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Purpose

The purpose of the University Library is to:

• support teaching, learning and research in the University, by developing and promoting access to information resources;
• develop students’ academic and information literacy skills required for success;
• support the management, communication and preservation of University research;
• contribute to the wider world of scholarship, and to the transfer of knowledge, by collaborating and co-operating with other organisations.

We uphold this mission by aligning our activities with the University’s strategic principles of community, excellence, sustainability, and the engaged University.

Community – putting people first

We engage with our students and researchers via formal and informal routes to ensure facilities and services continue to provide a fulfilling and inclusive study environment, develop their academic and research skills, and support the whole University community to meet their study and/or research goals. We promote our services to ensure all students and staff are aware of the academic support we offer and help remove barriers to access. We actively work to reflect the diverse nature of our community through the resources we acquire and promote.

We maintain and develop Library staff knowledge and skills by promoting internal and external programmes of organised training and individual learning opportunities, and give a high priority to management development, team working, IT skills and customer care.

Specific activities and objectives in this area include (but are not limited to):

• Supporting the effective use of resources for teaching and learning
• Provision of tailored services for people with disabilities
• Library staff development hour (weekly during semesters)
• Supporting staff to participate in professional networks
• Academic Liaison Librarian and Study Advice attendance at Boards of Study & Student Experience meetings
• Contribution to development of the University’s research environment through participation in the Committee on Open Research and Research Integrity, the Committee on Research Infrastructure, and the Research Evaluation in Recruitment and Promotion Working Group
• Active membership of relevant University Communities of Practice
• Engaging in continual discussions with students and academic colleagues to ensure we are adapting our Study Advice service to meet their changing needs

Excellence – aspiring to the highest standards

We support the University’s aim to transform lives by focussing on excellence and innovation in education and research locally, nationally and globally and by fostering a culture of continuous improvement and review of our service. We provide expert advice and guidance to students and staff in the areas of study support, information literacy, and research.

Specific activities and objectives in this area include (but are not limited to):

• Continuing to develop and promote the online transition course (Study Smart) ensuring that all students start University on a level playing field
• Continuing to work with academic colleagues to embed academic and literacy skills into the curriculum
• Developing robust measurement systems so we can evaluate the use of our support service and the impact that it has on student retention, progression and attainment
• Contributing to strategic University action to develop a culture of Open Research in support of University research that is transparent, accessible, reproducible and re-usable
• Developing support for digital scholarship through the Digital Humanities Hub
• Managing UKRI funds for Open Access compliance
• Reviewing our systems to ensure discovery of, and access to, our collections and externally available resources is efficient, intuitive and cost-effective
• Working with University colleagues to understand maths support requirements of students across campus
• User Experience testing and review of services and facilities

Sustainability – managing our resources for today and tomorrow

The University has pledged to be both financially and environmentally sustainable and to continually review current offerings and strengthen international partnerships and trans-national education. We align with this pledge by ensuring we have effective and efficient administrative systems, procedures and policies for managing Library personnel, finance, buildings, equipment and resources, and that these systems and procedures interface with others in the University to maximum effect with minimum duplication of effort.

Specific activities and objectives in this area include (but are not limited to):

• Utilising nationally negotiated purchasing schemes and frameworks for cost effective acquisition of resources
• Reviewing systems and tools used to provide services and access to resources
• Developing academic staff and students’ skills to make best use of resources ensuring value for money
• Reviewing requirements and options for research publications and data repositories and implementing recommendations in order to ensure infrastructure is fit for the future
• Providing advice and support to University colleagues engaged in creation of partnerships and transnational educational activities
• Supporting and adhering to University Sustainability Services guidance on reducing our carbon footprint
• Reducing electronic waste through effective recycling and reuse
• Creating a content management strategy

Engaged University – impact beyond our campuses

We actively engage with University colleagues to support partnerships and widening participation activities, making our Library accessible to others where possible and appropriate. We are active within professional and sector networks and provide for local, regional, national and global needs in library and information resources and services via collaborative relationships with professional bodies, external consortia and schemes.

Specific activities and objectives in this area include (but are not limited to):

• Working with Widening Participation colleagues to introduce school pupils to university libraries
• Participating in the SCONUL Access scheme to ensure reciprocal access for students to university libraries across the country
• Participating in reciprocal inter-lending schemes with other libraries (national and international) assuring cost-effective access to resources
• Member of the UK Research Reserve (UKRR), a collaborative distributed national research collection managed by a partnership between the HE sector and the British Library
• Contributing to the UKRN Open Research Programme’s OR4 project to support implementation of recognition and reward for Open Research in UK institutions
• Active membership of ALDinHE
• Engaging with learning development research, approaches and current challenges
• Attendance at relevant sector conferences and publishing our research

The University Librarian March 2024