University of Portsmouth
Full Equality Impact Assessment
Final Report
Department or Faculty:
Library
Item facing assessment:
Circulation Policies
Lead assessor:
Date of publication:
Kath Shakespeare
07/06/2010
Who was involved in
the assessment?
Kath Shakespeare; referred to Roisin Gwyer,
University Librarian.
In addition to the involvement stated above the assessment has also involved two EIA panels
(made up of staff and student volunteers of a variety of ages, races, religions, sexual
orientations, disability statuses and genders) and at least one member of the University's
Equality & Diversity Unit. For More Information on EIA Panels please see the document:
Information on EIA Assessment Panels
What are the potential effects of the item on equality target groups?
Circulation policies are incorporated into the Library Regulations and focus on
the user of loan periods, fine rates and loan entitlements combined, to ensure
that library materials [books, journals, A/V materials] are kept in circulation for
the benefit of all staff and students.
Supplementary information on Circulation policies is held on the Library
website.
The Library recognises that some users with disabilities may experience
particular difficulties in meeting all the requirements of the Circulation policies
and has in the past set up processes to deal with requests for enhanced
services for students expressing a need for these. This has included allowing
longer loan periods for users; help with photocopying and scanning; and
retrieving items from the shelves if they are inaccessible to the user.
Which of the following evidences were used to assess the effects of the item?
Brief description
Evidence
Statistics
Reports/Studies
Complaints from students; feedback from staff
in ASDAC; feedback from Library staff
Surveys/Questionnaires
What conclusions were drawn from the evidence?
The Library Regulations were to be revised in the light of suggestions made
by the EIA Panel to include:
*
Full web addresses in the hard copy of the policy
University of Portsmouth
Full Equality Impact Assessment
Final Report
*
Greater clarity regarding requested items
*
How users with mobility problems could reserve books to be collected:
that explicit reference should be made to how this can be done
*
Greater clarity around the use of email for all users.
The Library website is regularly revised and a new disability services page
has recently been promoted.
http://www.port.ac.uk/library/services/disabilityservices/, so the revisions to
the Library Regulations have included these amendments.
What adjustments to the policy and/or initiatives will be undertaken based on
the conclusions drawn above?
Initiative 1
Revised version of the Library Regulations to be
made available to library users on the Library
website and in printed format
Initiative 2
Review of Library’s disability services page and
leaflet
Timescale
2010/2011 academic
year
2010/2011 academic
year
The following box contains any examples of good practice identified by the
EIA panel during the assessment
the panel was pleased with the outcomes of the EIA, feeling they both
proactively and sensitively dealt with the needs of disabled service users.
The above form is an easily digestible summary of the EIA's findings and the
action taken to either promote equality or to eliminate discrimination.
However, much more information was used in coming to the conclusions seen
and - subject to confidentiality - this is available upon request from the
University's Equality & Diversity Unit.