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Foreword
Paul Ayris, Director of UCL Library Services
President of LIBER (Association of European Research Libraries)
The new Strategy from UCL Library Services was formally launched in August 2011 and this embedded link provides a short video introduction to its main highlights. This is one new way in which the Library is communicating with its users. Blogs are another and (at the time of writing) there are 10 library blogs on the library website. New IT tools make possible new ways of communication which were unthinkable even a few years ago.
The Library has a strong following on Twitter. Seven of UCL's family of libraries can be followed on Twitter. One of our correspondents tweeted from the Library when reading library materials:
I may have underestimated Wordsworth. (at UCL Main Library)
UCL's new staff publication, TheWeek@UCL, also provides a regular forum through which the Library can communicate news and analysis of developments concerning our facilities and services.
As with new forms of digital communication, so with our new-look Annual Report. The Report has been completely re-shaped and re-focussed to demonstrate progress in the implementation of the new Library Strategy. This Strategy is itself anchored in the vision of the UCL Council White Paper. The Strategy is built around Key Performance Areas: Student Experience; Research Support; Support for Healthcare; Space Management; Widening Participation and Public Engagement, all linked to UCL's academic mission.
The purpose of this Annual Report is to deliver news to UCL staff and students, and to our many external users, on how the Library is faring in delivering on the key strategic priorities. This Report therefore gives some background on how our strategic priorities were identified. It also contains reports from the KPA leaders on progress to date in each of their areas.
A new feature of this activity will be to evaluate UCL
Library Services against leading global research universities. For
example, one piece of work which our Academic Support Group has
undertaken is to analyse the richness of UCL's digital library against
other digital offerings around the world. The UCL digital offering is
already very strong indeed. However, as a result of the above analysis,
UCL has invested an extra £1 million over 3 years to make the digital
offering from UCL Library Services as complete an offering as can be
found anywhere.
The purpose of the Library's new-look Annual Report is to present
these and other results to all users of our services. Happy reading.
Paul Ayris
Director of UCL Library Services
President of LIBER (Association of European Research Libraries)
" "UCL Special Collections holds the bound typescript copy of a novel written by Sir Francis Galton (1822-1911) entitled Kantsaywhere. This utopian novel was written by Galton towards the end of his life with the aim of bringing his theories to a wider audience. 2011 is the centenary year of Galton's death. The Library has digitised Galton's novel and it is available in our Digital Collections in the Special Collections folder. Galton may have had some odd ideas, but he knew the value of communication."