bucksBiblio
Library Newsletter Issue 1 : WINTER 2009
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elcome to the first issue of bucksBiblio, Library Services’ new biannual newsletter. In this Issue: • New libraries at High Wycombe and Uxbridge • Library moves in summer 2009 • Resource Review • Lots of useful information about the library services Read on for bucksBiblio... “I am pleased to see that when I visit either library they are absolutely ‘buzzing’ with activity, with students actively working individually or collectively using these facilities to the full”. (Trevor Nicholls, Pro Vice Chancellor)
Above: some of the High Wycombe team
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wo new libraries at Uxbridge and at High Wycombe in The Gateway opened their gates to employees and students at Bucks New University in September. After a hectic summer of closing and moving libraries, we now enjoy extensive access to IT facilities, online information resources, and multi-function printers in airy, modern surroundings. The libraries reflect a thoughtful blend of learning space for the 21st century student; silent study areas, 10 group study rooms, soft seating, and wireless throughout.
Left: the usual suspects at Uxbridge
Below: library assistants, the backbone of our service
“Having the library services as the hub of the new Gateway provides a great service for students and staff to have learning resources and the assistance to use them when they are required”. (Richard Jones, Head of the Flexible & Distributed Learning Centre — FDLC)
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irst rate resources and facilities are supported by our friendly and expert Library teams, some of whom are pictured here. They are here to help and advise and give assistance at the service desks. Subject librarians guide students and colleagues through the numerous electronic journals, e-Books and databases available. We also have teams of employees who work behind the scenes on inter-library loan requests, new resources, and numerous key daily tasks. Learn more about the Library team in the next issue of bucksBiblio …
The mammoth task of moving three libraries, by Ann Badhams
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90,000 books in 4km of shelving, 1,500 journal titles, 3 libraries to close, 2 new libraries to open and all in 3 months. The move started at the end of the 2008-9 academic year ‌ June was Wellesbourne. 500 crates of stock and equipment was packed and moved to High Wycombe (HW). Books were integrated into the collection at HW. The Reference Only material was lifted out, to be housed in the new roller-racking with the journals. Above: job well done. Ann stands proudly in the new library at Uxbridge July was Chalfont. This move was more complex as the stock had to be divided. Business material and a small amount of nursing stock was identified and packed for storage until The Gateway was ready. The rest of the nursing stock was packed and then some of the shelving was dismantled and reassembled at the new Uxbridge site and the stock unpacked onto it. Above and below: going, going, almost gone. The end of four years planning as the last crates from High Wycombe are filled for the move to The Gateway.
The Radio Frequency Identification Self Issue system (RFID) installed at Wellesbourne in 2008 was retrieved from HW and set up in Uxbridge. This is a fast selfservice system which allows borrowers to take out, return and renew items and pay fines. It is hoped to introduce cashless payments next year. In the meantime equipment for change and payment for the new multi-function devices was also installed. Oxford University has taken over the Timber Research and Development Collection. Unwanted stock and equipment was recycled.
August was the last and possibly most complex move of all. Chalfont stock had to be integrated with HW stock. A problem with the spacing between the shelves was overcome. A lot of unused stock had been removed and again recycled through a large second-hand bookseller, a specialist bookseller and a donation to a small charity setting up a community project in an orchard in Suffolk. In spite of the difficulties in combining the two sets of stock most did end up on the correct shelves. For the start of term, new tables, chairs, computers and multifunction devices and RFID equipment like that at Uxbridge were also installed to provide a varied learning environment. The top, fifth, floor was designated a silent study area to provide for those who like to study in peace, while study rooms provide space for groups to work together. Those years of planning should provide a service which can grow and develop as new ideas and systems arise over the next decades. Right: the IT help point at the service desk on the 2nd floor of the Gateway. Contact IT staff here for IT advice and assistance. Email: it@bucks.ac.uk Tel: 01494 522141 ext. 3295
Right: some of the 1000 crates used to move stock around High Wycombe. Far right: newly filled shelves, mostly in the right order... "Having been in the university for more than 4 years as a student and an employee at the library, I think the new library is a great step forward. The significant aspect of the new library system is the independence it offers to a student through automatic machines, group study rooms and late opening hours. With the teaching rooms located within the library, there cannot be a more convenient and comfortable place to be within the university." (Premkumar Elangovan – PhD Student) Right: building work continues overhead and on the stairs during shelf-filling. Below-right: all up and running. Below: under wraps, keeping the dust off the new computers.
“Thank you for the recent tour of your new library. I was very impressed with your beautiful library and the way that you and your colleagues are clearly very proud of it. It is innovative, spacious and provides a welcoming environment for all at the University. The views are amazing and there are really thoughtful spaces that provide an array of choice for however you wish to work. I wish that I had a library as perfect as that when I was a student. I’d have moved in! “ (Kate Stilborn – Blackwell)
The Uxbridge Library: “Firstly, it is nice to have a library full of just nursing books and journals as I have found that this vastly cuts down the time I spend looking for books. I also commend the staff for how quickly they have adjusted to the new library and they have continued to be a big help.“ (Rhiannon Hunt – Pre-Reg Nursing student)
Above: Entrance to Uxbridge LRC. “this is the cleanest library I have ever seen” said a contractor who visited recently. Will it last? Above-left: Computers at Uxbridge, filling both sides of the Library. Right: Journals and study tables for those big nursing tomes.
Resource Review:
John Johnson Collection
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ould you like to find out about everyday life in Britain in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries ? Have you ever wondered what a theatre audience looked like in the late 18th century ? Through the Library’s Complete Database List link in Blackboard, the University has access to the John Johnson Collection. This resource is regarded among the world’s important collections of ephemera (grey literature / pamphlets). It gives a unique insight into the history of everyday life and covers aspects such as leisure, popular culture, publishing, crime and punishment, advertising, gender, technology, etc. Go to Reproduced by permission of ProQuest LLC. Images from the John bucksBiblio on Blackboard for a link to the John Johnson collection copyright Bodleian Library, University of Oxford Johnson database. “The journals and electronic databases have been really A little bit of fun … can you guess valuable to students, particularly around dissertation time. where this picture was taken in the They are always surprised by the wealth of information that Gateway Library ? E-mail can be found.” (Pedro de Senna suggestions to biblio@bucks.ac.uk —Course Leader for Performing Arts)
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Contact: biblio@bucks.ac.uk