Annual Report 2017–18 University of Oxford Gazette Supplement
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WEDNESDAY 23 JANUARY 2019 • SUPPLEMENT (1) TO NO 5227 • VOL 149 Gazette Supplement Curators of the University Libraries Bodleian Libraries: Annual Report 2017/18 1 Summary of the year • Bodleian Library – Weston Library Numerous service improvements were • Bodleian Music Faculty Library made this year to support our readers. The Bodleian Libraries of the University of • Bodleian Oriental Institute Library Following reader feedback the opening Oxford forms the largest university library • Bodleian Social Science Library hours across many libraries were extended. system in the UK, providing a world-class • English Faculty Library The Cairns Library piloted a staffed service resource for scholarship. In 2017/18 work • Leopold Muller Memorial Library at weekends over Michaelmas term 2017 continued to support learning and research • Philosophy and Theology Faculties (generously funded by the Nuffield Oxford within the University and the wider world of Library Hospitals Fund) making the library staffed, scholarship at the highest level. • Radcliffe Science Library where possible, on Saturdays and Sundays • Rewley House Continuing Education over the term. At the Sackler Library, Sunday A key development this year has been the Library openings were introduced from Hilary term production of a 2017–22 Strategy for the • Sackler Library 2018, giving seven-day-a-week access to 250 Bodleian Libraries, one that articulates a • Sainsbury Library at the Saïd Business study spaces and the non-lending material vision for the organisation and helps it to School in the Sackler collections. The Education meet three key aims for the libraries over • Sainsbury Library at Egrove Park Library began opening on Saturdays year the upcoming five years. These are: to help • Sherardian Library of Plant Taxonomy round and Sundays during extended term ensure that the University of Oxford remains • Taylor Institution Library time. This resulted in the number of study- at the forefront of academic teaching • Tylor Library space-hours per week in term increasing by and research worldwide; to contribute • Vere Harmsworth Library at the 6% from 326,595 in 2016/17 to 345,257 in leadership to the broader development Rothermere American Institute, and 2017/18. of the world of information and libraries • Wellcome Unit for the History of for society; and to provide a sustainable Other service improvements were made, Medicine Library. operation of the libraries. The strategy sets including moving inter-library loans online out six key strategic goals and the broad at http://solo.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/interlib. This 2 Serving our readers actions that the Bodleian Libraries will take service was piloted over Michaelmas term to achieve these goals, and can be viewed 2017. In 2017/18 the Bodleian Libraries online at www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/about/ accommodated 1,989,678 physical reader The libraries provided a programme of strategy. visits, including over 32,000 external skills development to support the needs There are 28 libraries across the Bodleian readers who used the extensive digital and of users. Over 14,000 readers received Libraries: physical collections and made use of its 28 information skills training, allowing them libraries. to engage with the world of information • Bodleian Education Library more effectively, and to make better use of • Bodleian Health Care Libraries – Cairns Our online resources were also heavily the libraries’ resources in support of their • Bodleian Health Care Libraries – Horton used with 13.8 million searches made on own learning and research. The Bodleian Hospital the libraries catalogue SOLO (an increase Libraries worked with the University’s IT • Bodleian Health Care Libraries – of 16% from the previous year). Database Services to run its award-winning Research Knowledge Centre searches also grew by 12% to 13,273,565. Skills Toolkits sessions during the first • Bodleian Health Care Libraries – Nuffield Use of electronic texts was up 3–5% week of Hilary term. During the workshops, Orthopaedic Centre from the previous year: over 10.3 million research students and staff tried out ten • Bodleian Japanese Library e-book chapters and 9.5 million full-text key tools including bibliographic databases • Bodleian KB Chen China Centre Library e-journal articles were downloaded. There for literature searching; digitised primary • Bodleian Latin American Centre Library were 950,528 views of a digitised book sources; current awareness services; tools • Bodleian Law Library or manuscript on our website, a jump of for tracking citations and calculating impact; • Bodleian Library – Old Library 68% from the previous year. There were reference management software; and using • Bodleian Library – Radcliffe Camera 1,051,390 loans made to our readers. ORA (Oxford Research Archive) for Open 225 226 University of Oxford Gazette • Supplement (1) to No 5227 • 23 January 2019 Access. And over Michaelmas term 2017 Books, journals and reprint boxes were Roman papyri. Archival descriptions of the Health Care Libraries also expanded the transferred to the BSF while some the contents of the Sackler archive have range and number of iSkills training sessions materials on undergraduate reading lists also been completed, which will be of targeted at research and taught postgrads were transferred to the open shelves particular interest to people studying the and postdocs across the Medical Sciences in the RSL, together with a number of history of Classical archaeology in the Division (MSD). These included new key ornithological reference works. 