SWRLS Open Doors Project
Geoff Cole
Community Engagement & Schools Support Librarian,
University of the West of England
Geoff.Cole@uwe.ac.uk
Jackie Chelin
Deputy Librarian, University of the West of England
Jacqueline.Chelin@uwe.ac.uk
SWRLS – Walk-In project
• Walk-In Access to Online Resources project –
completed 2012
http://www.swrls.org.uk/Online_Resources/Walk-inAccess_for_Electronic_Resources
• Report and Directory available through SWRLS
website
• Promotional leaflets available for your staff
Open Doors Project Partners
• UWE Bristol Library Services
• South Gloucestershire Libraries on behalf of
LibrariesWest
• Project leaders – Martin Burton (S. Glos) and Geoff
Cole (UWE)
• Project Officer – Frances Robertson
Supporting Local Strategies
UWE Bristol
• Connecting and working with our local and regional economy, to
advance the health, sustainability and prosperity of our locality and
region
• Effective national and international collaborations with schools,
colleges, universities and other partners to raise aspirations and
attainment, encourage and support progression to higher
education, and recruitment to UWE Bristol
South Gloucestershire
• Improving the performance of secondary school pupils
• Support the local economic agenda to improve employment of local
people
• In conjunction with leisure centres to ensure people have an active
mind in an active body
• Improving the LibrariesWest Library Offer
UWE Library CPE Initiatives
• Guest access to online resources
http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/library/visitingthelibrary/notbasedatuw
e/jointhelibrary/guestaccesstodatabases.aspx
• External borrowing scheme for 16+, free of charge
http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/library/visitingthelibrary/notbasedatuw
e/jointhelibrary.aspx
• Working with schools, 6th form visits, access to resources
http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/library/visitingthelibrary/notbasedatuw
e/schoolsandcolleges.aspx
South Gloucs Active Card
One card gives you access to
• Libraries
LibrariesWest including South Gloucestershire, Bristol and Bath
• UWE libraries
• Leisure centres
in South Gloucestershire
South Gloucs Active card
• Latest books and DVDs, including ebooks and audio books
• Study space
• Computer & internet access
• E-magazines
• Access to Research – walk-in online
access to academic journals
• Find your library
www.southglos.gov.uk/libraries
Project Purpose
• Investigate, trial and evaluate joint membership
between a public library service and academic library.
• Explore joint use of cards without joining membership
databases, simply using bar code as common access
point.
• Evaluate the impact of reciprocal borrowing and also
use of enquiry and IT services within academic libraries,
i.e. what considerations would need to be addressed to
facilitate such a scheme.
Project Objectives
• To investigate the ability of the community to access public and
academic libraries through the use of their home library card.
• To identify issues connected with open usage of academic libraries,
including support and safeguarding issues.
• To cross promote usage of academic libraries by the public,
especially 16-18 year old students and for HE students to make use
of their local public library network.
• To evaluate the issues of opening free membership to non
members of academic institutions.
• To support the South Gloucestershire universal membership
scheme for young people.
• To promote usage of HE libraries by students considering applying
for university to encourage progression to UWE.
Targeted Promotion
Initially to groups most likely to benefit:
• South Gloucestershire 6th form students, alongside
promotion of county Active card.
• UWE Bristol international students.
Widen out to include other parts of community:
• Members of business and health communities.
• All members of LibrariesWest public libraries
Targeted Promotion
• UWE: various means, including Students’ Union,
international students, weekly staff email newsletter
• South Gloucestershire Active Newsletter
• Joint: visits to local secondary school 6th forms
(complements other UWE links with schools)
• Joint: press release on schools project
Does it work?
• Yes, but …
• Teething problems with some cards in some
places; now fixed, we think
• Information has taken time to filter down to
LibrariesWest staff at some branches
Impacts
• No. of registrations at UWE: 80-85
• No. of registrations at LW: ??, but not huge
numbers
• Subject areas: all parts of Dewey at UWE so far;
more analysis required
• Library staff support required: to be investigated
What next?
• More analysis of use, both statistical and by surveys /
focus groups
• More evaluation of impact
• Report to write
• Survey of SWRLS HE and FE members – analysis to do
• Recommendations to formulate, e.g. is this a scheme
that other HEIs could/should consider?
Thank you for listening
For more information go to:
http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/library/visitingthelibrary/notbased
atuwe/jointhelibrary/uwepubliclibspartnership.aspx
Any questions?