HEFCW announces settlement for individual HEIs

The Higher Education Funding Council for Wales has announced how £377.1 million of funding for higher education in Wales will be allocated in the academic year (AY) 2011/12.

All its funding will be committed according to priorities in For our Future, the Welsh Assembly Government’s strategy for higher education, which includes:

•Widening access to higher education

•Supporting part-time students

•Supporting a buoyant economy through innovation and engagement activities

•Strengthening research performance

•Developing Welsh medium provision in universities

•Encouraging the development of collaboration in regions in order to strengthen support for local learners and employers.

Reflecting the priorities above, HEFCW will distribute £336.7 million teaching and research funding to universities and colleges in Wales, compared to £361.3 million from the previous academic year.

Overall, there will be 4.6% cut in funding with funding for teaching falling by 8.4%. For individual HEIs, the overall impact of the funding changes ranges from a cut of 8.9% to an increase of 16.7%.

There is a good summary in the press release.

Full details of the announcement can be found here:
W11/12HE: Strategic Implementation Allocations 2011/12
This circular sets out HEFCW’s overall budget distribution for the academic year 2011/12, including individual institutional allocations for teaching and research.

Library Excellence award for SHEDL

Sheila Cannell, Director of Library Services of Edinburgh University, accepted on behalf of SCURL a Library Excellence award for SHEDL as a Shared Services initiative supporting Higher Education in Scotland.  The ceremony was held in the Scottish Parliament and the award was presented by Christine May, Chair of the Scottish Library and Information Council, and also MSP Peter Peacock. 

 The attached image is of the SCURL SHEDL Steering Group whose commitment and energy to SHEDL is a positive reflection to collaborative procurement. SHEDL is now entering the third phase with access to online content of more than 1877 specialist publications from the American Chemical Society, Berg, Cambridge University Press, Edinburgh University Press, Intellect, Portico, Project Muse, and Springer.

Data has proven that online usage of the content made available by SHEDL has significantly outperformed the UK average with an increase in access of 41% from 2008 to 2009*    This indicates better value for the financial investment by the participants in SHEDL for Scotland’s users of Higher Education Institutions.

* E-only scholarly journals: overcoming the barriers. RIN. 2010.

The value of libraries for research and researchers

This jointly commissioned RIN and RLUK report presents the findings of a systematic study of the value of the services that libraries in the UK provide to researchers, and of the contributions that libraries from a wide range of institutions make to institutional research performance. The aim was to identify the key characteristics of library provision to support research in successful UK universities and departments.

Libraries are changing and the value they provide will change too. This project has provided a snapshot of libraries based on current evidence, as the sector begins a period of turbulent change. The need to demonstrate value will endure should not be underestimated. Arguing the case for libraries may get harder as the traditional role of libraries in providing access to content – the role most frequently mentioned and valued by researchers and senior managers – continues to become less visible.

The findings are summarised in the form of map which sets out the key characteristics and behaviours of libraries, and the links between them and the performance of individual researchers and institutions. Libraries have changed and are changing, developing new roles and services. The detailed findings are presented in the form of ten stories, about the different kinds of value that libraries provide in supporting both individual researchers and the research performance of their host institutions. 

http://www.rin.ac.uk/our-work/using-and-accessing-information-resources/value-libraries-research-and-researchers

Hoffi Coffi

Hoffi Coffi, Swansea University’s Welsh library cafe, was officially launched by journalist and broadcaster Huw Edwards. He also unveiled a mural in the cafe – a tribute poem to his father, Hywel Teifi Edwards, written by Tudur Hallam, Professor of Welsh at Swansea University.

Read more at: http://www.swansea.ac.uk/news_centre/LatestNews/NewcafeahubforWelshspeakers.php

It was reported on the news at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/welsh/hi/newsid_9420000/newsid_9426800/9426829.stm and

http://www.s4c.co.uk/clic/e_level2.shtml?series_id=454513805 (at 12 minutes in)

And in print at: http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/news/Huw-s-beans-Welsh-coffee-shop-honouring-father/article-3345541-detail/article.html

SMU Library Blog

Check out the excellent library blog from Swansea Metropolitan University: http://smulibraryblog.blogspot.com/

Launch of Theses Collection Wales

In February the Welsh Repository Network held a launch event for ‘ Theses Collection Wales‘. The collection allows users to view both electronic and paper copies of theses and dissertations from every Higher Education Institution (HEI) in Wales through a dedicated catalogue.

