Workshops:

Workshop 1
eBook Accessibility Audit Workshop
Gopal Dutta, Vicky Dobson and Susan Smith

This hands-on workshop will be delivered by three members of the team behind the recent national eBook Accessibility Audit. A key theme will be the importance of accessibility as a factor in eBook procurement. The workshop will give an overview of the eBook Accessibility Audit project and a demonstration of the simple survey tool used for evaluating eBook accessibility. There will be a practical activity giving delegates the opportunity to try this out for themselves, followed by feedback and discussion.

Gopal Dutta is an assistant librarian at Manchester Metropolitan University. He works in a split role, as a subject liaison librarian for Secondary Education and in the digital library team. In both of these roles, he frequently deals with eBook queries. Previously, he worked at Leeds Beckett University as a member of the acquisitions team, with specific responsibilities for cataloguing and eBooks.
Vicky Dobson is a Senior Information Services Librarian at Leeds Beckett University. She works in the Library Disability Support team. The focus of her role is working with colleagues to ensure that the Library’s systems and services are accessible. Her role also involves responsibility for staff training to help Library staff effectively support students with disabilities.
Susan Smith is the Learning Support Officer (Disability and Dyslexia) in the Library at Leeds Beckett University. Her role is to support disabled students in using, and getting the most from the Library. In addition it involves ensuring the Library is as accessible as possible for their disabled students. She has a keen interest in technology and how it can support students in their studies. Her involvement in the national eBook Accessibility Audit project came from delivering the Library’s alternative format service, providing books in accessible formats to their students. Commercial eBooks have the potential to address this need but only if they meet accessibility guidance.

Workshop 2
Preparing and Delivering an Impactful Elevator Speech
Campbell Storey

Sometimes you only have two minutes to get your point across. You might be talking with your employer, pitching to a potential customer or meeting a new supplier for the first time – a good elevator speech will get your conversation off to a strong, confident start.

“I love to help organisations figure out their messages, vision, strategy and values, and to get them into conversations with the audiences that matter to them.
I work with a great set of long-term customers. I am proud to have worked, and continue to work, with the Corporate Affairs and Communications teams at Legal & General and Ingeus, both for six years. I’ve also worked with Deloitte, Network Rail, Birmingham Airport, LinkedIn, the Conservative Party, PWSA, the Society of Chief Librarians, and more Library Professionals than you could shake a book at – I am a dyed in the parchment bibliophile. 
Day to day work includes one-to-one coaching to communicate positively in public, writing speeches and content with impact, delivering great quality research and policy reports, and being a ‘fly in the ointment’ facilitator to help leadership teams think strategically.”

Workshop 3
Tales of the Unexpected Outcome: How an eBook pilot became so much more
Paul Howell

This workshop will discuss the opportunities and challenges the Middlesex University eTextbook scheme has presented to the library as well as looking at possible future developments. The session will touch on the establishment of the scheme but will look beyond the initial aims to cover its impact on acquisition and reading list workflows using accurate module information and student numbers. Whilst we will discuss that such schemes are not a “magic bullet” to perennial problems of module, module leader information and up to date reading lists, they do offer opportunities for increased involvement in decision making with the academic on course texts and structuring reading lists to improve and enhance student experiences.

Paul Howell is the Acquisitions Manager the Library and Student Support service at Middlesex University. Having previously worked as a Liaison Librarian at Middlesex Paul took on the role of Personal eTextbook Project Officer in 2014 to oversee the successful implementation of the eTextbook pilot scheme in the Business and Law schools before rolling out the scheme to all students at Middlesex University. Paul’s role includes the operational management of the Personal eTextbook scheme and its development, as well as the library eBooks, reading list system and acquisition workflows. Paul has previously worked at UCL and Leeds University and has over 15 years’ experience in the Higher Education library sector.

Workshop 4
Leeds Library Zine
Claire Duffield and Sapphia Cunningham-Tait.

