Kia ora koutou

What a week!  Exam season is upon us, and there’s a palpable air of intensity all around.

LIANZA Conference took place this week at the stunning Te Pae venue.  Over 500 delegates (including a large number of UC peeps!) convened, conversed and connected.  I made it to the Tuesday sessions, to hear from some outstanding keynotes and engage in some thought-provoking sessions. Professor Rangi Mātāmua and Dr Hana O’Regan were particular highlights for me, and many others I know.  We’re planning a wānanga in early December to inspire and inform colleagues on our LIANZA experience this week, and capture ideas and actions for embracing here at UC!  Keep an eye out for a calendar invitation in due course.

Also our commendations to Nick and Kathryn, who presented on Keenious (AI versus traditional database searching) on Wednesday.  And to Damian and the Macmillan Brown team, who hosted a couple of groups of bus-touring delegates as part of the Tales & Tours visit on Thursday.  A number of visitors came to learn about the pivotal role The Canterbury Association and its supporter had in establishing libraries in Canterbury, as well as to see some gems from our collection.

In other news this week, Figshare  is now active. Check out our newly minted research data repository, which provides an open access platform adhering to FAIR and CARE principles.

Review report feedback through Q&A kōrero continues. I’ll be attending SLT and Academic Board next week to talk with both groups about the Review report and to garner views and questions from these audiences.  Our aim is to capture feedback as themes on the Library Review Report Padlet, as a way of sharing back and to potentially spark and inspire follow-on and continuing kōrero.

For now, the weekend beckons – seems a long time coming!

Mā te wā,
Kat

Kia ora koutou

A short week as the calendar goes, but still action-packed!

Thanks to those of you who were able to make it to our first all-staff Q&A session on the Library Review Report.  We’re collating feedback (organised thematically) to share back.  And we’re committed to offering the chance to kōrero together on an ongoing basis.  To help with this, and to provide an alternative means of feeding back and asking questions, we’ve set up a padlet.  Please feel free to share your thoughts and pose questions here:
Library Review Report feedback (padlet.com)

Our MLM project continues apace!  A well-deserved morning tea for functional co-leads and subject matter experts was held on Tuesday.  It was, as always, lovely to connect together in-person to share some kai and celebrate sterling progress to date.

It was Jaz’s last day today, and we were able to go out for coffee and have a bit of fun with travel bookings together.  Jaz has been a fabulous addition to our team, getting up to speed and teaching me a thing or two (million) along the way!

We’ve opened recruitment already for our next fabulous Tautāwhi | Administrator.  Please spread the word far and wide amongst your networks:
Library Tautāwhi | Administrator – University of Canterbury | Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha

I’d like to add an endorsement to today’s earlier post on the Pacific Talanoa Day on 13 November.  We encourage everyone to attend and invite you to talk with your manager if flexible arrangements might be helpful so that you can fully engage in the day and the fabulous opportunity this represents.

I’d also like to take this opportunity to express thanks to the Macmillan Brown Library team for the raft of activities, displays, talks, tours and events on offer at the Alumni & Community Reunion celebrations this weekend.  The weather forecast is more promising than today’s chilly offerings, and this should be a busy and bustling time for the campus and our wider UC community.  Thanks to all of you pitching in to work and contribute to the event.

Next week is LIANZA Conference and a number of us are going along to connect with colleagues, hear and share, and in some cases, present.  A shout-out to Nick and Kathryn for their paper on Keenious (AI versus traditional database searching) on Wednesday!

Also this weekend, a certain game of rugby takes place. Go the ABs!

Mā te wā,
Kat

Kia ora koutou

This was a busy and enjoyable week, as library managers and colleagues started a series of hui together to reflect on, question and share impressions of the Library Review Report.  I want to thank you all for the level of interest, and the candid sharing of reflections, already evident in our initial kōrero.  We are committed to forming our review response and prioritisations together in partnership, and taking this approach in everything we do. It is heartening to see this in action, from the very start of this engagement.

I met with DVC-Academic lead colleagues on Monday this week as part of a monthly hui. (We’ll be reporting through to DVC-A Catherine Moran for the next few months, while DVC-R Ian Wright is on extended leave.)  It was great to meet and share with colleagues from a range of Learning & Teaching areas across UC, while we still keep close connections with our DVC-Research colleagues from Te Kura Tāura and Research & Innovation.  This is an opportunity to further nurture key partnerships across all teaching, learning and research areas of our community, which seems particularly timely as we share and raise awareness of the report and its recommendations.

