The day by day weekly summary has become, temporarily, a week by week monthly summary as time to reflect during the first few weeks of semester is scarce.
Added to the usual frenetic activity has been continuing work on the process of procuring a new Library Management Platform (LMP). During September there was scoring and evaluating of tenders and then recently there have been demonstrations by suppliers which again need scoring and consensus scoring. It has been a lot of work with working groups, internal and external groups and meetings and a lot of concentration. But it has been very interesting especially the involvement with other institutions and universities as part of SCURL to create a framework for using in the future. The process around tendering has been interesting too and it is good experience.
Anyhow, back to the beginning of Semester which went well. We had the usual situation when some changes and improvements especially to do with the building were only ready at the last minute but everything was ready. We had a stock relegation programme in place over the summer which involved clearing a lot of unused paper journals and this has created extra study spaces. We've also gained another room for silent study so increased our study space by approx 70 seats.
Our new Principal visited the library on Monday 7th September along with other invited staff and everything went according to plan - a successful afternoon and it was a great opportunity to show off all the good work and the good service we provide.
http://informs.hw.ac.uk/2015/09/08/the-principals-visit-to-the-library/
Semester began on 14th September and we were busy with enquiries right from the start. We get a lot of IT related enquiries in the first couple of weeks mainly about passwords, WiFi and email. Basically students want to get set up to access the university system as quickly as possible preferably on numerous devices. All the information is online but many still prefer to come to the library IT help desk for face to face help, advice and assistance so it is good that we provide online self help, telephone, email and personal help.
Library related changes have involved the short term loans (3hr loans) and reserved books. There has been a major change with these in that they used to be kept behind the Service Desk and issued by staff but we now have them on open shelving near the self issue kiosks and students can access them themselves at anytime 24/7. We are monitoring the situation as we go along but we haven't had any major problems so far (despite concerns by some staff). The system is not perfect but can be modified if need be once we have reviewed it at the end of the semester. I'm confident that it is going to work...
24/7 opening of the library started at the beginning of semester and will continue up until 18th December. It is now established that we are open 24/7 for all of semester time and revert to 9-5 during holidays.
Other things:
Lapsafe lockers for students to charge their laptops
New rota for Service Desk staff in order to get a better insight into use of staff resource
Room booking software for study rooms still going well and can be accessed from OPAC machines so easier for students to use.
Change Advisory Board is still proving useful for keeping up to date with communicating changes.
We had a good visit from Edinburgh City Libraries showcasing their ebooks, emagazines etc. and lots of students signed up so that was interesting and a great collaboration.
Social media updates continuing and I've been doing stuff for ELISA and CSGUK but that's another story.
Showing posts with label information services. Show all posts
Showing posts with label information services. Show all posts
Wednesday, 21 October 2015
Friday, 14 August 2015
Student views about using the library and IT help #libraries #IThelp #feedback
At the UCISA SS15 conference, one of the sessions was a presentation by a student, Emma Anderson, from the University of Leeds. The presentation was entitled 'It's not just Facebook and Twitter. How students use technology in their everyday lives'. It was an insightful account of the student experience and interesting from our point of view, as 'providers' of the service as to how it is interpreted and used which is not always how we anticipate that it is going to be accessed.
I blogged about the presentation here http://bit.ly/1LbG9aV
As providers and developers of the service whether it be a IT helpdesk service or library service or any student facing service in a university, we aim to maintain a complete and coherent physical and online facility that serves all parts of the student journey and experience. From a students perspective, they want to dip in and out and take what they need, where and when they need it - to take the parts that are relevant to them whether it be a online resource or a study space.
The interesting areas to look at further are concerned with number of devices, what different devices are used for, that a variety of devices are needed, that study spaces need power and space and that social media is a small part of studying but a large part of life.
I drafted a survey which was based on these areas and tested it out on three students (not from Heriot-Watt University but 2nd/3rd year UG students). I asked them a series of questions based on Library and IT Help Services and facilities. I asked them to answer for the particular institution they had attended but it was not intended as a reflection of a particular University, rather their experience of university life. It was carried out in a fairly informal setting and included some ad hoc answers and information.
Q1 Do you know how to contact the IT Helpdesk at your University e.g. if your email wasn't working or a password needed changing
A1. No, would go to library service desk
A2 Looked up information online
A3 Yes, have office at back of library. Also can search website for email or telephone contact
Q2 - In the Library building - what are the 3 most important things that the library provides?