“A zine ( ZEEN; short for magazine or fanzine) is most commonly a small-circulation self-published work of original or appropriated texts and images, usually reproduced via photocopier. Usually zines are the product of a single person, or a very small group”
Leeds Libraries were awarded the Betterworld Literacy Fund in 2016. They used this to facilitate a project using Zines to engage with community groups across the city in creating a Zine Exhibition and Fair. The exhibition showcased Leeds’ culture, heritage, and our passion for reading. In this workshop the librarians that led the project will share the evaluation and successes, and give you the opportunity to create your own zine.

Claire Duffield is the Leeds Studio12 Librarian working with young people aged 16-30 engaging in creative digital media.
Sapphia Cunningham-Tait is an Assistant Community Librarian based in the East of Leeds.

Papers

Keynote:
Ian Anstice @publiclibnews
An Aquarium without fish? The importance of stuff.

A public library without properly selected and sufficient stock is like one of those pictures of Soviet-era shops with tins sparsely placed on shelves. Not very appetising. The talk looks at issues around bookfunds (and everything-else-funds) over the last few years and stresses the importance of the right title to the right person at the right time.

Ian Anstice has been a librarian since 1994 in the North West of England. Then, in 2010, he took the fateful step of starting a public libraries news blog unimaginatively called Public Libraries News. Within four months, it was being quoted in parliament and Ian has been involved with politicians, campaigners, the media and politicians ever since. He has won five awards over six years and is vaguely worried about what he did wrong to miss out on one in 2013!

Paper 1
Trudy Turner
University of Kent Digital Libraries in Europe: The Attitude of Wisdom – How we are building an evidence base for best practice (NAG Award Winners 2016)

The drive for distinctiveness across competing higher education institutions is mirrored by hugely increased expectations of quality of the student experience at a time when budgets are coming under increasing pressure. This presentation explores the importance of an evidence-based mind-set to frame good decision-making in the deployment of limited resources. Using as a case study the development of digital library services for the University of Kent’s European Centres, it will present examples of innovative, but disciplined, exploration in developing and improving a challenging area of library service delivery – the internationalisation of content provision. It is suggested that experimentation, pilots, trial and error are all valid ways of developing an evidence based approach if undertaken in a controlled and structured way and in the context of a ‘learning organisation’ culture. It also touches on the importance of leadership in nurturing evidence-based approaches.

Since joining the University of Kent as Assistant Director with responsibility for library collections in 2011, Trudy has focused on developing high performing teams, service re-design and establishing new partnerships. Before moving to Higher Education, Trudy was Head of Knowledge Management for a Primary Care Trust, focussed on evidence based commissioning. Trudy also worked for some years at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, and spent the first 16 years of her career in public libraries. Trudy is currently undertaking an MBA with a focus on sustainable business practices and responsible, ethical leadership.

Paper 2
Chloe Dobson and Diana Massam
Use of Copac Collection Management Tools data to support collection management activities in libraries

If you are interested in finding out about how benchmarking collections data can help you to manage your collections and acquisitions, then this session is for you. Copac Collection Management Tools offer a range of benefits which can transform your collection management projects and workflows: providing help with difficult decision making and highlighting the strengths of your collections. We will begin with an overview of the Copac Collection Management Tools, their development as a service designed and tested by practitioners, functionality and outline use cases and benefits. Following this, will be a case study demonstrating how the CCM Tools have transformed stock management processes at the University of Sussex and most importantly reduced the pain of essential stock reviews!

Chloe has worked in academic libraries for 19 years now. She is Collection Development Librarian at the University of Sussex and has special interests in innovative methods of collection management, E book provision and UX data collection. Previous to this she was the Learning and Teaching Support Librarian delivering training and user support across all disciplines and before that an Assistant Librarian at the National Art Library.

