Unique & Distinctive Collections: a career opportunity

RLUK seeks to commission for the period of 12 months a Unique and Distinctive Collections (UDC) Project Manager (part-time, £35,000 at 1/5) to coordinate the implementation of the Unique and Distinctive Collections strand of the RLUK Strategic Plan 2011-2014. The officer will ideally be seconded from a research library, will have experience of working with unique and distinctive collections, and be confident working in an academic environment.

This is an exciting, rare opportunity to conduct research, analysis and outreach in the context of some of the finest collections in the UK and Ireland, with impact both at home and internationally.

Job Description and Person Specification:

http://www.rluk.ac.uk/content/rluk-seeks-fill-unique-and-distinctive-collections-project-manager-post

The deadline for applications is 1 September 2011.

Any queries should initially be addressed to:

Mike Mertens
Deputy Director
RLUK
Email: mike.mertens@rluk.ac.uk

The Future Shape of Higher Education in Wales

In March 2011, the Minister for Education and Skills asked the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW) to provide him with advice on the structure of the higher education sector in Wales. In June, the Council submitted its report, which sets out very clear recommendations for the future of the sector.

 

Start of consultation: 13/07/2011

End of consultation: 05/10/2011

The need for universities with the capacity and critical mass to operate dynamically, effectively and efficiently is a long-established part of the Welsh Government’s policy for higher education.  For Our Future, our higher education strategy for Wales, identified the need for radical change in the shape, structure and provision of higher education.  

HEFCW’s sets out very clear recommendations for the reconfiguration of the higher education sector in Wales.  Representations from stakeholders and the public on these recommendations will be sought over the course of the summer. These will inform any decisions on the most appropriate structure for the sector in the future.

We would like to invite you to send us your views on HEFCW’s proposals.  In particular, we would like you to consider the following questions:

Question 1: What are your views on the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales’ (HEFCW’s) report, Future Structure of Universities in Wales?

Question 2:  Do you have any comments on the report’s proposals relating to specific higher education institutions?

Question 3: We have asked two specific questions. If you have any related issues which we have not specifically addressed, please use the space below to report these.

How to respond

Please submit your comments by 05 October 2011, in any of the following ways:

Email

HEPolicy@wales.gsi.gov.uk

Post

HE Policy Team
Welsh Government
Ffynon Las
Tŷ Glas Avenue
Llanishen, Cardiff
CF83 8WT

See the Welsh Government website for related documents.

Funding council re-affirms case for Welsh mergers

13 July 2011

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=416836&c=1

Plans to merge Welsh universities to cut the total number of institutions from 10 to six have been backed by the education minister Leighton Andrews.

Mr Andrews said today that a detailed report published by the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales outlining a shakeup of the sector made a “persuasive case for change” and he accepted the “the broad thrust” of the recommendations.

The report recommends that the University of Glamorgan, University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, and University of Wales, Newport, should merge.

University of Wales Trinity Saint David and Swansea Metropolitan University will also come together, possibly also merging into the federal University of Wales.

Aberystwyth and Bangor universities have also been told to “develop a longer-term plan for merger”.

The Hefcw report accuses Welsh universities of being too numerous and too small.

Last December, Mr Andrews told Welsh universities to “adapt or die” and Hefcw has already said that the number of institutions should shrink from 10 to six, with no more than two in each region of the country.

Trinity Saint David and Swansea Metropolitan have been in talks since the beginning of the year, although the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, pulled out of talks to join them earlier this month.

Since February, Bangor and Aberystwyth have been talking about a closer partnership, although John Hughes, Bangor’s vice-chancellor, said that they were too far apart to merge.

Glyndŵr University has been asked to develop “strong structural relationships with a range of further education colleges within a group structure led by Aberystwyth and Bangor.”

The report also suggests that Glyndŵr could share services with nearby University of Chester.

The Hefcw report also acknowledges that arguments over Welsh universities are far from new. “Debate on the structure of the higher education sector in Wales dates back to 1406, when Owain Glyndŵr sought support from the King of France for the rebellion against the English and for a plan to create two universities in Wales,” it says.

UCISA 2012

Just to note that UCISA is coming to Wales next year (for the first time) to Celtic Manor, Newport for their Annual Management Conference.

