Minutes of a meeting held on 20 May 2004

04/01

Minutes of last meeting (2 December 2004)
These were accepted with no amendments

04/02

Matters arising from the minutes.

(03/17 etc)

Performance indicators for staffing
MC and MO have still to meet with Stephen Town.

(03/21)

Training Together 8
FP and JP reported on this event which takes place on 21 May 2004. It has proved popular with 58 bookings. It is hoped to draw out some guidelines for training in the e-learning environment.
Action:
GD to liaise with the Advisory Committee on Information Literacy (ACIL) about the possibility of a publication in future.

Note:
That JISC would be interested in the possibility of joint badging of a future Training Together via JCALT.

(03/31)
(03/32)

ACoS Annual Report 2003
ACoS Action Plan 2004
MC reported that both these were now complete, though neither was yet on the website.
Action:
MC to liaise with Jackie Skinner and send electronic files.

(03/36)

HIMSS booklet
FP thanked those committee members who had sent comments on the draft.

The booklet has subsequently been distributed. FP welcomed any further suggestions for distribution.

(03/37)

ACoS session at Library and Information Show: 21-22 April 2004
MC distributed copies of the talk she had given. The audience had been mixed and cross sectoral. Mention of leadership training had found interest.

(03/38)

Lifelong learning skills sector council
GD had nothing further to report.

(03/40)

Committee membership and terms
GD reported all was in order.

04/03

SCONUL Award 2004
JM reported. All publicity had been sent out. The poster was due to appear in the SCONUL Newsletter which should be published by late May. (The closing date for the award is 30 June.) FP, CF and MC were agreed as assessors this year.
Action:
JM to distribute applications to assessors in due course.

Note:
Publicity stated that the winner would be informed in October.

04/04

Meetings for second tier staff
MO reported.

The initiative to start a second peer support group had gone very well and so the establishment of a third group was now proposed.

MO suggested an article in the next SCONUL Newsletter about this initiative would be helpful to spread the word to those institutions whose second tier staff had not yet joined a group. The article would make it clear that anyone interested would be able to join a future peer support group and also that membership of each group, once formed, remained fixed.
Action:
MO to write article.

04/05

MLA Workforce Development event: 5 May 2004
MO had attended and reported.

This group will continue as a virtual group. MO will email SCONUL to inform the list that she is acting as the contact on the group.
Action: MO to email lis-sconul.

The committee discussed the interactions between sectors and the possibilities for sharing strengths. HE sector tends to get forgotten.

JB reported that the situation in Scotland (SLIC) may be lagging behind.

The committee noted that developments may not therefore be feeding into all the SCONUL membership and there was a need to keep a watching brief on this.

04/06

SCONUL Response to the Joint Consultation on professional standards for teaching in HE
MC requested that committee members send their comments to her by 18 June so that she can synthesise these and send a coordinated comment to Toby during the week beginning 5 July.

SR felt the report was inclusive except that the models presented are very focused on teaching rather than support staff.
Action:
All to send any comments to MC by 18 June.

04/07

Register of trainers
JM reported on the response to the lis-sconul email which had been generally in favour and positive, though with some sensible caveats and pitfalls pointed out.

The committee continued to feel that this was an idea which should be pursued. PG’s expertise from the HESDA training register could be exploited.

It was agreed though that such a register would be most efficiently managed via a database. GD indicated that some other advisory committees also had project suggestions which could utilise a database and so it was agreed that the possibility of project funding for the purchase by SCONUL of a database package should be raised at the next Executive Board meeting. Several Advisory Committees should be able to use this and the purchase could be linked generally to wider SCONUL strategies.
Action:
MC and SR at next Executive Board meeting.

04/08

Management courses 2004/05
PG reported that the Leadership Foundation will be taking over HESDA's current activities and commitments, including the SCONUL/UCISA management programmes. PG had timetabled both the introductory and middle management courses into 2005 and it was likely that he (though retiring) and a colleague would remain as consultants for these courses.

PG would confirm this arrangement with MC and JM when he had definite news.
Action: PG

In 2005 the changes discussed by CF with PG would be implemented into the middle management course.

It was agreed that the Leadership Foundation would need to be contacted in due course to provide representation on the committee for a continuous link for these courses.

04/09

Leadership Foundation bid
MC reported on the January meetings with the Leadership Foundation (see previous minutes at 03/35) where the committee’s ideas had found much favour.

The Leadership Foundation was now requesting a broad outline rather than a firm bid. The target date for the outline was mid June.

AM and MO had produced a draft outline which was discussed.