On which note, Library Committee met for a two-hour planning workshop (focussed on the report) this morning, which was engaging and thought-provoking in equal measure.  Library Committee has long conveyed a palpable sense of investment and interest in our library service, users and staff, and this was never more evident than in today’s session.

Next week is Open Access Week 2023, themed “Community over Commercialization.” There’s a raft of events on offer, and I encourage you to join what you can of the extensive programme:
Open Access Week 2023 | Open Access Australasia (oaaustralasia.org)

My thanks to those staff who are providing services through the long weekend ahead.  Lectures end today and we know the ensuing study break and exam period will be a very busy time.

For those of us taking some time off, wishing you safe, fun and restful adventures in equal measure.

Mā te wā,
Kat

Ni sa bula vinaka

Our quarterly Project Board meeting was held this morning, which is an important way to track progress and provide governance oversight of our many important Library projects underway.

On a related note, I had a meeting with Facilities Management (FM) colleagues today, to discuss and confirm lines of communication and ways of working in partnership together between the Library and FM.  I look forward to continuing awesome progress on some of our afore-referenced keystone projects that relate to physical facilities and infrastructure, in an ongoing collaborative and communicative way.

Earlier this week, Fiona and I hosted Roger Dawson (University Librarian – Lincoln University) at our Macmillan Brown Library, to learn more about their cultural heritage digitisation work, plans for their 150^th anniversary in 2028, building refurbishment and expansion work across their campus (including the Library), and areas in which we might collaborate more closely, including with our CONZUL colleagues throughout the motu.

Following my message to you all yesterday sharing the Library Review Report, engagement with a number of other key audiences, now commences.  First is Library Committee, who received a copy of the report today, ahead of a planning workshop next Friday 20 October.

Also today, Academic Board has its monthly meeting (and I’ll be sharing the Review Report in that forum in their November meeting).

I had reason to pop into EPS in the evening one day this week, and just want to take this opportunity to do a shout-out to all staff, and how we work together to provide such a consistent, high level of warmth, welcome and manaaki to our library users (in-person and online) – all through the week, day and night.  It’s a testament to your individual and collective focus on doing our best for our UC community, and I know it makes a huge difference. Ka pai!

Finally, I’d like to endorse the UC Pacific Talanoa Day for Library staff, coming up on Monday 13 November.  This will be an interactive and fun opportunity for us all to enhance and strengthen our cultural responsiveness to Pacific students, families and communities.  Please RSVP to the invitation that came out earlier this week, and please feel welcome to contact Caroline Syddall if you’d like any further information.

Bula vinaka,
Kat

Kia ora koutou

As you’ll recall, earlier this year we (UC Library) embarked on an external peer review process.  In June, we hosted a review panel onsite here at UC, comprising:

• Margie Jantti, Director Library Services – University of Wollongong (Chair)
• Andy Priestner, International Library UX Consultant
• Paula Rigby, Senior Advisor and Pouwhakahaere at Te Puni Kōkiri – Te Waipounamu

I’d like to take this opportunity to express gratitude on behalf of the Library Leadership Team for the time, consideration, thought and energy you all offered to the process.  The panel have reflected that they felt well ‘embedded’ in the UC environment, and could contextualise their findings well as a result. This speaks to the manaaki they experienced in their short – but clearly valuable – time with us.

The panel’s interviews, insights and observations have now been synthesised into a final report, comprising a series of their findings and recommendations.
The report has been saved on Teams in the Files section (Key Documents folder) of the Library All Staff channel.

You’ll see the panel makes 19 recommendations across 10 themes, with 5 priority recommendations identified.  There are also a number of commendations for the Library team.

We (Library Leadership Team) encourage you to read, share and discuss the report, and would welcome the chance to do this together, as we concurrently consider and work through our responses to it.

To this end, we’ll offer a series of Q&A sessions with all staff in small groups, to talk through the report contents, kōrero on findings, and – as we can – answer any questions that may arise.  Calendar invitations will be issued in the next day or so, and we encourage you to come along to whichever session/s you can.

Through the remainder of this month and into November, we will share this report with a number of stakeholders, including panel interviewees, the University’s Senior Leadership Team (SLT), Library Committee, the PFRC (Planning, Finance and Resources Committee) and Academic Board. For each of these audiences, we’ll be seeking endorsement of the recommendations, with focus on the 5 priority recommendations.

