As a learning organisation, QUT Library seeks to meet the challenges of the continually changing learning and research environments by undertaking a variety of developmental projects and initiatives. This list provides examples of some of the projects currently underway.
AskQUT Project Stage 3
AskQUT, a self-help enquiry management system for QUT clients, was launched in July 2007 with content from Student Business Services and the Faculty of Business. Stage 3 of the Project will see content added from other service points within the university, commencing with Library content. The University’s vision for the future of service provision is that QUT will empower students to satisfy the bulk of their queries in their own time and place, through the provision of an enriched virtual environment characterised by a robust and highly functional web-based user interface. AskQUT provides this interface and with present usage of the system the self-help capacity averages 96%.
This stage will also involve an upgrade of the RightNow Technology platform to the latest release and to further develop and enhance this system through the creation of a corporate systems framework around it and its registration as the university’s formal enquiry management system.
This expansion of the system will support the university’s strategic priority to position itself to better integrate information and communication technologies in such a way as to improve our business support functions and the student experience at QUT.
Sugar Industry Collection
The Sugar Industry Collection is a digitised collection of books, journals and conference proceedings held in the QUT Library. It is a subset of the Sugar Research Institute Library collection previously located in Mackay, Queensland. The Institute and its Library joined QUT in 2007. The digitised collection focuses on works dealing with sugar production and processing. Each work has been digitised with the permission of the copyright owner, leaving a number of relevant works in the print collection unable to be digitised due to copyright restrictions. The collection forms a valuable specialist resource freely available to researchers both in Australia and other countries with sugar industries, many of whom may not have access to research library collections. The collection forms part of the Universal Digital Library Million Book Collection http://www.ulib.org/ sponsored by Carnegie Mellon University Library and partner universities and organisations in India, China, Egypt and Australia http://www.ulib.org/ULIBAboutUs.htm#partnersBkMark.
QUT Library is the only Australian member of the Universal Digital Library.
LIEF Grant for Australian Children's Literature Digital Resources Project
During 2007, QUT’s Faculty of Education and the Library joined in making a successful bid for Linkage, Infrastructure, Equipment and Framework (LIEF) Grant funds to digitise Australian children’s literature and literary criticism under the auspices of the AustLit consortium. Professor Kerry Mallan and Professor Annette Patterson from the Faculty and Carolyn Young from the Library are the Chief Investigators for QUT. QUT is taking a leading role in coordinating the project in partnership with other Chief Investigators from Deakin University and University of Sydney and in close collaboration with the AustLit team from the University of Queensland. The funding is for the first year of a planned multi-year project with the long term objectives of identifying and gathering a virtual collection of works indexed on AustLit and accessible fulltext to researchers. Read more information about the QUT Centre for Learning Innovation and the Australian Children's Literature Digital Resources Project.
OAK Law List Project
In 2007, two OAK Law Project Officers positions were based within the Library while they developed The OAK Law List; a web-accessible database containing information about publishing agreements used by publishers of scholarly journals and publishers' open access policies. This database will be a useful tool for university copyright officers and institutional repository managers, both in Australia and overseas. The database will also inform academic authors looking for journals that have suitable access policies. Developed to be interoperable with other sources of information such as the UK-based RoMEO/SHERPA database and the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) based in Sweden, the List currently contains 550 records with full details for 461 journals and publishers plus a further 89 records awaiting further information from the publisher.
Although the OAK Law List was officially launched on February 7th 2008, work continues on populating the database and developing some database enhancements.
Workforce Planning Project
In 2007 the Library produced its first Workforce Plan. Although the Library has a long history of strategic planning and a sophisticated planning process, which often includes planning for staffing and changes to the workforce profile, the Workforce Plan is the first comprehensive evaluation and documentation of the changes in workforce profile which may be required over the next three to five years to support the changing face of Library services.
The Workforce Plan outlines the core services performed; the service demand trends and external influences impacting upon these core services; recommended changes in service delivery strategies; and any recommended changes to workforce profile as a result of these proposed changes to service delivery for each section of the Library.The Plan was developed by a Working Party, representing all of the specialist areas of the Library, in consultation with key stakeholders. It is intended to be a dynamic document, with more detail being added as trends in service delivery become clearer or change in magnitude or direction, or as external influences impact on the Library structure and services.
Integrated Literacies Project
In April, the Library and Teaching and Learning Support Services (TALSS) initiated a project to establish cohesive service models for integrated and expanded support for the development of academic literacy (study skills). Involving extensive consultation with stakeholders, the Integrated Literacies Project received very positive support from across the University and signaled a fundamental shift in "core" business for the Library.
The major outcomes of this project included:
- implementation of a tiered Divisional model of study skills support at Library service points, including service definitions and levels of support (Phase 1);
- mapping of academic literacies to highlight complementarities in existing services and activities provided by TALSS and the Library;
- a definition of "academic literacy" and formulation of a comprehensive list of academic literacy "standards" to inform ongoing support services and curriculum development; recommendations for staffing, implementation, training and ongoing service provision; and project plans for Phases 2 & 3 (resources and curriculum).
Phase 1 was implemented in Semester 2 after significant staff development for over 50 staff in appropriate procedures, referral processes and student resources. From that time, QUT Library staff now provide point-of-need frontline academic literacy (study skills) assistance at all branch helpdesks. Subsequent phases of the project will commence in early 2008. Phase 2 will address strategies for integrating and expanding TILS learning support of academic and information literacy knowledge/skills sets via blended access to/availability of physical resources (print materials, guides, reference tools, etc), virtual resources (webpages, knowledge systems, learning resources and tutorials, etc) and staffing resources (consultation and referral, etc). Phase 3 will investigate and develop models for implementing blended and embedded academic and information literacy learning and development via QUT course, curriculum, assessment and classroom processes.
The focus on integrating learning support across the Division instigated a change to the role of the Library's Information Literacy Coordinator. Reclassified as a cross-departmental position with dual report lines to Library and TALSS, the position has a mandate to manage Phases 2 and 3 of the Integrated Literacies Project and an ongoing broader strategic mandate to coordinate blended approaches to learning skills services and support. This change also instigated an extension of the role and responsibilities of the Library's Information Literacy Advisory Team, which now undertakes expanded operational duties and tasks to ensure the cohesive Library-wide approach to information literacy service and support continues. However, with the inclusion of a TALSS Academic Skills Advisor as a member, the team also assumes broader operational responsibilities which facilitate a cross-departmental integrated approach to providing learning skills support across the Library and TALSS.