A1. PCs, books, study space
A2. Study space, PC, printing
A3. PC, printing, cafe/food area
Q3 - What sort of study space do you prefer to use or that you would like to see available?
A1. PC desk space, comfy chair, be able to whisper to the person next to me. Also group space.
A2. Reading room, books, lots of desks, sit with friends but lots of space so don't feel crammed in and not people moving in and out of the room all the time.
A3. Sometimes PC, sometimes space with no computer but a power socket. Silent space e.g. alcove with partitions. Not enough group space to practice presentations.
The following question they just answered together in general
Q4 - How many devices do you use?
Have phone, ipad, laptop plus use PC
Sometimes if using PC for work then use iPad to look stuff up at same time i.e. research for essay
Don't often take laptop into Uni so need PC at Uni
Wouldn't use laptop and PC at same time but use either of these plus ipad or phone
Study spaces away from PCs need plug sockets for ipad
Sometimes print out lecture slides beforehand and annotate during lecture as this is easier than making notes and matching up afterwards
Q5 - What do you use the Library Service Desk for? What would you go and ask about?
A1. If can't find a book. Pay off fines.
A2 If can't find a book.
A3 To hand in lost property. Haven't had to ask about books as bought text books and look online.
Q6 - What about using Self Service issuing and return for books in library?
A1. Good as quicker and don't have to talk to library staff! Also said good in case the book is a reference book and so you wouldn't feel daft if the machine displays a message saying reference only rather than being told.
A2 Good as same system as at another library so knew how to use. Good as gives a receipt showing date of return.
A3 Quick and simple. Good for out of hours. Good for short loans.
Q7 - Communication - what do you think about receiving emails from the university?
A1 Just skim read. Has to be relevant to studies. Don't read if about general university wide matters.
A2 Has to be quick and urgent with a relevant subject line.
Q8 - Communication - using the portal for communication
They were all both positive about this and gave explanations of how it worked and what the interface looked like. They had a good understanding of how it worked and how to access their respective VLEs. They seemed to consider a VLE as perfectly acceptable and didn't want anything more sophisticated or snazzy. The main reason for using the portal was to access the VLE and to receive notifications.
Q9 - Should the university use Facebook for communicating with students?
No to Facebook - although there should be a university Facebook page and a Library one - so I think what they meant was they would like to be able to view a University Facebook but don't want to interact with staff or lecturers.
They used Facebook groups for collaboration with other students
e.g. Revision group
e.g. Group work - could use a Moodle forum but would have to log in so Facebook group easier and useful for chatting and making changes to presentations. Use with other students but not lecturers.
It was an interesting discussion and does reflect quite accurately some of the results we have had from quick surveys at Heriot-Watt Uni about the purpose of visiting the library and what facilities are the most important. It has given me some good ideas about surveys that can be carried out next semester especially with new students starting in September and also as part of customer service excellence.
I blogged about the presentation here http://bit.ly/1LbG9aV
As providers and developers of the service whether it be a IT helpdesk service or library service or any student facing service in a university, we aim to maintain a complete and coherent physical and online facility that serves all parts of the student journey and experience. From a students perspective, they want to dip in and out and take what they need, where and when they need it - to take the parts that are relevant to them whether it be a online resource or a study space.
The interesting areas to look at further are concerned with number of devices, what different devices are used for, that a variety of devices are needed, that study spaces need power and space and that social media is a small part of studying but a large part of life.
I drafted a survey which was based on these areas and tested it out on three students (not from Heriot-Watt University but 2nd/3rd year UG students). I asked them a series of questions based on Library and IT Help Services and facilities. I asked them to answer for the particular institution they had attended but it was not intended as a reflection of a particular University, rather their experience of university life. It was carried out in a fairly informal setting and included some ad hoc answers and information.
Q1 Do you know how to contact the IT Helpdesk at your University e.g. if your email wasn't working or a password needed changing
A1. No, would go to library service desk
A2 Looked up information online
A3 Yes, have office at back of library. Also can search website for email or telephone contact
Q2 - In the Library building - what are the 3 most important things that the library provides?
A1. PCs, books, study space
A2. Study space, PC, printing
A3. PC, printing, cafe/food area
Q3 - What sort of study space do you prefer to use or that you would like to see available?
A1. PC desk space, comfy chair, be able to whisper to the person next to me. Also group space.
A2. Reading room, books, lots of desks, sit with friends but lots of space so don't feel crammed in and not people moving in and out of the room all the time.
A3. Sometimes PC, sometimes space with no computer but a power socket. Silent space e.g. alcove with partitions. Not enough group space to practice presentations.
