the Library as an equal partner in the academic planning process and a key
enabler in realizing the academic goals of the University, and are anxious to participate fully
in the academic decision-making structures of the University.
b) The Library will continue to revise its collection development policy (see Library Strategic
Plan) to ensure that it is fully aligned with the University’s research aspirations.
i)
The Library, in partnership with the academic community, will continue to be
proactive in acquiring archival collections that allow the University to develop
specialised and unique research activities. However, this can only happen through
recognition by the University of space, processing and professional listings
constraints and the associated costs.
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ii)
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There will be a review of the funding required to build judiciously a competitive
research information environment – with continued major emphasis on electronic
acquisitions and national and international digitisation projects. Collaboration at
national level to secure additional funding for IReL and to expand its subject
coverage will be continued.
iii) Policies on de-selection are being re-enforced and refined.
iv)
A new interim store has just recently been commissioned with firm plans for
further off-campus storage facilities
v)
Policies to ensure that budgets are spent in a timely and appropriate fashion are
now in place.
c) Conditional on the execution of good practice procedures, the Library and the University
will discontinue automatic re-grading of graduate Library Assistants as Senior Library
Assistants, and the grade of Senior Library Assistant will be reserved for posts that carry
significant supervisory responsibilities of processes, routines, and services. These changes
will be managed to:
i)
Provide genuine promotional opportunities for suitable paraprofessional staff to
realize their potential and to acquire experience in routine management, (In
parallel, by means of training and other development activities, staff will be
equipped for the tasks and individual responsibilities that are necessary for the
development of the Library into the future.
ii)
Ensure optimal deployment of the professional skills of Assistant Librarians to
more effectively develop services and to integrate them with all levels of
academic activity in the University.
iii) Undertake a re-assessment of the roles of subject Librarians, and
iv)
Facilitate on-going review of organisational structures to reflect the changing
roles of the Library
d) As part of the overall building planning exercise for library services (see below), Library
management will prepare for balancing the elements of provision for the Library service
into the future, taking into account that:i)
As new buildings are planned, the Library will support the policy that study
spaces will continue to be dispersed, which is relevant to undergraduate students
and, particularly to postgraduate students in terms of space in research centers and
institutes.
ii)
On-line Information services to students and staff will continue to be dispersed.
iii) Print information resources will not be dispersed but kept centrally for greater
cost effectiveness, and will need additional adjacent study spaces. ‘De-selection’
projects will ensure relevance and vitality of the print collection.
iv)
Library Services to include staff services should be centrally located. (However
web-based services that can be used without staff assistance will be deployed
more and more as technical resources develop.) While maintained centrally,
individual services may be relocated for greater effectiveness e.g. Systems
support/Bibliographic services.
3.2 Action Plan for University Management
a) The Registrar and Deputy President, recognising the importance of the Library in strategic
planning, academic change and new teaching initiatives, will support:
i)
Formal recognition of the Library at all levels as a key enabler in realizing the
academic goals of the University.
ii)
The Librarian (or nominee) becoming a member of relevant central committees
and working groups concerned with the development and/or reform of academic
programmes and initiatives.
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iii)
b)
c)
d)
e)
The Library being represented at faculty and all relevant management meetings in
department, schools, centres and institutes.
The Registrar will support applications from the Library and Computer Services designed to
ensure adequate ICT infrastructural requirements (including more widespread wireless
access) to ensure that additional demands are met.
As CELT acquires the facilities needed for the proper fulfilment of its missions, The
Director of CELT will work to ensure close cooperation with the Library as a key partner in
the learning and teaching processes.
In recognition of the heavy demands that increasing numbers of research students and post
doctoral researchers will place on Library resources, The Vice President for Research will:
i)
Endeavour to ensure that the Library’s needs are included in all relevant research
grant applications.
ii)
Initiate a review of targeted funding to the Library in support of research at the
higher levels now required.
The Vice President for Physical Resources recognises that obtaining capital funding for
further development the Library must continue to be a priority project for the University in
the second phase of the HEA Capital Project review and Prioritisation Exercise. In addition:
i)
A Working Group on Library Space that will report to Library Committee (by
September 2006) has been established. This Group has initiated an overall
building planning exercise that will reflect the growing strategic role of the
Library in a student-centred and research-intensive University, and results in an
improved balance between the elements of provision. It will also address longerterm storage policies in the context of de-selection and electronic access.
ii)
Priority will be given to improved physical access systems as an integral part of
optimal space management.
iii) In all such planning the University will take a holistic view of Library space
needs. In connection with this, the Buildings Office will maintain a lot of
dispersed reading space to protect it from being “claimed” by adjacent
departments in response to additional demands on their core space.
Approved by: Approved by: Librarian, Ms Marie Reddan, 19 July 2006
Approved by: Registrar, Prof. J. Browne, 19 July 2006
Approved by: Vice President, Prof. K. Warnock, 24 July 2006
Approved by: Vice President, Prof. N. Canny, 25 July 2006
Approved by: Director of CELT, Dr. I. MacLaren, 21 July 2006
Finalised: 25 July 2006, Professor Jim Gosling, Director of Quality
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