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The University Library Annual Report 2018-19. Welcome | 1 The University Library. The University Library Annual Report 2018-19. Welcome The University Library’s reach and impact year, not just by sourcing appropriate datasets and research, has been well received. In the Press this year in which students nominated their continues to grow. The primary purpose and but also providing training for academic staff. The coming year, the PLA will be focusing on inclusivity, favourite library. The bylines for each nomination enduring value of a research library to enable inclusion of the ESRC SafePod facility should also sustainability and employability and it is good to see were very telling: intellectual discovery has not changed. We do see greatly enhance our research capability at the that we have already started working with students Western Bank Library: Serene and supreme. changes in the services, resources and spaces we institution and the new DMPonline service will and staff on the first two of these priorities. offer to students and researchers though, year on be of great help to our postgraduate research The Information Commons: Practical, reliable and As more of our users come to us seeking digital year. In 2018/19, there has been both a reflection students. perfect for an essay crisis. and renewed energy across the academic library solutions to their study requirements we will sector in advancing digital scholarship, a term Of course, much of the innovation we bring to need to stay ahead of the curve and to that end The Diamond: A metropolis under one roof. the University would not be possible without the we are ensuring that we invest in appropriate which is being used to describe the shift towards In the light of the sector’s increased focus on wider networks in which we are active members. professional development of staff and service the use of digital tools and methods in learning student wellbeing we take great pride in the fact and research. In a highly digital society this is This is why it is so good to see the work being innovation. The Library will be building upon the that our physical spaces are keenly sought out by inevitable but libraries have been at the forefront done with sector organisations in the important work already undertaken with our advisory and students as welcoming, practical, reliable and safe of this shift for some time. In our support for areas of information management, copyright, discovery services. The fact that we still have an environments for their study. teaching, learning and research we have been shared collections, open access, discovery excellent NSS satisfaction score this year gives implementing digital solutions for many years, so and data provision. Large international library me reassurance that we are investing in the right for us this is now business as usual. This is why associations and cooperatives bring real benefits places to ensure continued excellent service in it gives me so much pleasure to see the fruits of to our end users and we are proud of the part we the future. our labours in the quality and efficiency of the play in these. We are, of course, cognisant that the digital shift services we are providing and the satisfaction of This increased support for research comes on does not mean that our physical library spaces, as both students and academics in our offering. Our top of the excellent work we have continued to do well as our rare and original materials and archives, trend analysis over the last three years shows supporting the University’s move to Programme are less important to students and researchers. an ever-increasing demand in our digital service Level Approach (PLA). Our approach of partnering Our exhibitions feature in What’s On, engaging the offering and demonstrates that our library users with students to identify the most useful time and university and wider communities, including our are changing how they access information. place for them to access the information they alumni. Feedback from students tells us that our Anne Horn In particular I am happy to see the support we have need, and develop the information and digital library spaces are highly valued. I was particularly Director of Library Services provided to the University’s flagship institutes this literacies essential to be effective in their learning proud to see an article in the student-run Forge and University Librarian. Student Learning and Success The University Library Annual Report 2018-19 | 3 Learning Space Improvements Exam Time Initiatives In preparation for the 2019/20 These include spaces for individual independent The Library has always appreciated Students have been involved in the user-testing of academic year we have improved our study, spaces where students can study with their the need to support students during this resource and more feedback will be gathered peers, and spaces where postgraduate students after the launch later in 2020. learning spaces in the Information can study in a more suitable environment. We also pre-exam and exam time. Commons by offering different styles upgraded our desks to ensure that they all have We continue to facilitate additional learning of study space. individual lighting. spaces at Halls of Residence and other University To achieve these improvements, we collaborated locations, as well as prioritising most group study with University of Sheffield students and used rooms for revision use. These initiatives have feedback from work carried out as part of their proved very popular with students. This year we postgraduate studies. have worked closely with the Students’ Union and Sport Sheffield to bring short exercise and From this feedback, we found that students want stretch classes to our sites, encouraging students to have unimpeded access to the space they to study healthily and take a break. choose and will often use this space to study for the majority of their University experience. The University has many learning spaces around campus and the Library is working with a local We used the feedback to create a good balance company, Vivid, to produce a ‘space finder’ between collaborative and more individual spaces website that will include a searchable database with an imaginative use of formal desks, screens, of spaces and bookable rooms, enabling students sofas and plants. to find their ideal space throughout the year. 4 | The University of Sheffield The Garden Room, Your Place of Relaxation and Calm Wolfson Suite Over the course of the year we ran a project looking at In keeping with our intention to provide how our Library spaces support the health and wellbeing suitable, flexible and varied space for Library users, the Wolfson Suite in Western Bank of our students. We already know, from multiple surveys, Library was refurbished into a multi-purpose that students view the Library as a welcoming and safe study, meeting and presentation space for space in which they can focus on their studies. The staff and students. The refurbishment was made possible by a legacy bequest from our project team worked closely with students to look at how former Library colleague Joan Chibnall, who this could be taken further. was the University of Sheffield Library’s Map Curator and Geography Librarian from 1964- The result is The Garden Room on the ground floor of the Information 1989, together with a grant made possible Commons, opening in the 2019/20 academic year. The new space will not through other philanthropic donations. only offer students a comfortable, relaxing break from their studies but Joan’s family and friends were invited to also serve to encourage students to take regular breaks away from their Western Bank Library to celebrate Joan’s electronic devices. generous gift, view the plaque on display, Students’ suggestions and feedback were used to inform the furniture and showcase this wonderful space, which choices, resources, and layout of the room. The Garden Room will also hold is benefitting University staff and students in a number of books for recreational use to encourage students to read for a number of ways that reflect the changing pleasure, rather than just for study purposes. research and learning environment. It is hoped that this calming environment will contribute towards greater student wellbeing and lower levels of stress and anxiety amongst those who use it. The University Library Annual Report 2018-19 | 5 National Student Survey Each year the National Student Survey gathers opinions from students about their time in higher education, asking them to provide honest feedback on what it has been like to study on their university or college course. The Library supports the survey as a useful benchmarking tool and ensures that the University Student Services video and posters are visible in all Library sites throughout the duration of the survey. We are delighted that in the 2018/19 survey just over 91% of students who answered NSS Question 19 agreed that “The library resources (e.g. books, online services and learning spaces) have supported my learning well”, giving the Library third place in the Russell Group. Research Excellence and Impact Supporting the Flagship Research Institutes The 2018/19 academic year saw the The Library Faculty Engagement Team identified launch of the University’s first four key journals for the relevant research fields, and Energy Institute Neuroscience Institute liaised with the institute directors on strategic flagship research institutes. The Library priorities for the purchase of several new titles. has been working closely with the The Library has also arranged access to a number flagship institutes’ leadership to ensure of specialist databases relevant to the work of that our collections and services the institutes. These include Nano from Nature, which provides information about nanomaterials support the interdisciplinary research and devices relevant to the Energy Institute, as that the institutes are undertaking.
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