The following question they just answered together in general
Q4 - How many devices do you use?
Have phone, ipad, laptop plus use PC
Sometimes if using PC for work then use iPad to look stuff up at same time i.e. research for essay
Don't often take laptop into Uni so need PC at Uni
Wouldn't use laptop and PC at same time but use either of these plus ipad or phone
Study spaces away from PCs need plug sockets for ipad
Sometimes print out lecture slides beforehand and annotate during lecture as this is easier than making notes and matching up afterwards
Q5 - What do you use the Library Service Desk for? What would you go and ask about?
A1. If can't find a book. Pay off fines.
A2 If can't find a book.
A3 To hand in lost property. Haven't had to ask about books as bought text books and look online.
Q6 - What about using Self Service issuing and return for books in library?
A1. Good as quicker and don't have to talk to library staff! Also said good in case the book is a reference book and so you wouldn't feel daft if the machine displays a message saying reference only rather than being told.
A2 Good as same system as at another library so knew how to use. Good as gives a receipt showing date of return.
A3 Quick and simple. Good for out of hours. Good for short loans.
Q7 - Communication - what do you think about receiving emails from the university?
A1 Just skim read. Has to be relevant to studies. Don't read if about general university wide matters.
A2 Has to be quick and urgent with a relevant subject line.
Q8 - Communication - using the portal for communication
They were all both positive about this and gave explanations of how it worked and what the interface looked like. They had a good understanding of how it worked and how to access their respective VLEs. They seemed to consider a VLE as perfectly acceptable and didn't want anything more sophisticated or snazzy. The main reason for using the portal was to access the VLE and to receive notifications.
Q9 - Should the university use Facebook for communicating with students?
No to Facebook - although there should be a university Facebook page and a Library one - so I think what they meant was they would like to be able to view a University Facebook but don't want to interact with staff or lecturers.
They used Facebook groups for collaboration with other students
e.g. Revision group
e.g. Group work - could use a Moodle forum but would have to log in so Facebook group easier and useful for chatting and making changes to presentations. Use with other students but not lecturers.
It was an interesting discussion and does reflect quite accurately some of the results we have had from quick surveys at Heriot-Watt Uni about the purpose of visiting the library and what facilities are the most important. It has given me some good ideas about surveys that can be carried out next semester especially with new students starting in September and also as part of customer service excellence.
Monday, 20 July 2015
Using google forms for feedback
Using google forms is proving to be a quick and easy way of getting feedback from students who use our Edinburgh campus library. We have already been using them for recording quick, easily resolvable enquiries at the library service desk so decided to try them out last year for feedback.
Monday, 23 March 2015
Semester 2 More than half way...
Semester 2 - Week 10 or, in more general terms, Mid March or '2 months done 2 months to go' :)
Semesters as opposed to terms mean that it feels like a long haul between January and end of May - and it is a long time to keep going for 19 weeks. But then the summer. However, before anyone mentions that it is quiet in libraries and universities over the summer, it isn't - it is just a different rhythm and a different focus.
So, back to week 10. We're increasingly busy in the library building - we seem to have become the 'destination of choice' on campus and consistently have an occupancy of over 550 from 12 noon until late afternoon. If we count every single study space we possibly have, we have just 613 so there is a high demand for spaces. The noise levels have also been creeping up and our main floor which has the Service Desk , group spaces, study pods, individual study spaces, social learning seats and a cafe, has become a noisy hub of activity. We will continue like this until after Easter and then will re-introduce the 'Making the Most of the Space' initiative when we monitor the library learning space. The aims of the monitoring are to reduce noise levels in the library and also reduce the practice of students reserving spaces by leaving unattended items.
Our online booking system for individual and group study rooms is still in place and going well. Students have embraced the opportunity to book the rooms online in advance and the prime slots fill up quickly. We have a few improvements that we can make to the procedure and also we need to monitor how students are using the system - with the group rooms there is potential to book for more than the maximum 3 hours and we are relying on students being fair.
Collecting and collating statistics is ongoing. We are now in a situation where we are collecting most of the data that we need and can present it to those who need it. But we need to make it much more relevant and timely (more time needed to be timely....)
From a staffing point of view we have been busy with PDRs (Appraisals) and hopefully these are complete now. I have spent sometime looking at the objectives to make sure that staff in the Customer Services Team feel that the objectives are relevant to them. I need to map them to the action plan more effectively in order for staff to be clearer how they can work towards their objectives in a practical way.
