Minutes of a meeting held on 7 June 2001

Present: Pat Noon (Chair), Nick Bevan, Sue Clegg (Secretary), Gail Downe, Peter Guildford, Anne Murray, Julia Munro, Margaret Oldroyd, Julie Parry.
In attendance: Jackie Skinner (Reading)
Apologies: Toby Bainton

01/32 Minutes of the previous meeting

These were approved.

01/33 Matters arising from the minutes.

The following items remained outstanding from the previous minutes and become action items from this meeting:

00.14	SC to email via lis-sconul to find "deputies"
1.20	SC to email via lis-sconul for structure chart examples
1.20	SC to write the article for SCONUL newsletter on organising an event and email draft to all (due end of July)
1.23	SC to finish Organising events paper and send it to GD
00.17	SC to look at Careers guidelines and email any thoughts to all
1.26	PN to get copies of existing case studies from Bob Hardwicke for management suite of courses so that we can write some relevant examples
1.26	SC to put on agenda for November meeting consideration of Managing for strategic change as a series on one day modules

The following items have been progressed since the last meeting:

00/14	Occupational standards. GD had now passed this on to MO who had had discussions. The item cannot be progressed until a new award body for ILS/NVQs had been found. This was being sought by John Pluse from the ISNTO. To remain an agenda item.
01/20	AM had continued work on getting staff development policies and there was considerable interest in a publication. Action: Agreed that MO and AM would work on selection criteria for what should go into the publication.
01/27	HIMSS. Interviews of HR directors and line managers of Directors of Information Services have taken place. PN has just been asked to look over the next questionnaire which is due to go to deputies.
01/30	Jackie Skinner had volunteered to be the SCONUL ACoS web weaver.

01/34 ACoS web pages

PN introduced Jackie Skinner, who was congratulated for what she had already achieved.

JS had circulated a report which was discussed. Issues arising from the report included:

Difficulties with the web structure

• Template
• Cumbersome updating procedures
• Style sheet

Action: It was agreed that GD would convene a meeting of all web weavers and secretary/chairs to discuss issues relating to ULCC structure.

Content

• Action: GD would provide Terms of Reference to JS
• Useful links suggested included Action: JS to make links
  • ISNTO
  • Library Association - academic libraries and professional development
  • HESDA - direct to list of courses
  • BAILER
  • Others to be emailed to JS as people think about them.
• Need to determine in long term who it is for - staff developers, committee or general staff in HE libraries?
• Agreed that the committee business papers would still come via email, although minutes and key papers should subsequently go on the web.
• Margaret Coutt's paper had appeared in SCONUL news so should be available as electronic document.
• Directory of trainers would be useful with links to their web sites/email. HESDA database might be of use. A disclaimer would be needed. Action: JP agreed to email lis- sconul staffing to ask for any trainers who had been used and were recommended for specific activities.
• SCONUL award winner - could their presentation/information about the project be on the web site?
• Summary of organising events SC to provide at end of July - to whet appetite for ordering the full volume! Action: SC

Innovative uses

• FAQs
• Who has got IiP
• Did you find what you were looking for - if not email x.
• All committee members to have email addresses up
• Other - all to be discussed at next meeting

01/34 Staff related issues

AHRB awards

PN introduced the papers already circulated.
Noted that 72% of applicants get Postgraduate Vocational Awards. 260 awarded this year. Reasons for rejection seem to be mostly because of poor references from library employers (stating what the person has done rather than what skills they have). Toby Bainton has nominated PN and Alistair Patterson to be practitioner representatives if AHRB agreed to extend the panel membership.

Action agreed:

• PN to work with M Myhill (Exeter) and TB to put points discussed together as a case for trying to influence. In particular it was felt that the current policy of more awards of a lesser amount than research awards was appropriate for PVAs, that there should be transparency of selection criteria and that SCONUL should consider advising members (by email rather than web site?) about the implications of evaluative rather than descriptive references. PN would also look at AHRB web site to see if there was a list of which LIS departments got the most awards - if nothing there TB to be asked to find out.

01/35 Courses

a) Integrated publicity for management suite of courses

PG and PN circulated information for each of the courses. It was agreed that this should be presented in a single folded A3 leaflet with an introduction to the management courses suite and sent out to all staff developers, to HESDA members and to UCISA.
Action: PN

b) Managing for strategic change

Currently running at Aston. PN had been in for first day to welcome new cohort and would attend the end of the event.

RESOURCE are interested in the course as a vehicle for the whole sector.

c) Introduction to management

Ran on April 23-25 and will run again December 3-5. Feedback very good.
Action: PG to circulate to all committee.

d) Middle management

Starts in June.

01/36 Training together

PN presented a background paper (Word document) for the benefit of new committee members.

Action: JP agreed to run TT7 in around April 2001 with MO assisting. Ideas included: Part time and casual staff training, IiP related issues for the same group of staff and training hours, in addition to the staff development award discussed at the last meeting.

01/37 UCISA report

PG reported on the following issues from UCISA Staff Development Group:

• ECDL (European Computer Driving Licence) testing forum has been successful.
• They would like to do a project management programme. HESDA have found a presenter of it with some options for the programme but do not want to take it on as well as all the others, but would be happy to assist SCONUL/UCISA.
• Professional Development award has been introduced.
• Meeting similar problems to SCONUL in finding people to do things.

Action: SC to talk with TB about the possibility of inviting expressions of interest in chairing a TASK/SUB group of ACOS to move forward the project management programme.

01/38 ACoS membership

Executive Board have not yet nominated anyone to replace Nicky Kershaw.

Both SC and PN terms of office are up in December 2001. However, it was not felt appropriate that both Chair and Secretary should leave at the same time, especially with such a new committee. It was agreed to recommend to Executive Board the following:

SC should stand down as Secretary in December and that Julia Munro should take her place, but possibly only for 2002.

PN should continue as Chair for the first two meetings in 2002, but that a new member should be sought to chair the committee and to come on to it from January 2002. Because the chair has to be a SCONUL representative it was agreed that SC would discuss with TB the mechanism for contacting those who have expressed interest in ACOS (only 4 representatives on the list).

SC/TB should agree how many other members places are vacant with a view to encouraging any person interested in heading the Taskgroup on Project Management in coming on to the committee as a full member in 2002 to replace SC.

01/39 Any other business

MO reported that she and Kathy Ennis had been working together on the draft of the new HE salaries guide from the LA and that she will circulate it to ACoS for comment in due course.

01/40 Dates for future meetings

November 15th 2001
February 21st 2002
May 30th 2002