HEFCW funding

Higher education funding announced For our Future
24 March 2010

A new fund has been established for universities to realise the goals of For our Future, the Welsh Assembly Government’s twenty-first century strategy for higher education, the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW) has announced.

The announcement was made as HEFCW confirmed that higher education (HE) in Wales would receive grant allocations of £403 million, excluding capital funding, in the 2010/11 academic year.

http://www.hefcw.ac.uk/news/press_releases/press_releases.aspx

Other documents: Breakdown of funding 

Funding comparison between 2009/10 and 2010/11

W10/10HE: Recurrent Grant 2010/11
This circular sets out how the HEFCW’s recurrent grant for teaching, postgraduate research training and research quality for the academic year 2010/11, including some elements of the Strategic Implementation Fund, is to be distributed overall and to individual institutions.
24 March 2010
http://www.hefcw.ac.uk/documents/publications/circulars/circulars_2010/W10%2010HE%20Recurrent%20Grant%202010_11.pdf

Creating a new university in Wales

An event held at the House of Commons on 23 March saw the launch of the vision for a new university in Wales.

The University of Wales Trinity Saint David will be created by the University of Wales Lampeter and Trinity University College, and already the development has secured a £14.3 million government funding package via the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW).

Secretary of State Peter Hain said:
“The proposed University of Wales Trinity St David, bringing together two of Wales’ oldest institutions, will strengthen Higher Education provision in West Wales. It will provide a dynamic environment in which students can thrive. The University’s vision is pioneering - and will see the institution continuing to attract students from across Wales, the UK and the rest of the World. I would like to wish the University all the best for the future, as they play a key role in ensuring that Wales’ higher education system meets the needs of the 21st century.”

Read more at: http://www.trinity-cm.ac.uk/en/news/pressreleases/name_7128_en.asp

Document Delivery in Wales – Moving On

FIL Document Supply Workshop
Wednesday 12^th May 2010
10.30 a.m. – 3.15 p.m.

To be held at:
MRC Wales-The Media Resource Centre, Llandrindod Wells
http://www.mrc-wales.net/index.htm

An Exchange of Experience Workshop
An opportunity to share good practice, discuss problems and network with like-minded colleagues from across Wales.

Programme

10.30 Arrival and coffee

10.45 Welcome and introductions

11.00  CatCymru and Welsh ILLs: A Roundup of Recent Developments – Alyson Tyler (CyMAL)

11.30   Welsh ILLs and the SWAP scheme: A Public Library Perspective – Julie Clement & Grainne Forde, Swansea Public Library

12.00 British Library Update presented by Peter Robinson 

1.00   Networking Lunch

2.00   Open discussion section:
Some things we’ll talk about: Marketing Digital Services @ Bangor / From ILLOS to Relais @ Swansea / Have you developed a collaborative support network? / What changes are you experiencing; coping with possible funding cuts?

3.15   Close

Cost - Free to FIL members, refreshments and lunch included, non-members £30
(Annual FIL Institutional Membership is only £50 http://www.cilip.org.uk/groups/fil/contact.html )

Registration: Places limited to 25

Car Parking available at the venue with potential lift sharing from Swansea/Cardiff/Aberystwyth/Bangor.

Contact c.rauter@swansea.ac.uk or mflancaster@uwic.ac.uk for more information.

E-books exchange of experience – Friday 5th March

WHELF organised this event at UWIC in Cardiff as an opportunity for librarians in Wales to share their experiences of e-books.

In the morning, librarians from three of the universities (Swansea University, UWIC, Cardiff University) talked about their e-book collections.

Karl Drinkwater has a good summary of the ensuing discussion on his blog - this includes the issue of publicity for e-books and many of the good ideas which were suggested.

In the afternoon Karl gave two presentations, a short one on the E-books for FE Project, and a long one on E-book Readers and their potential uses for libraries. If you are interested in the latter subject then he has written an article on it which should appear in the next issue of SCONUL Focus.

Finally, Sue Mace gave a short presentation on the WHELF deal with NetLibrary (shorter than expected because of the fire alarm and subsequent evacuation of the building!) This also included a brief overview of  the NOWAL NetLibrary deal. The November 2009 presentation by Sue Hodges, Consortial E-books – Skeleton in the Cupboard or White Elephant? can be viewed online at: http://www.nag.org.uk/documents/NAGNoWALpresentation26Nov2009Sue.ppt

 

The next steps include a survey of e-book collections and suppliers being used in Wales and a decision regarding the WHELF NetLibrary deal.

Hard Times, service survival through innovation

Welsh Libraries Archives and Museums Conference 13 – 14 May 2010
Venue: The Metropole Hotel, Llandrindod Wells

Visit the Cilip Cymru Wales website for Conference 2010 information and booking forms
www.cilip.org.uk/get-involved/regional-branches/wales-cymru/about

Including:

Plenary sessions from:
Jonathan Michener, Futurologist
Gary Amos, Library and Archive Manager, Orkney Library and Archive
Jack Latimer, Creative Director, Community Sites and founder of the award winning My Brighton and Hove community heritage website

Workshop taster sessions on Research in practice and Teaching information literacy skills.

