Annual report 2003
The Committee’s membership has remained very stable this year, to the benefit of our work and thinking. We were sorry to lose Nick Bevan at the start of the year, but welcomed John Bagnall as his replacement. We were also pleased to have Sue Roberts attend. This direct liaison between the Executive Board and the Committee has already proved useful.
Training and development events (all levels)
Reports on the recruitment and effectiveness of the training events for new and middle managers were received. The Committee agreed that Introduction to Management continues to deliver good quality training and to meet a continuing need in the membership. Recruitment for Making Management Work showed lower numbers than expected, although the content still seemed to interest our members. This year's programme has therefore been run as planned, but will be reviewed on its completion to ensure relevance of future runs.
Having recognised that the strategic management course needed full reworking, the Committee re-examined the current training available for senior managers in HE libraries, and is developing a revised strategy for the members' consideration. This is based on the premise that core management skills should be, and can now be, learned at earlier stages of the professional's career. Making Management Work, along with other courses, diplomas and degrees (eg MBAs) are now delivering this training. SCONUL should therefore concentrate on a new programme to develop high-level leadership skills, drawing on recent successes such as the Frye Institute programme. This thinking represents a major change to SCONUL policy, and is to be explored further with the full membership in the coming months, to ensure that current needs are fully identified and met.
The Annual Gathering of Deputies took place at Naas, Co Kildare, with 29 participants, and was very successful. It offered a range of sessions on topics of current managerial concern, as well as the renewed chance for peer networking. This group will meet again in 2004, and there is sufficient interest from other deputies and equivalent staff to investigate a second such grouping to meet next year.
The Committee will review annually the use of lis-sconul-deputies to ensure that all relevant staff have the opportunity to use the list, whatever the official title of their post.
As planned, Training Together 8 is scheduled for 2004 and will take place in Bath.
The Committee has also made suggestions for coverage of the SCONUL Annual Conference 2004, which has as its topic HR issues. The Chair is to speak at the conference, and it is hoped that the Committee can gather up-to-date feedback from the membership on how ACOS can best support the membership in the current environment.
SCONUL Award
The SCONUL Award was run at a different time of year, and the publicity suggested disability support and widening participation as specific topics for applications. There was an encouragingly high number of submissions, and mostly of very good quality. The winners were the Open Rose Group, with their proposal to make a video of interviews with disabled users about their experiences as library users. The video will be supported by special training materials for library staff.
Preparations are in hand for the 2004 Award, which will again include specific topics, without excluding the option for members to submit on other staff training developments which they consider to be innovative and of interest to the wider community.
Current issues
The Committee monitors current developments of many types to advise and support SCONUL libraries. In the last year, we have established that institutional Human Resources Strategies and the impact of SENDA have been embedded in members' work without need for major attention from ACOS.
Current issues being monitored include the likely increase in job evaluation schemes, and the establishment of the Lifelong Learning Sector Skills Council. The Committee will report to the membership on such matters as significant developments emerge.
Thanks
This year has been marked by much excellent work by members of the Committee. I would like to express my sincere thanks to them for their commitment to thinking through major issues which affect us all, and for the fresh ideas and creativity which they are bringing to our work.
Margaret M Coutts
Chair, ACOS
December 2003