Developing research support

A report on the RLUK project to map the information needs of researchers onto tasks to be undertaken by subject librarians and other staff, now and in the future

Skills for today’s information professional : writing for the professional press

This article was prompted by three things. Firstly, the editorial board of SCONUL Focus was discussing one of our occasional series, ‘Skills for today’s information professional’, and thought that writing for the library and information science (LIS) press was something we should cover ... and that your editor would be well placed to write about it. Secondly, I was thinking about some reflective pieces for this issue, what with it being our 50th and also marking my tenth year as editor. This is by no means a comprehensive overview of writing for the professional press but it does contain practical observations informed by my ten years at the helm. Thirdly, I recently came across an e-mail on lis-link from someone making the following plea: ‘I’m hoping to increase my professional profile by writing articles and presenting at conferences, but I’m a little out of the loop ... Any advice would be appreciated.’i I am sure there are a lot of would-be writers out there who do not know where to turn. Around a third of all the articles you see in SCONUL Focus are unsolicited (the rest come from ideas the editorial board have come up with and pursued). Although we do provide general ‘Advice for authors’,ii sometimes I think more guidance is required. Hence, after 30 issues in the editor’s chair, I am going to offer some things to consider before you press ‘send’ to fire off your article ... or even sit down to write in the first place

‘Learning to learn about leadership’ : the Future Leaders Programme

When was the last time a professional course really changed you? Sure, we all pick up tips at conferences and some workshops can really lead to a change in practice. But when was the last time you felt that a course had really changed you? One course with this potential is the Future Leaders Programme (FLP), run by the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education and supported by SCONUL, UCISA (Universities and Colleges Information Systems Association), JISC (Joint Information Systems Committee) and the British Library. The FLP is designed to help experienced professional information services staff in Higher Education (typically library and ICT staff) to deepen their understanding, leadership ability and potential in preparation for a role as head of service. A laudable aim – but can it really lead to change? Well, I have just completed the year-long 2009/10 course and I feel it has changed me. Let me try to explain ..

‘Twitter ye not?’ 23 Things that helped Warwick University Library staff to develop their Web 2.0 skills

Warwick University Library recently ran a ‘23 Things’ programme for library staff to help them develop their skills and understanding around Web 2.0 technologies. This approach, first developed by Charlotte Mecklenburg Library2 and subsequently run in many libraries, breaks the sometimes daunting world of social networking applications into bite-sized chunks (or Things) that are easier to manage and absorb. Some of the Things are ‘doing’ Things – using tools we have all heard of and many have never dared touch – whilst other Things are ‘reflecting’ Things, using blogging to capture personal observations on new technologies tried and new skills developed. In the Warwick programme ‘Thing 23’ required staff from across the library, at different levels and with different experiences of Web 2.0, to reflect on their experience of the programme as a whole. This article captures together some of those reflections. One of us (Antony) was sponsor of the programme, a Digital Adventurer who has travelled a distance to embrace new Web 2.0 tools. The other (Emma) was the programme organiser, a Digital Native who regularly blogs, tweets and collaborates online. Both of us got a lot out of the 23 Things Warwick programme

Not your typical training programme

When was the last time that a professional course really changed you? Sure, we all pick up tips at conferences and some workshops can really lead to a change in practice. But when was the last time you felt that a course had really changed you? A course that changed me was the 2009/10 Future Leaders Programme (FLP), run by the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education

Implementing a Resource or Reading List Management System

Gary Brewerton takes us step by step through the various stages of implementing a Resource or Reading List Management System for your institution

Organising your first conference

In this article he shares some hints and tips for people considering putting on a library conference or workshop, but who are not sure where to start

Avian Response to Post Wildland Fire Reseeding Treatments in Great Basin Shrubsteppe

We investigated the effects of different fire restoration treatments on five shrubsteppe bird species in the Great Basin of central Utah. Sagebrush communities and the associated avifauna are under particular threat due to changing fire regimes. Although fires are locally destructive, it is hypothesized that they improve habitat by increasing landscape-level heterogeneity. As long as fire follows a historic fire regime, the plant and animal communities can usually recover. However, fires can and often do burn outside of the normal regime. The Milford Flat Fire, which occurred in west-central Utah, was the largest wildfire recorded in the Great Basin. Considered catastrophic, concern existed that natural recovery of sagebrush and its avifauna would be unlikely. To prevent this, vegetation reseeding treatments were applied immediately post-fire. These treatments included two seed mix types, with or without a shrub component, and three mechanical applications, drill seeding, aerial seeding followed by chaining, and aerial seeding only. We surveyed the avian community in the different treatment types and in untreated areas within the fire using line transect distance sampling methods. Using a space for time substitution, we sampled nearby unburned areas as reference to represent pre-fire conditions. We hypothesized that the treatment areas would be more similar to the reference than the untreated areas, and that the treatments would all have similar effects. We found some effect on the presence and extirpation of the birds at the guild and overall bird level. We found no significant effect from the treatments on the five study species at the species level, and no effects on bird densities. The effects of the restoration treatments were overshadowed by the effect of the fire on changing the habitat, namely, the density of sagebrush. We saw a pattern of birds responding to the removal or survival of sagebrush and the treatments were insufficient in affecting a short term response

Implications of student and lecturer qualitative views on reading lists: a case study at Loughborough University, UK

This case study explores student and lecturer views of reading lists at Loughborough University. Taking the qualitative data from two surveys undertaken at the institution, it highlights issues about the purpose, importance, visibility, content, currency and length of reading lists, as well as the availability of material on the lists. It discusses the need for greater promotion of the lists to address some of these issues and the value of the qualitative data as part of this process