Semesters as opposed to terms mean that it feels like a long haul between January and end of May - and it is a long time to keep going for 19 weeks. But then the summer. However, before anyone mentions that it is quiet in libraries and universities over the summer, it isn't - it is just a different rhythm and a different focus.
So, back to week 10. We're increasingly busy in the library building - we seem to have become the 'destination of choice' on campus and consistently have an occupancy of over 550 from 12 noon until late afternoon. If we count every single study space we possibly have, we have just 613 so there is a high demand for spaces. The noise levels have also been creeping up and our main floor which has the Service Desk , group spaces, study pods, individual study spaces, social learning seats and a cafe, has become a noisy hub of activity. We will continue like this until after Easter and then will re-introduce the 'Making the Most of the Space' initiative when we monitor the library learning space. The aims of the monitoring are to reduce noise levels in the library and also reduce the practice of students reserving spaces by leaving unattended items.
Our online booking system for individual and group study rooms is still in place and going well. Students have embraced the opportunity to book the rooms online in advance and the prime slots fill up quickly. We have a few improvements that we can make to the procedure and also we need to monitor how students are using the system - with the group rooms there is potential to book for more than the maximum 3 hours and we are relying on students being fair.
Collecting and collating statistics is ongoing. We are now in a situation where we are collecting most of the data that we need and can present it to those who need it. But we need to make it much more relevant and timely (more time needed to be timely....)
From a staffing point of view we have been busy with PDRs (Appraisals) and hopefully these are complete now. I have spent sometime looking at the objectives to make sure that staff in the Customer Services Team feel that the objectives are relevant to them. I need to map them to the action plan more effectively in order for staff to be clearer how they can work towards their objectives in a practical way.
Wednesday, 2 April 2014
Managing a 24/7 team and service
The Customer Services Team that I manage consists of daytime staff, evening staff and weekend staff some of whom are full-time and some are part-time, some are semester only and some all year round. There are lots of them and obviously they are never all here at the same time. In fact it is a feat of logistics to cover the service with so many variables.
This is not an unusual situation for libraries that are open evenings and weekends in an educational environment - more staffing and coverage is needed during term time as opposed to vacation time - I'm not sure how much it has changed over the years but I suspect not much. However as well as it being a result of historical arrangements, it is also very much a modern phenomenon. While we don't have any zero hours contracts we do have posts that are split to cover the hours when we need staff resource (Information Assistants). We are also open 24/7 during revision and exam time which is a response to student demand.
All in all there are approximately 35 members of staff in the Customer Services Team. The challenge is to provide a consistent service across the working teams and across the time frame.
Currently, as we are open 24/7, there are certain points in the day which are handover times and it is essential that this happens smoothly and effectively - and for the most part it does. There are certain people who are key to the process i.e. the Service Desk Supervisor, the Evening Assistant Librarians and it is also helped by the fact that most of the daytime Library Assistants are experienced and have been in post quite a long time. The Evening Assistant Librarians overlap by an hour with the Service Desk Supervisor, the 24/7 security staff overlap slightly with the Evening/Weekend staff to hand over late evening. The next morning the 24/7 security staff hand over to the daytime Library Assistants and so it continues.
The challenges arise when there is either something new or something that needs to change. When I first started in my role, one of my first thoughts was 'Who are all these people?' 'Why do they all work different hours and different days?' - none of it seemed consistent and in fact it wasn't. I had to create a spreadsheet to get an overview of what people do and as new people have been appointed, we have tried to match roles up with current ones while at the same time trying to update roles to match service need. A lot of the reasons for peoples hours are historical and based on need at the time and this will be reviewed. Although the aim is to provide a consistent service, the environment and demand is different on evenings and weekends than it is during day time hours so there has to be flexibility and the capacity to change.
Communication, as ever, is one of the greatest issues. On a practical basis, I had to consider how I was going to actually meet all the people in my team. I would have to work daytime, evening and weekends......and although I like my job, that wasn't one of my aims. In general I work 9.00 or 9.30 - 18.00 as this covers the 16.00 - 18.00 slot when daytime staff finish and evening staff start. Luckily some of the weekend staff work evenings as well so I get to see them. I rarely work weekends but have done so two or three times and so have met the weekend only staff. But how would it work if I was to meet up with all staff every week - it would be impossible and impractical on both sides? Obviously that is what the Service Desk Supervisor and Evening Assistant Librarians are for - to line mange the different sub teams and pass information up and down and I meet with them regularly.