MC to liaise with UCISA

It was agreed that this should be worked up into a next version for June.
Action:
MC, AM, CF and PG

MC also to contact Leadership Foundation to ensure outline on the right lines.

It was suggested that the cost of such a programme could be circa £10K per person. This should be a continuing partnership between SCONUL and the Foundation. Setup funds should be applied for, and a continuing subsidy. It was also suggested that a longitudinal research element should be included to assess the impact of the course and review it.

04/10

Proposal for Library administrative staff course
The committee discussed this proposal from Martin Lewis at Sheffield University. It was agreed that the proposal should be supported and that a course and networking would be useful for staff who have reached such administrative roles in libraries via whatever path.

The support could take the form of SCONUL doing the administrative work for the course. If funding were required then a project fund application would have to be made which would need to be with SCONUL in September.
Action:
MC to liaise with Martin Lewis

04/11

HE Academy and Leadership Foundation consultations
MC reported.

The HE Academy would be encompassing the IT LHE and the LTSN. The emphasis would be on learning to teach in HE, on teaching skills and teaching. There was a desire to make accreditation as effective as possible and this should present another opportunity for lobbying on behalf of LIS staff with respect to information skills teaching.

It was hoped that in future there would be the possibility of a SCONUL/UCISA representative on the HE Academy Council.
Action:
MC to keep in touch with Toby about this.

MC also referred back to the discussions with the Leadership Foundation, as minuted at 04/09 above, where the scope for successful collaboration was very clear.

04/12

SCONUL Conference, Belfast 2004
This had been an excellent conference, well planned and themed, with minimal duplication of content in sessions. The committee discussed the issues which had emerged from it and considered possibilities for making progress.

CPD for existing leaders – ask directors which they need for their CPD, don’t make assumptions.

Leadership applies at all levels, not just the very top.

Succession planning – this might be an element in leadership training?

The need to engage staff at all levels to effect progress and change. This might be emphasised in a course for senior staff?

E-learning. The committee should maintain liaison with SCONUL’s e-learning taskforce.

Common/joint helpdesk skills. This was felt to be a cultural issue more than anything else. The possibility of Biddy Fisher (Sheffield Hallam) discussing issues with UCISA was suggested. The committee should also liaise with ACAISS over their work on this.

Mentoring. The committee felt there was already a lot of training on this. Instead thought could be given perhaps to a discussion paper eg ‘are we making the most of mentoring in HE’.

Job evaluation. There had been a firm request for an exchange of experience session on this. The timing was right now. JB agreed to make initial contact with Jean Steward at UEA and Mark Brown at Southampton and to explore the possibilities for a session in the next six months if possible.
Action: JB

04/13

Staffing/staff development implications of the FOI
Publication schemes for institutions have now been issued but the committee felt that, to date, FOI has had less impact than the Data Protection Act. With respect to records management in general, different institutions were taking different paths.

The ACAISS were keeping a watching brief on this issue. The committee did not feel there were any crucial staffing/staff development issues at the moment but would be open to any suggestions if we have missed something.
Action:
JM to copy this minute to Elizabeth Heaps on ACAISS.

04/14

Representatives from UCISA and BAILER on ACoS
It was agreed that representation from UCISA on ACoS would recognize the links between UCISA and SCONUL. It was also agreed that, as a recent practitioner now in education, Sheila Corrall might usefully join ACoS as a representative of BAILER.

Both these suggestions should be taken to SCONUL’s Executive Board in June.
Action: MC and GD

04/15

ACoS latest news
MC drew attention to the news bulletin she had prepared and circulated. This was on the website.

04/16

CILIP consultation on proposed new framework of qualifications
MO had attended a meeting in January on this. There would no doubt be issues which ACoS would need to pick up on in due course.

04/17

SCONUL project fund
GD reported that this stands at £8K remaining until the end of the year.

04/18

ACoS communication
Executive Board had requested abridged minutes in bullet point form from all Advisory Committees.
Action: JM

The new Marketing and Communication committee were advocating the use of e-bulletins as a possibility for more communication. However devising these was time consuming for most committee chairs/secretaries already juggling many responsibilities back at their home institutions.

The news bulletin prepared by MC, if emailed to SCONUL members, would satisfy the request for an e-bulletin.
Action: MC to email to lis-sconul

It was agreed that any paper tabled/presented at a committee meeting should be able to go on to the website and be referred to.

04/19

Resignation
Julie Parry announced her resignation from the committee with immediate effect. She was very warmly thanked for her excellent service and contribution to the committee. Her ideas and experience would be very much missed.

04/20

Date of next meeting
Wednesday 24 November 2004 was suggested, to be confirmed via email.
Action: JM