14 March 2012   -   16 March 2012
The premier IT event for UK universities and colleges.

As usual, the Conference will address your top concerns, provide an opportunity to consult with your peers and valued partners and, over three focused days, provide the best value consultancy you can get.

The provision of sustainable services continues to be a challenge in the sector and will be the theme for this year’s Conference.  The Conference will build on the foundations of strong human, financial and environmental sustainability identified during the discussions in Edinburgh last year to consider the future role of IT services in universities and colleges.

The programme includes a wide range of Business and University Showcases. In parallel, we will be hosting the largest supplier exhibition for our sector with 60+ key partners and suppliers to the UCISA community.  We hope the exhibitors will also take an active part in the programme sessions, thereby enhancing the opportunities for all to exchange information and do business.

http://www.ucisa.ac.uk/en/groups/acog/Events/2012/conference2012.aspx

OCLC Research and RLUK to survey special collections and archives in research libraries within the UK and Ireland

OCLC Research and Research Libraries UK are working together on a project to gather data on special collections in research libraries in the UK and Ireland. The project is similar to a project conducted by OCLC Research in 2009 that gathered data on special collections in the United States and Canada.

The distinction that special collections bring to research institutions has become widely recognized, and an aggregated profile of collections, access policies, users, adoption of new technologies, and other important topics will establish norms across the UK special collections community. The data will effectively support decision-making for strategic priorities and collaborative projects. Individual libraries will be able to place themselves in the context of community norms and consider taking appropriate actions in response.

For the full press release: http://www.oclc.org/news/releases/2011/201139.htm

UWIC no longer involved in ‘super university’ plan

Plans to form a new “super university” in Wales appear to be dead in the water.

The University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC) said it was “no longer a participant” in merger discussions to establish a new University of Wales.

Last Saturday, the body representing universities, Higher Education Wales, recommended a reduction in the number of Welsh universities.

The body said Wales would benefit from fewer but stronger universities and the new approach would mean “further reconfiguration of the university sector”.

This may mean the number of universities falls from 10 to six and signalled there would be no super-university of Wales.

Swansea Metropolitan and Trinity Saint David in Carmarthen and Lampeter are already looking towards a merger.

UWIC is expected to look towards a parnership with another institution in south east Wales.

More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-14021089

Vacancy – Head of Library Archives and Learning Resources, Bangor University

Please see the link below for the re- advertised post at Bangor for a Head of Library Archives and Learning Resources.

See http://www.bangor.ac.uk/corporate/vacancies/home.php.en?jobdetails=1&reference=11-10/169R&category2=Academic for details of the post, which are the same as last time but with different language requirements.

Launch of the Welsh Information Literacy Framework

We are delighted to announce the launch of the Welsh Information Literacy Framework.

The Framework illustrates how learners’ information literacy develops throughout education, offering suggested learning outcomes for information literacy from entry level through to doctorates. The structure of the levels has been inspired by the recently revised SCONUL Seven Pillars core model and is aligned with both the Welsh Skills Framework for 3-19 year olds in Wales and the Credit and Qualifications Framework for Wales (CQFW).  We are now in the process of working with Agored Cymru to develop accredited units in information literacy for each level up to and including level 4.

The Framework can be viewed on the project website at http://library.wales.org/information-literacy/national-information-literacy-framework/, or at http://library.wales.org/cy/llythrennedd-gwybodaeth/national-information-literacy-framework/ for those preferring to read it in Welsh.

Thank you to those of you who contributed to the public consultation, which was open from March 19th to April 26th 2011 and so helped shape this final document.  Our thanks too, to Agored Cymru and the CQFW for their invaluable input, and to the Welsh Assembly who are supporting and funding the project.

University leaders back ‘fewer but stronger’ institutions

Wales’ university leaders have agreed to a new “strategic approach” that they believe will bring about fewer, but stronger higher education institutions.

A firm commitment by vice-chancellors to work collaboratively marks a watershed in the sector’s long history, with university mergers now inevitable.

In a statement released today by representative body Higher Education Wales, university leaders confirm a new approach is “essential” and they will drive forward plans to halve the number of Welsh universities.

Read more: http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2011/07/02/university-leaders-back-fewer-but-stronger-institutions-91466-28980708/