Diana Massam:
“Following many years working in academic libraries, I now work at Jisc, and have managed a variety of projects within different stakeholder environments. I currently manage Copac Collection Management (CCM) tools, which involves working with the Copac team and with professional library practitioners to develop collection benchmarking tools based on rich Copac data. I am also closely involved with the National Bibliographic Knowledgebase project ensuring that enhanced collection management functionality is delivered as part of this ambitious initiative.”

Paper 3
Rachel Kirkwood @racheljkirkwood
Just Academic Questions? Building up discipline profiles and digging down into the repository

The basic premise of collection development at the University of Manchester Library is that knowledge of the various disciplines is crucial to inform collection development, but in the absence of human, specialist domain knowledge, a variety of data sources can be channelled and combined to drive tightly aligned yet dynamically flexible acquisition of resources.
The paper will present details of the progress made so far and the specific applications we are making to harness the potential of data to link purchasing with the scholarly activities of university. The focus will be on two areas: (1) Discipline profiling in the School of Law has prompted us to ask different questions of data, identify a variety of sources, and explore how best to combine and present these – using Excel spreadsheets and Tableau visualization software. (2) The Library’s close involvement with the management of our institutional repository, and subsequently a Current Research Information System [PURE], has positioned us ideally to exploit those systems in innovative ways.

Rachel Kirkwood thoroughly enjoys being Collection Development Manager at the University of Manchester Library, a new role where she is working to harness the power of data for collection development and stock management. She has presented widely on “Collection development or data-driven content curation?” (published last year in Library Management). She first became interested in collection development some 15 years ago, when as Deputy Librarian at the Goethe-Institut in London she wrote their collection development policy for English-language material. Before that she had a stint at the School of Slavonic & East European Studies Library.
In her spare time she is researching a PhD on conceptual metaphor in 17th century Quaker writings. You can find her on LinkedIn, academia.edu and researchgate.

Paper 4
Liam Dixon
How to Transform your Children’s Non-fiction Collection

“Our Children’s Non Fiction stock was displayed in serried ranks of tiny spines, all in perfect Dewey order, and very few of them ever being borrowed. Usage was low, the budget was being cut, and we were in a downward spiral.” Does this sound familiar?
Come and discover how applying retail bookselling experience, introducing the use of data about what’s selling on the high street and what’s being borrowed in UK libraries, together with the use of Opening the Book acrylics, we’re turning the serried ranks into eye-catching, child accessible displays that have begun a virtuous circle of increased usage and improved investment!

Liam has been in the book trade for over twenty years. He began his career on the commercial side of the trade working as a manager, buyer and trainer for a number of book retailers including, Dillons, Hammicks, Books Etc., and Waterstones. He has since moved to the public side of the trade and is currently Stock Development and Design Lead with Surrey Libraries.

Paper 6
Jamie Wright and Yvonne Melville
Every Book Counts – using Evidence Based Tools to Buy Smarter

CollectionHQ have 610 global customers who use our evidence based stock management system to manage their collections. This presentation will discuss how evidence based stock management has changed the way libraries manage collections at a time when staffing levels and budgets are coming under increasing pressure. Yvonne Melville (Service Development Team Leader) at Fife Cultural Trust will discuss how evidence based tools have change the way they buy books and the positive results.

Yvonne Melville:
“I have worked in Fife’s libraries since 1989, covering a range of different roles. This includes junior library work, branch librarian, learning services librarian and now lead the service development team for the adult library service in Fife. Included in this role is the buying and managing of the adult book stock. Throughout my career I have always preferred basing decisions on fact rather than perception, and love working with statistics.”

Jamie Wright:
“Since 2014 I have managed customers from across the UK, Ireland & Germany. CollectionHQ innovates the way public libraries select, manage and promote their collections. Uniquely, collectionHQ provides guidance on what actions to take to improve the performance. My position at collectionHQ is divided between account management duties and bespoke software training sessions. These training sessions identify and provide best solutions for libraries to meet their KPIs.”

Paper 7
Karen Colbron @karencolbron
National Monograph Solutions: Investigating the problems, landscape and innovative access solutions to monographs in a digital form.