Screen shot of ‘Theses Collection Wales’

The Theses Collection Wales includes approximately 50,000 theses and dissertations which have been presented for postgraduate degrees in Welsh HEIs. The collection comprises theses and dissertations arising from PhD and research Masters degrees, as well as taught Masters dissertations which have a Welsh interest or have gained a distinction.

Participants at the launch

 

The vast majority of the current collection is in paper format, but electronic deposit is becoming increasingly common. Through the WRN every HEI in Wales has developed an institutional repository to store and provide online access to their research output, including electronic theses and dissertations – more commonly referred to as ‘e-theses’. In 2009 the NLW and the WRN began work on the ‘e-theses harvesting service.’ This service enabled the NLW to collect, through harvesting, copies of the full-text e-theses and to provide continued access to them through preservation management.

 

 The project team

Anyone may search Theses Collection Wales but to access the resources within the collection it is necessary to register as a NLW reader. This will enable you to request to view a print copy of a thesis in the Library Reading Rooms or alternatively to view and download an e-thesis within the catalogue.

All of the electronic PhD theses that have been collected by the NLW from participating institutions will be further harvested by the British Library’s EThOS service. EThOS aims to provide access to all theses produced by UK higher education. For more information regarding EThOS visit http://ethos.bl.uk/

The presentations delivered during the event are now available online - find them on the WRN blog at http://welshrepositorynetwork.blogspot.com/2011/02/launch-of-theses-collection-wales.html 

Thanks to WRN for the text and the photos.

HEFCW annual remit letter from the Welsh Assembly Government

HEFCW is an Assembly Government Sponsored Body. They receive an annual remit letter from the Welsh Assembly Government showing work areas for the following year to be delivered through the funding they are allocated.

The 2011-12 Remit Letter from the Welsh Assembly Government is now available on the HEFCW website:
http://www.hefcw.ac.uk/about_he_in_wales/wag_priorities_and_policies/annual_remit_letter_hefcw.aspx

CILIP Cymru – Welsh Libraries, Archives and Museums Conference – booking now

A link to the online booking for the CILIP Cymru Wales Conference:
http://lyrisweb.cilip.org.uk/t/165382/29514/7615/0/

Please note early bird booking at a reduced rate – if you book by 31 March.

It’s a really excellent programme this year together with a very full trade exhibition.

Thursday’s programme includes speakers Phil Bradley and Anne Hannaford. Anne is Director of Information and Learning Services, University of Worcester and will be talking about The Hive at Worcester, the first fully integrated Public and University Library. Phil Bradley needs no introduction – his presentation is entitled Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey Stuff; service development outside the Tardis! There will also be a workshop on bidding for EU funds. Cathie Jackson and Joy Head will be talking about Making Wales an information literate nation -an example of cross sector (LIS) collaboration.

Friday’s programme includes Making your numbers count! How to win funds and influence people with your statistics with Dave Pattern, Library Systems Manager, University of Huddersfield. Annie Mauger, the new CEO of CILIP, will be talking about a new direction for CILIP. Shared services and mergers will be addressed by Sally Wilkinson and Mark Hughes: Can 2 become 1?  Lessons from the coal face of library mergers in Wales and Shared Services and systems in Wales, where we are and where we go next. There will also be workshops for new professionals and a careers clinic.

Limited number of FREE places for Library and Information Students in Wales, see website for details.

Finally … An excellent opportunity for 3 people with IT experience to attend the full conference for FREE.
We need 3 IT confident people to help during the conference; in return you will be offered a free full delegate place at the conference, including travel costs and accommodation. To register interest, please e-mail Mandy Powell at mdp@aber.ac.uk

More information from Mandy Powell:
E-bost / Email          mdp@aber.ac.uk and mandy.powell@cilip.org.uk
Y We / Website         http://lyrisweb.cilip.org.uk/t/165382/29514/2172/0/

UC&R Wales event – The changing face of library catalogues: new OPAC developments

Karl Drinkwater has written a very useful summary of the event on his blog at http://blogs.rsc-wales.ac.uk/lr/2011/03/11/the-changing-face-of-library-catalogues-new-opac-developments/

You can see what was discussed and follow the links to the wide selection of tools and products discussed on the day.