However I do want contact with all of the staff. We have introduced team meetings and these happen on a rolling basis. One morning a week between 9.15 - 9.45 and repeated 9.45 - 10.15 (it has to run twice as the service desk has to be covered) and one evening a week working through the different days (a Monday one week, Tuesday the next etc.) . This should mean that everyone gets to attend a team meeting twice a month or at least once a month. I keep notes from the meeting and circulate them regularly adding new bits from each meeting if needed. I upload them to our Intranet site also.
I do use email quite a lot to communicate with the team as a whole and parts of the team - I try to filter it appropriately but also rely on them filtering what they don't need. I also email the Library Service Desk account so that anyone can pick up emails from there. It's not possible to get everyone in the same physical location at the same time but it is possible to have a team communication channel.
I am learning that with a large team it is not possible nor preferable to know everything that is going on although I often get situations when I think either 'Why did no-one tell me that' or 'I really don't need to know every detail of this'. Some staff want to interact more, some hardly ever. I always have an open door and try to spend time just chatting and engaging with people and picking up on the general vibe of what's happening.
This is not an unusual situation for libraries that are open evenings and weekends in an educational environment - more staffing and coverage is needed during term time as opposed to vacation time - I'm not sure how much it has changed over the years but I suspect not much. However as well as it being a result of historical arrangements, it is also very much a modern phenomenon. While we don't have any zero hours contracts we do have posts that are split to cover the hours when we need staff resource (Information Assistants). We are also open 24/7 during revision and exam time which is a response to student demand.
All in all there are approximately 35 members of staff in the Customer Services Team. The challenge is to provide a consistent service across the working teams and across the time frame.
Currently, as we are open 24/7, there are certain points in the day which are handover times and it is essential that this happens smoothly and effectively - and for the most part it does. There are certain people who are key to the process i.e. the Service Desk Supervisor, the Evening Assistant Librarians and it is also helped by the fact that most of the daytime Library Assistants are experienced and have been in post quite a long time. The Evening Assistant Librarians overlap by an hour with the Service Desk Supervisor, the 24/7 security staff overlap slightly with the Evening/Weekend staff to hand over late evening. The next morning the 24/7 security staff hand over to the daytime Library Assistants and so it continues.
The challenges arise when there is either something new or something that needs to change. When I first started in my role, one of my first thoughts was 'Who are all these people?' 'Why do they all work different hours and different days?' - none of it seemed consistent and in fact it wasn't. I had to create a spreadsheet to get an overview of what people do and as new people have been appointed, we have tried to match roles up with current ones while at the same time trying to update roles to match service need. A lot of the reasons for peoples hours are historical and based on need at the time and this will be reviewed. Although the aim is to provide a consistent service, the environment and demand is different on evenings and weekends than it is during day time hours so there has to be flexibility and the capacity to change.
Communication, as ever, is one of the greatest issues. On a practical basis, I had to consider how I was going to actually meet all the people in my team. I would have to work daytime, evening and weekends......and although I like my job, that wasn't one of my aims. In general I work 9.00 or 9.30 - 18.00 as this covers the 16.00 - 18.00 slot when daytime staff finish and evening staff start. Luckily some of the weekend staff work evenings as well so I get to see them. I rarely work weekends but have done so two or three times and so have met the weekend only staff. But how would it work if I was to meet up with all staff every week - it would be impossible and impractical on both sides? Obviously that is what the Service Desk Supervisor and Evening Assistant Librarians are for - to line mange the different sub teams and pass information up and down and I meet with them regularly.
However I do want contact with all of the staff. We have introduced team meetings and these happen on a rolling basis. One morning a week between 9.15 - 9.45 and repeated 9.45 - 10.15 (it has to run twice as the service desk has to be covered) and one evening a week working through the different days (a Monday one week, Tuesday the next etc.) . This should mean that everyone gets to attend a team meeting twice a month or at least once a month. I keep notes from the meeting and circulate them regularly adding new bits from each meeting if needed. I upload them to our Intranet site also.
I do use email quite a lot to communicate with the team as a whole and parts of the team - I try to filter it appropriately but also rely on them filtering what they don't need. I also email the Library Service Desk account so that anyone can pick up emails from there. It's not possible to get everyone in the same physical location at the same time but it is possible to have a team communication channel.
I am learning that with a large team it is not possible nor preferable to know everything that is going on although I often get situations when I think either 'Why did no-one tell me that' or 'I really don't need to know every detail of this'. Some staff want to interact more, some hardly ever. I always have an open door and try to spend time just chatting and engaging with people and picking up on the general vibe of what's happening.
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