From flying solo to playing as a team Irene Doskatsch Deputy Director : Library Services University of South Australia

Presentation Outline Forces of change Reactions to the restructure Rebuilding the relationships Did we get it right?

Changing university landscape shift from elite to mass admission to education growth of the knowledge-based economy increased numbers of international students growing emphasis on generic and employability attributes

Teaching and Learning framework

Graduate Qualities Body of knowledge Lifelong learning Effective problem solver Autonomous and collaborative Ethical action Effective communicator International perspectives

Forces of change University’s teaching and learning framework University’s online strategy Expansion of e-resources UniSA Blueprint 2005 Budget limitations

Challenges closure of the Library at the Underdale campus after 28 years of operation significant building works at 2 other campuses relocation of over a million volumes to other campuses redesigning the client interface (lending and information services and liaison librarian outreach).

Statement of strategic intent The University of South Australia Library will be the essential and innovative link between information and students, academics and researchers. It will provide physical and virtual spaces conducive to learning, research, and critical enquiry. The Library will add value to educational and research endeavours by providing a wide range of seamless focused services, training, and resources to meet the information needs of our diverse clients.

Statement of strategic intent (cont) It will forge partnerships with academics for involvement in curriculum developments and pedagogies to ensure that students develop information literacy to enable them to function independently and successfully in an information-intensive world.

Library staff’s reaction to the restructure We worked hard to build bonds with academics – but instead of management valuing our contribution they claim that we are afraid of change. Their solution to meet any new situation is reorganising staff, and a wonderful method for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency, and demoralisation

2005 – new beginnings new staff structure implemented all metropolitan campus libraries were refurbished new Director was appointed

Organisational chart

Client interface Access and Enquiry Services - campus based teams including professional librarians and library assistants: initial point of contact for all enquiries lending and reference services support the activities of the Academic Library Services

Client interface Academic Library Services division based teams consisting of a Manager, Library Services and Academic Librarians focussing on the priorities of each of the four academic divisions and the research activities of centres and institutes.

Reaction of academics to the restructure unconvinced that high quality services will be maintained teams would not have the same level of specialised knowledge and skills retain liaison librarians

A steep learning curve for most teaching, learning and research priorities of their new Division new discipline specific databases and language of new disciplines structures and content of academic programs ensure that the Library’s collections support research

A steep learning curve for most foster partnerships to embed information literacy into curricula determine the professional development needs of academics and researchers develop or identify a range of resources to enable academic staff to embed information literacy into curricula

A steep learning curve for most acquire appropriate information resources demonstrate to the University community the effectiveness of a team approach survive the storming, norming and performing phases of team building and capitalise on shared expertise A steep learni curve for most

Rebuilding the teaching and learning relationship make a conceptual shift from a library–centred view of information literacy as training to use specific information tools, towards viewing information literacy as a holistic educational outcome based on transferable concepts and skills surrender sole ownership of information literacy

Information literacy all information literacy support would be assignment based or discipline specific undergraduates 253 sessions & 61 online assignment help resources postgraduate coursework 88 sessions &18 online assignment help resources

Examples of collaboration development of online videos offshore outreach teaching and learning research grants academic integrity  editorial committee Teaching and Learning in (Higher) Education for Sessional Staff – TALES

Building the research relationship commitment to significantly improve access to scholarly resources focus to on research education the Research Quality Framework (RQF)

Research education Research Education Support Activities (RESA) commencing students - development of the research proposal continuing students - methodology, ethics, and research design completing students - editing, life after the research degree, writing for publication, managing stress and finding quality journals to publish in

RQF How many times have my publications been cited? How can I track when each of my papers is cited? How do I find out if a journal has an impact factor? How do I find out the relative ranking of my journal within a particular field? How do I find out who else is researching in my area and where they are publishing? How do I find out who are the leading researchers in my field?

Did we get it right? Partially addressed The constantly evolving information and resource landscape Succession planning Reconfiguration of the budget

Did we get it right? Did not fully anticipate: increase in the University’s focus on building its research capacity Library staff dissatisfaction with aspects of the structure expansion of automation of many of the Library’s transaction based activities managing research repository, copyright and digitisation of all course readers.

Teams are here to stay Involvement traditionally defined by the boundaries of professional expertise needs to be reconceptualised around multi-skilled teams with the common purpose of engineering opportunities for student learning. This approach entails professional coalitions, rather than the marking of territories, with common goals and a common vocabulary for both learners and the facilitators of learning (George 2000 p.181).

Verdict The Library is neither a dinosaur nor phoenix; it is a chameleon. It is an organisation that easily and frequently changes to meet the strategic priorities of the University and responds to the constantly evolving information and resource landscape.

Questions ?