As part of the National Monograph Solutions project, Jisc has been working with Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to investigate access barriers to academic books currently unavailable as e-books according to institutions’ requirements. Based on the 2016 ‘Digital Access Solutions’ report and further engagement with key stakeholders and publishers, this session will discuss access and workflow issues faced by libraries as they work towards securing academic e-books in a timely and cost-efficient manner.

Karen Colbron, digital content manager, has an advanced degree in Library Science. Within Jisc digital resources she heads the Spotlight on the Digital project that aims to improve resource discovery and impact of digital collections for learning, teaching and research through training and online guidance. Karen is also responsible for digital access activities within the National Monograph Solutions project.

Paper 8
City Read London
Andy Ryan @cityreadlondon

Launched in 2012, Cityread is a charity that unites London (and Slough and Reading!) by asking the whole city to read the same book together for a month each year. Every April, over 30,000 Londoners come together with libraries, bookshops, museums and other venues in a shared, cultural experience. This session will explore the tribulations and triumphs of six years of Cityread in London, and the charity’s plans for world domination.

Andy Ryan is founder and Chief Executive Officer of Cityread. Prior to establishing Cityread, Andy was responsible for marketing and office reader development at London Libraries from 2005 to 2010, before which she worked in Interdisciplinary Arts at Arts Council England. In 2010 Andy established Stellar Libraries CIC, a creative agency for libraries, from which the Cityread charity has grown. Cityread London 2014 won a CILIP Impact award for marketing excellence, and Stellar Libraries was awarded Social Enterprise of the year in the Mayor of Lewisham Business Awards 2015. Andy has generated over £1.5 million for library-related programmes since 2010, and was named by the Evening Standard as one of London’s 1000 most influential people of 2016.

Paper 9
Diane McCourt @Dimccourt
Everything we do is driven by you…. Patron Driven Acquisition capturing real-time customer input into the digital collection at the Royal College of Nursing

Whilst Patron Driven Acquisition (PDA) is not a new product, what makes this case study special is the unique nature of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN). Our UK-wide members use us to support their professional development, and range from students to retired, and from those in regular practice to Professors and Fellows. How do we know what our membership need? How do we gather evidence to show we are meeting our member needs? How do we respond to what the data is telling us? How can we use the data to inform our purchasing decisions? How do we shift from ‘just in case’ purchasing to ‘just in time’? How does this enhance the professional role of specialist Librarian?
This session will show how this pilot gave us direct membership input to our purchasing decisions, but will also demonstrate the need for specialist Librarian input into PDA to ensure expert title list selections are fit for purpose. It will explore what’s next in using the evidence that it enables us to gather. Can PDA usage analytics identify areas of the country where we are not reaching our membership? This session will develop further understanding of the role of PDA in providing customer led services within the diverse library sector.

“I am a Chartered Library & Information specialist, currently Collection Development Manager at the Royal College of Nursing. I strategically manage the acquisition, cataloguing and evaluation of both electronic and print based academic resources. This includes contemporary, historical, rare and special collections for our 435,000 members. I have previously worked extensively in the academic sector (art & design), focused on stakeholder management, information literacy, diversity & inclusion.“

Paper 10
Jonathan Ebbs
Big Ideas Generators: a Libraries Opportunities for Everyone Innovation Fund Story.

Big Ideas Generators is a year long project funded by the Libraries Opportunities for Everyone Innovation Fund.
It aims to encourage innovation and enterprise through workshops & events delivered across the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. The project is piloting transformational new ways of working using one centrally based team to work across the 10 GM authorities for the first time.
The session will cover how we are managing this unique service to promote existing resources and reach new audiences unfamiliar with how libraries can contribute to economic growth.

Jonathan has worked in information and advice throughout his career. He has been responsible for the launch of the Business & IP Centre in Manchester, and developed business information services across Greater Manchester and beyond with the “Ask About Business” service that will celebrate 10 years of success in 2018.