Trade Exhibition

Seminar topics including A survivors guide to hard times, biding for funding and income generation and Project management on a budget

Plus conference dinner, excellent networking opportunities and much more.

New Head of Learning Resources for Trinity Saint David

Congratulations to Sally Wilkinson who has been appointed as Head of Learning Resources for the new institution which will be formed between Lampeter and Trinity from 1 Aug 2010 (University of Wales: Trinity Saint David)

Sally’s remit is: to provide strategic guidance and leadership across the range of learning and research resources.  The post holder will have the overall responsibility for strategic planning, leadership, development and operational management across the full range of activities in relation to the provision of library, learning and research resource systems and services across the University.

The role also has responsibilities for learning technologies such as technology enhanced learning as well as information literacy.

Rare and antiquarian books to remain in Wales

A collection of 14,000 rare and antiquarian library books, some dating from the late 15^th century, are being saved for future generations to enjoy. A joint initiative between Cardiff Council, Cardiff University, the Welsh Assembly Government, and the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW) has secured the books’ future at Cardiff University.

The collection will be held at Cardiff University’s Arts and Social Studies Library on Colum Drive, within Cardiff University’s Special Collections and Archives (SCOLAR).

Once conservation work has been carried out on the collection, members of the public will be able to access it by asking for a visitor pass from the entrance to the Library. In time they will also be able to view digitised versions of some of the most interesting works on the internet.

The collection is of enormous historical and academic value, including examples of some of the earliest printed books from around 1500, through to special press books produced in the early 20th century.

http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/news/articles/investment-secures-rare-book-collection.html

Smarter Greener Learning

Date: Thursday 29 April 2010 10.00am – 4.00pm
Venue: Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff

Benefits of attending this conference
This conference brings the latest strategic thinking and practical advice to managers in post-16 education to help them accelerate their implementation of sustainable business practices. “Smarter Greener Learning” will inform management decision-making and support the Welsh Assembly Government’s sustainable development and ESDGC agendas by:

- developing an understanding of resource and energy use across the institution

- discussing findings from the JISC Greening ICT Programme in a context relevant to strategic managers in post-16 education

- encouraging the sharing of good practice in IT and ICT management

- enabling networking with staff in a variety of roles and sectors across Wales

Who should attend?
This event is aimed at managers and other personnel in post-16 education who are responsible for: IT procurement; network management; estates; energy management; e-learning/technology enhanced learning; learning spaces; ESDGC.

Further details of programme
The programme will focus on practical, down-to-earth advice, including case studies from Wales and beyond.

- Opening keynote from Rob Bristow talking about JISC’s “Greening ICT” programme
- Optional sessions include examples of interesting practice and new thinking in the following areas, with speakers from colleges and universities:

* green computing
* green power management
* sustainable, technology-rich learning spaces

Speakers include: Richard Everett (CIBSE IBG Group), David Round (Bangor University) and Ruth Thornton and Amanda Heal (Cardiff University). A full programme will be circulated later in March.

Booking information
Further details and online booking are available at
http://admin.rsc-wales.ac.uk/booking/booking_form.asp?eid=541

The closing date is 19 April 2010 but early booking is advised.

For booking enquiries please contact events@rsc-wales.ac.uk

This event is available free thanks to funding from JISC.

Watch this Space : making library buildings fit for purpose

Date: 21st May 2010
Location: Y Cwad @ Trinity University College, Carmarthen.

10 am : Arrive & Coffee/Tea/Welsh Cakes
10.25 : Welcome : Alison Harding (Trinity University College) 
10.30 – 11.15 : Sally Wilkinson (Trinity University College)  
11.15 – 12 noon : Sonja Haerkoenen & Vicky Stallard (Cardiff University)
12 noon : UC & R Wales AGM – All welcome  
 
12.30 – 1.30 : Lunch (not provided) 

There are catering facilities on Campus:
Merlin Restaurant, Students Union & Starbucks (Y Cwad).

1.30 – 2 pm : Alison Scanlon (Swansea Metropolitan University)  
2 pm – 2.45 pm : Katrina Dalziel & Lori Havard (Swansea University)
2.45 – 3 pm : Plenary & Coffee/Tea
 
3 pm : Depart 

To reserve a place contact: Alison Harding
T: 01267 676786 / 676781
e: a.harding@trinity-cm.ac.uk

Directions and Campus Maps are available @
http://www.trinity-cm.ac.uk/en/theuniversity/.

Parking is Pay & Display.

Please note Y Cwad is located @ No. 5 on the Map @
http://www.trinity-cm.ac.uk/en/media/uni/content/docs/estates/maps/Map_-_Campws.pdf

The economic downturn and libraries

A global survey of the world’s academic and research libraries reveals that two thirds of institutions expect to cut spending on information resources in the next two years. http://www.ucl.ac.uk/infostudies/research/ciber/charleston-survey.pdf