As you’ll see, the recommendations are wide-ranging and entail a long-term and multi-year commitment. We are dedicated to offering opportunities for ongoing kōrero as we work together bring these recommendations to bear.

I’d also like to signal that our 2023 Ops Plan will ‘hold’ in place through to 2024 as we:

• keep going with a number of keystone projects and initiatives (as incorporated already in the 2023 Ops Plan)
• put focus on the report recommendations
• prioritise co-creating a strategic vision for the Library (priority recommendation #1 in the report), and
• then develop the roadmap and our updated Ops Plan, once the strategic vision is in place

Again, we’re keen for ongoing kōrero through this process, and encourage you to share your responses, input and ideas.  Feel free to talk with you manager, me, other members of the Library Leadership Team, and look out for calendar invitations for small group Q&A sessions, coming shortly.

Ngā mihi,
Kat

Kia ora koutou

I’m delighted to share the wonderful news that Lisa is being awarded a University of Canterbury Hapori Community of Practice Award for 2023.

Professor Catherine Moran noted in her letter to Lisa that the assessment subcommittee for this award were:

“…particularly impressed with the care you take to proactively meet students and form relationships with them kanohi-ki-te-kanohi – especially those students in the Master of Māori and Indigenous Leadership programme. Your support for these students has eased their transition to postgraduate study and enabled them to make greater contributions to their communities. I have no doubt that the intellect, compassion, and understanding which staff and students highlighted in recommending you for this award will continue to inspire students in future.”

This significant achievement is a well-deserved testament to Lisa’s compassionate and focussed teaching with our ākonga.

Lisa – you are an inspiration for us all!  Ka pai!

Nāku iti nei, nā
Kat

Kia ora koutou

With regret, I’ve accepted the resignation of Jaz Crowther from the role of Library Tautāwhi | Administrator.  Jaz’s last day will be 30th October.

Jaz has been a total delight to work with, coming on board and getting up to speed in a flash, graciously and adeptly supporting managers and our wider team with all range of mahi.

We’ll miss you so much Jaz, and wish you all the very best with your future adventures.

More details on a farewell for Jaz will be forthcoming soon.

Ngā mihi
Kat

Kia ora koutou

Thanks to those of you who were able to join the Demystifying CONZUL webinar earlier in the week. We (CONZUL) are committed to providing opportunities to kōrero on why we exist, what we focus on, and how members of teams at each of the eight university libraries can pitch in and be involved in CONZUL initiatives.  In this vein, we’d like to keep offering such sessions, and have a short (anonymous) participant survey here, to help us find out what you thought of this week’s session, and what you’d like for the future.

The University’s Research Committee and Learning & Teaching Committee met for their respective monthly hui this week.   There was some discussion at the former on the Open Access support we provide (e.g. via our Open Access Fund, and via the raft of Read & Publish Agreements to which we are signatories).  I also took the opportunity to “headline” our commendable year-to-date progress towards the Universities New Zealand pan-university statement for 70% of published research to be open by 2025.  We’ll talk in more detail on this at next month’s Research Committee hui, but if I say the words “62% so far this year” and “first equal with Otago”, you’ll probably know what I mean.

The Learning & Teaching Committee looked at progress on Faculty Learning & Teaching plans, currently in development across UC. These are being shared on a Teams channel, to which a few of us have access.  A common theme in every Faculty is the scarcity of time available for the large scope of work ahead.  I’m aware this is a shared sentiment here in our Library teams too, as our keystone projects hit their straps with breathtaking momentum, calendars are full and workloads are substantial.

We also have the Library Review Report on the radar, as being ready to share, socialise and discuss in the next few weeks.  This is exciting, as it will give us a ‘roadmap’ of recommendations to guide our future.  But I appreciate our road ahead can feel a bit too vast at times, and it’s reasonable to wonder from where we’re going to drum up all the energy required.  Especially when we’re immersed in the day-to-day of significant and all-consuming mahi!

Library managers are keenly aware of this, and experiencing the same, too.  So I’d encourage us all to take care with our energy levels and wellbeing, and please don’t hesitate to get in touch with your manager, or with me, at any time.

Finally, what happened to the balmy spring weather offerings of last week?!

Mā te wā,
Kat

Kia ora koutou

Daylight saving commences this weekend!  Remember to put your clocks forward one hour before you go to bed tomorrow night (having first watched the Wahs beat the Broncos, just saying). And somewhat topically, given the fire evacuation at PJH this morning, it’s also a good time to check your smoke alarms.

