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To enable the Monash community to discover and use resources for learning, teaching and research, and to support staff and students’ development of skills for independent and lifelong learning through mediated, timely and flexible information services.
Provide co-ordinated, proactive services under the 'one library' banner while still meeting individual campus and faculty needs
The one library theme is pervasive across the Library’s planning and operation.
A review commenced to identify and implement a user-centred physical and virtual service points model. The project seeks to establish management and service principles, and to create a student centred approach to service delivery regardless of location. The project will continue in 2009.
A review of Client Services committees was established to facilitate Library wide communication and management of changing service requirements. Recommendations will be made in 2009.
ask.monash continues to develop, with the addition of learning skills, to the service. The recommendations from the 2007 review of ask.monash are being addressed.
Engage and liaise with faculty members and students about the development and use of services and collections
Following a series of issue-related meetings between the Library and Monash Research Graduate School, a formal meeting schedule has been established to commence in 2009. Topics discussed in 2008 included data management, electronic thesis submission (e-thesis) implementation and Library access for Higher Degree by Research students.
A student forum including the Library, Information Technology Services and student representatives was established to improve communication and awareness of services. This group is to meet twice a year.
The user-driven process for the selection of electronic books triggered the purchase of more than 4000 titles in 2008. This demonstrated a high level of user engagement and demand for electronic books, even where these were also available in print.
In partnership with the Faculty of Education, the Library established a Teaching Materials Collection at the Matheson Library, comprising resources relocated from the Faculty at Clayton. These resources support the professional placement and lesson planning needs of students, and will be further developed in conjunction with similar collections at the Gippsland and Peninsula libraries.
In collaboration with academics from Aerospace Engineering, the Library purchased access to the journals and conference papers of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). Demand for these resources had been increasing as a result of growth in Aerospace Engineering.
The Victorian Department of Infrastructure donated 270 items relating to Gippsland to the Library. Many of these are no longer available and will greatly enhance the Gippsland-specific resources held by the Library and the Centre for Gippsland Studies.
The LibGuides project was initiated to increase the
accessibility of Library resources. During 2008, Library staff worked in
partnership with academic staff to convert and revise web site subject page
information on Film and Television, Occupational Therapy and Architecture into
the more contemporary format. Work on this project is continuing.
The Arts Faculty Team presented at the weekly Geography
and Environmental Science Research Seminar series for academic staff and
research students and made regular contributions to the School of Music's
fortnightly newsletter Dually Noted.
The Art and Design Faculty Team presented to three
Faculty Departments on Library resources and services, resulting in increased
collaborative development of the collection and engagement in its use by
academic staff. A member of the Faculty of Art and Design also provided
valuable input to Faculty Team meetings during the year.
The Gippsland Library established the 'Conversations with
the academics' series of informal meetings to engage with academics on
particular services and resources.
A librarian and a learning skills adviser participated in
the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences planning retreat. This
resulted in the Library contributing to the review of the Theme II Bachelor of
Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery and presenting on electronic resources to the
Faculty’s Curriculum Committee.
Develop academic staff and students’ information literacy
An Information Literacy Librarian was appointed, providing much needed leadership following an extended vacancy. This position works closely with the Learning Skills Manager to consolidate and integrate information literacy and learning skills into curricula. Two information days provided forums for librarians and learning skills advisers to share skills, knowledge and experiences.
At the recommendation of librarians, user focus groups were held and other stakeholders consulted to develop a preferred name for external communication regarding information literacy. The new name of
"Information Research Skills" was launched mid year.
An Information Research Skills web page was developed, complementing the Learning Skills web page.
Interim modifications to the Library’s information literacy and learning skills evaluation processes were made, in anticipation of further work in this area with the appointment of the Information Literacy Librarian and Learning Skills Manager.
Increasingly, information research skills programs are being developed and implemented jointly with learning skills programs and embedded into curricula at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The revised first year Bachelor of Business curriculum was implemented at Caulfield campus, in which information research and learning skills are embedded. The Matheson Business and Economics librarian and learning skills adviser taught information research and learning skills in the first year marketing program at Clayton. The Faculty of Law Research and Writing Unit was finalised and implemented in semester 2, with librarians and learning skills advisers teaching into the unit. A program for honours students in the Faculty of Art and Design was developed and implemented by a librarian and learning skills adviser at the Caulfield Library. Information research skills were embedded in the Archaeology course at Clayton and Caulfield and learning skills into the first year Biological Sciences unit at Clayton.
Improve help services
The project to review service
points commenced late in 2008 with the appointment of a project manager and
project team representing all areas of client services. Following an extensive
literature review and data gathering, principles were established and working
groups identified. Enabling technologies are being examined and the functional
relationships between service points will be mapped by these working groups.
Recommendations and an implementation plan will be developed in 2009.
Outcomes of the 2006 Review of Library Self-Help
Publications included a review of database quick start guides, which resulted in
a web gallery of updated and simplified guides for users. This and the
accompanying printed guides will be evaluated in first semester 2009. Several
recommendations were identified for further action through the Resource
Discovery Project. Online chat and telephone help were operationalised and the
hours of both services were extended as a result. The future development of
these services will be addressed as part of the service points review.
A post implementation review of ask.monash was completed
in late 2007. In response to the review targeted and improved frequently asked
questions (FAQ) were developed, reducing the number of queries submitted and
improving the number of FAQ’s viewed. Roles and responsibilities were clarified
and all library generic email addresses were reviewed resulting in a number of
generic email addresses being
removed.
Promote the research strengths of the collection
Primary University-wide communication tools include Library News on the website and the General Library Committee. The Library’s Faculty Teams work in collaboration with faculties to build and promote research collections. Faculty Team Leaders are members of Faculty Boards and regularly present on topics of interest, including research collection developments. Contact librarians are also members of a range of other faculty committees, and contribute acquisitions content to Faculty newsletters. Work with faculties to provide support for teaching and research activities
The Education and Research Support Plans provided a framework and focus for the Library’s initiatives in these areas at a greater level of detail than the Strategic Plan. The Plans have been implemented across the Library and their role will be reviewed in 2009.
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