20th century. iSkills workshops on ‘Searching in Support Rare books were transferred to Special of Systematic Reviews and Evidence Collections at the Weston Library. The 4 Providing world-class resources Synthesis’ and ‘Introduction to literature Alexander Librarian will continue to be searching for DPhils’, as well as sessions on based at the RSL. The Bodleian’s collections are unparalleled reference management and research data • In the Bodleian Library a new common and growing. By the end of 2017/18 the management. room opened in late Hilary term 2018. Bodleian Libraries had more than 13 million The room, directly accessible from (13,121,097) printed items in its collection, With the support of our Disability Librarian the south staircase, now provides an an increase of 218,789 over the year. It now we continued to support the needs of all informal space for readers to study or holds 27,625 line metres of manuscripts and disabled users, providing over 101,136 pages take a break and offers a space for readers archives. in alternative print formats by ARACU with mobility restrictions to receive their (Accessible Resources Acquisition and The Bodleian’s investment in digital inductions and to study with assistive Creation Unit), almost double that of the resources has grown dramatically in order technology. prior year. to meet reader demand. At the end of • At the Cairns Library improvements 2017/18 there were 1,352,556 electronic were made to spaces with the 3 Enhancing our library spaces books (an increase of 8% from the previous decommissioning of the MSD student year). Journal subscriptions have also terminals from the Cairns providing The Bodleian Libraries provides 4,553 study grown – by 16% in the last year, to 127,658 additional study desks with nearby spaces across its 28 libraries, which is an – and the number of journal titles available power sockets for readers. increase of 4% from the previous year. In electronically to users is now 99,118, an total, this means the Bodleian Libraries Work was also completed on collections in increase of 21% from last year. The number offers 345,257 study-space-hours per week the following spaces: of databases now available to readers is 1,497 in term. compared with 1,304 in the previous year. • In the Philosophy and Theology Over the year many improvements were Faculties Library (PTFL) a significant The Bodleian Libraries continued to develop made to our spaces while work continues on milestone was achieved as staff new resources and enhance existing exciting redevelopment projects: completed a four-year project to resources to meet the needs of its readers. reclassify the three previous open- Some key developments over 2017/18 have • Work took place on a project to replace shelf sequences into a single (Library of been: and upgrade the lighting in Duke Congress) classification sequence. This Humfrey’s Library. The new lights SOLO website user interface upgrade work is a key preparatory step for the improve the illumination of both eventual move to the new Humanities The Bodleian Libraries’ SOLO team worked the historic features of the room and building at the Radcliffe Observatory closely with both users and library staff individual reader spaces, and will reduce Quarter and makes it much easier for on a project to create a new clean and the libraries’ carbon footprint. readers to navigate the PTFL’s open-shelf modern user interface (UI) for the Bodleian’s • At the Radcliffe Science Library (RSL) collection. catalogue, SOLO (http://solo.bodleian.ox.ac. a major redevelopment project is • In the Old Library – Lower Reading uk). SOLO is used on a daily basis by Oxford underway which will transform the Room (Classics) the much-anticipated University students and academics and also historic library by creating exciting new open-shelf collection for Late Antiquity provides invaluable access to information spaces for engagement and for housing was welcomed. The main focus of this for users from over 200 countries the University’s collections, while collection is the ancient world from worldwide. Informed by user experience modernising existing library areas. This the accession of Diocletian in 284 CE testing with real users, the beta new SOLO flexible space will meet the changing to the end of the Roman rule in the with improved functionality was launched needs of students and researchers in the Mediterranean in 632 CE. It covers in Trinity term 2018 with an aim for the new sciences and beyond, and will support social and political history and secular UI to become the default option for SOLO in GLAM and the University’s role in literature, and aims to provide access 2018/19.