I’m back this week from a CAUL/CONZUL two-day meeting in Melbourne. I squeezed in a visit to Monash University’s Caulfield Library while there, and have a swag of images and insights to share. Will look for the nearest chance!

On the theme of sharing back from professional development experiences, we’ll have a raft of ‘share-backs’ to look forward to in due course, once our Rosalind Patrick recipients have availed themselves of various exciting professional development opportunities!  It was so impressive to see the variety and high quality of applications to this year’s award fund.  Ka pai to the recipients, who are:

• Fiona Tyson – Council of Library and Information Resources (CLIR) Institute: Heritage, Science, Research, Academic – Reconnecting the Whole (Wellington, November 2023)​
• Jemma Wiki – International Indigenous Librarians Forum​ (IILF) (University of Hawai’i, November 2023)​
• Lydia Baxendell – ‘Gloves On’ Symposium ​(Victoria University, Wellington, October 2023)​
• Matthew Oram – New Zealand Photographers of Cultural Collections Forum​
  (Wellington, November 2023)​
• Theresa Buller – Teaching the Teachers Conference for Law Librarians ​(Philadelphia, USA, May 2024)​

At the same awards ceremony, we also celebrated Long Service for a number of the team:

• Anton Angelo – 10 years
• Damian Cairns – 10 years
• Beth Mannix – 15 years
• Margaret Paterson – 15 years
• Glenna Wong – 20 years
• Sue Thompson – 20 years

We subsequently realised that we had inadvertently overlooked the 15 year anniversary for Swee Hoon Goh, so I’d like to take the opportunity to acknowledge this milestone achievement here.  We will celebrate properly Swee Hoon’s (by then) 16 years of Long Service, at next year’s award ceremony.

As always, it was great to come together in celebration over shared kai, to acknowledge and show appreciation for your dedicated mahi, and for your embracing of future development opportunities. Pictures of some of the recipients are posted here for posterity, thanks to the photographic brilliance of Isabella and Glenna!

In other good news, I’m delighted to share that the Library 2024 budget has been approved in terms of its overall envelope, and shows ongoing commitment to our full suite of services for the UC staff and student community.

And finally, I’d like to pay tribute to the stellar efforts of the team for Rā Tōmene initiatives earlier this month.  I really enjoyed reading the post here on Counterculture and commend the focus on relationship-building which underpinned this year’s engagement with our prospective student cohort for 2024.  Ngā mihi nui!

Mā te wā,
Kat

Kia ora koutou

Some calendars mark today as the first day of spring. Be that the case or not, the weather is certainly behaving as if spring is truly here. It’s so uplifting to see big doses of sunshine! And here’s hoping the weather plays ball in similar fashion next Friday, when UC celebrates Rā Tōmene and welcomes prospective 2024 students and their whānau to our campus and community. Thanks to all in the team for great ideas and initiatives in the pipeline for this special day!

Thanks also to all who came along and participated in the Staff Forum (held twice) this week. The buzz and enthusiasm in the room was palpable, and I know Tracey, our Wellbeing Lead and guest facilitator, appreciated all the great thinking on staff benefits and what we’d like to see in this space. Tracey will be collating the feedback and sharing it back with us in the next few days.

I personally found it a really valuable chance to take some time out together, to catch up, share kai, and consider how best to support each other and ourselves, as we navigate exciting and transformational changes ahead.

On which note, we are now officially moving into “Execution Phase” on our Modern Library Management Project. While this may sound slightly ominous, Execution Phase in fact means we are now formally working with EBSCO to kick off proceedings and rip into the mahi!  A few of us will be meeting with our EBSCO Implementation Manager next Monday, to start this ball rolling and get our project planning, style, tools and comms channels shaped up and confirmed.

What does this mean for you?
We’ll be taking the opportunity in upcoming weeks to review a number of aspects, from the way we use Horizon currently to the user experience of our discovery services. You may find that you are called on to provide insight/advice on certain topics from time to time over the coming few weeks.
For our Functional Co-Leads they will become busier as they represent the different aspects of the UC Library in workshops with EBSCO and work through solution design.

How do I find out more?
We will continue to use the MLM Project Teams & Sharepoint site to capture and circulate information. You can find all you need to know in these pages. If you have any questions or feedback, log it here by clicking on the “New” button and we will endeavour to get back to you within the week.

Mā te wā,
Kat