Sharing services

A successful bid by WHELF to CyMAL: Museums Archives Libraries Wales has funded a feasibility study into shared library management systems. This is seen as a potential area to drive further collaboration and forms a key part of the WHELF Action Plan 2011-13. Our strategic vision for the “Sharing Library Services Programme” is to enable access to the collective resources and services of a virtual academic library for Wales.

Our ambition is that the Programme will have direct impacts on individual learners and/or citizens, learning institutions and Wales as a vibrant knowledge economy;

• Individuals will be able to exploit the shared services delivered directly to them,
• learning institutions (across the sectoral boundaries) will find it easier to collaborate for learning, teaching and research and
• Wales will have a visible platform for access to knowledge within & to Welsh businesses as well as showcasing the knowledge created in Wales to economic and political partners.

The HEIDS Shared IT Services Study

Above Campus IT Services for Scottish Universities and Colleges – A Shared Road Map for Local Benefit and Collective Opportunity.
http://www.heids.ac.uk/reports/
July 2011

This study has established the feasibility of a collaborative approach by Scottish higher and further education institutions to a phased adoption of Above Campus IT Services. A range of possibilities associated with such services and their potential benefits has been identified and a framework is proposed for the SFC or institutions to take action and allocate appropriate investments and resources. Seven priority opportunities, some for early wins others with a focus on longer term gains, have been identified, situated in a coherent Road Map and proposals are made for progressing these.

UC&R events in Wales

9th March 2011
The changing face of library catalogues: new OPAC developments
Aberystwyth University

To focus on implementation and user perspective.

Presentations will include: Encore (Bangor University), Primo (Aberystwyth University), Meta Lib (Glamorgan University), VuFind (Swansea University) and WorldCat Local at Trinity St David University.

4th May 2011
Reaching out to our users – enhancing library communication using technology
UC&R Wales AGM at Cardiff University.

To include Virtual Librarian project (chat reference service) from Cardiff University; QuestionPoint from the National Library of Wales; Text Tools from Trinity St David University and Aberystwyth University – remote assistance for students from the library.

More details will be available soon.

For further information, contact: Elizabeth Kensler Rheolwr Gwasanaethau Cwsmeriaid / Customer Services Manager Adran Gwasanaethau’r Llyfrgell / Library Services Division Gwasanaethau Gwybodaeth / Information Services Prifysgol Aberystwyth University Aberystwyth SY23 3DZ Tel : 01970 621848 Email: eak@aber.ac.uk

SCONUL report on shared services on HELibTech: meeting 19th May

The HEFCE funded SCONUL report on ‘Shared Services’ is available to download on the Higher Education Library Technology (HELibTech) website.

A meeting is being held in London on 19th May to explore the study’s findings and proposals.

For more information and also a short article on Shared Services in general go to the HELibTech ‘Shared Services’ page: http://helibtech.com/Shared+Services You are welcome to edit the page and to join in the discussion started by SCONUL.

HELibTech contains a wealth of information about library technology. (See LGLibTech http://lglibtech.wikispaces.com/  for information on Local Government Library Technology-public libraries ).

‘Shared Services’ is one of the ‘Specific Themes’ listed on the HELibTech home page http://helibtech.com/ Other themes are Open Source and RFID. You are welcome to add others.