Valedictory

Valedictory

Stephen TownDirector of Information

University of York

WHAT WERE THINGS LIKE?

1975-2015: forty years of employment

Pre-professional

• Industrial research• Service industry• University Libraries– Cambridge– Leeds– Salford

Professional

• NHS• Cranfield• York• Bristol, Sheffield, Oxford, Pompeu

Fabra (Barcelona),

Enduring paradoxes

• Change and continuity• Documental and digital communication• Devices, dependency and freedom• People and technology networks• Optimism and doom-mongering

First major IT project (1980)

The communications revolution?

The end of coherence: 1984-

… or the beginning

Lynne Brindley (The wired campus)

• A ubiquitous and capacious network• Comprehensive data and information• Transformed teaching & learning

90’s technologies …

The quality revolution 1994-

• TQM• Benchmarking• Statistics• User surveys• Information literacy

2000s: E-Learning transformation?

• E-learning• Distance learning• Blended learning• Pedagogy• Instructional

design• Multimedia– Development– Design

2007: New world?

2007: Farewell to Arms?

2007: York Ranking

• Sunday Times UK Ranking: 8th

• THE/QS World Ranking: 74th

2007: Heslington East Planning Approved

2007: New Departments

2007: University Website

2007: Library & Archives Website

2007: Computing Service Website

2007: University Library building

2007: University Library building

2007: IT Classrooms

WHAT WAS THE OFFER?

TWA: The new Director visits

Visit of Stephen Town, the new Director of the Library & Archives “Last week Stephen Town visited us for a day and a half. He had intended to come on Monday and spend three days with us, but, having lost his car in the floods at Shrivenham, he did not arrive until Tuesday lunchtime. He managed to meet and speak to almost everyone who was in the Library and Borthwick that afternoon…”Elizabeth [Heaps]

TWA: From the same edition

Summer visit of the Vice Chancellor, Deputy Vice Chancellor and Registrar“The Vice Chancellor paid his annual Summer visit to the Library & Archives…along with the incoming Deputy Vice Chancellor, Trevor Sheldon, and the Registrar, Sally Neocosmos. This year, at very short notice, we were asked to share our meeting with the Computing Service, and given just an hour and a half between us, which rather constrained what we could do and limited our ability to include any other staff. We decided on a joint theme of information services for the world class university, which Information Strategy Group is working on…

TWA: From the same edition

...overall we felt it was a reasonably successful visit. I think the Vice Chancellor will wish to continue having a joint meeting of Library & Archives and Computing Service. While it makes it more difficult for either service to showcase what we are developing, it has the advantage of demonstrating to the VC, DVC and Registrar how we are working together, and might even help us to forge closer links.”Elizabeth [Heaps]

TWA: From the same edition

Electronic diariesPlanning Group members and the Office Team have just started piloting the use of Sun Calendar for diaries. This allows people, if given the appropriate permissions, to view other people's diaries to see when they are available for meetings, and also to book/change delete diary commitments.

TWA: First “From the Director”

From the Director“Thank you to everyone for making me so welcome this week. I look forward to getting to know you all better in due course. I have started to amend some of the text on the Library & Archives web site to recognise my arrival, and I would be pleased to have any comments on the changes as I would like everyone to be comfortable with how we present ourselves.

I had a helpful induction meeting with the Vice Chancellor on Wednesday, and he stressed what a good time this was to join the University given the various new developments in progress. I will want to listen to any ideas you have for how we respond to these opportunities, although I recognise that much thought has already been given to this by many of you.

On Thursday and Friday this week I will be attending a Symposium in Edinburgh on 'Sustaining the Digital Library'. I hope this will provide some useful thoughts to add to the various projects we are undertaking in this area.”Stephen (jst504)

Vision from interviews

• “Competitive”• “Engaging”• “Integrating”• “Fitting”

• Competing on quality not size

• In leading sector groups• A sector leading digital

library• Information literacy• Archives exploitation• Unique space• Staff demonstrating their

class in the wider world

Information Strategy Vision 2008

“The overall aim of the information systems and services in the University of York is to create an information environment that supports, facilitates and enhances the teaching, research, business and community activities of a world class University.”

WHAT HAPPENED?

Strategy

Systems

Content

IT Infrastructure

Spaces

Spaces

Funding and Grants

Awards and recognition

Information Directorate SMT: 2011

Deputy Director of Information

(IT Services)

Deputy Director of Information (Information

Services)

Director of

Information

Assistant Director (Infrastructure)

Assistant Director (Systems)

Assistant Director (Services)

Assistant Director (Content)

Assistant Director(Borthwick)

Information Directorate SMT: 2015

WHAT HAS BEEN ACHIEVED?

Strategic projects

• 286 projects (and counting) on our 2013-2018 Information Strategy list

• Over 220 projects completed as part of 2008-2013 Information Strategy

Library study places

Workstations

Printed books

E-book purchases

Archives and manuscripts

Departmental Library NSS 2009-15

Green: 90%+Yellow: 80-90%Red: Below 80%

2009 2015Archaeology 71 93Biochemistry (UBIOCHE) 80 90Biology (UBIOBIO) 83 92Chemistry 87 93Computer Science 88 97Economics & Related Studies 81 92Education 75 92Electronics 95 91English & Related Literature 72 92Environment (UENVENV) 83 95Health Sciences (UHEANUR) 95 91History 72 88History of Art 78 86HYMS 86 94Language & Linguistic Science 79 85Mathematics 85 89Music 71 88PEP 79 95Philosophy 83 90Physics 91 90Politics 71 90Psychology 79 80Social Policy 79 97Social Work 100 55Sociology 78 92Theatre, Film & Television (Drama) - 92York Law School - 90York Management School 88 94

Departmental IT NSS 2009-15

Green: 90%+Yellow: 80-90%Red: Below 80%

2009 2015

Archaeology 93 96

Biochemistry (UBIOCHE) 96 100

Biology (UBIOBIO) 93 98

Chemistry 96 98

Computer Science 93 95

Economics & Related Studies 95 92

Education 88 84

Electronics 98 97

English & Related Literature 87 95

Environment (UENVENV) 86 97

Health Sciences (UHEANUR) 91 92

History 86 93

History of Art 89

HYMS 97

Language & Linguistic Science 92 96

Mathematics 91 96

Music 89 90

PEP 96

Philosophy 94 92

Physics 95 96

Politics 91 92

Psychology 89 95

Social Policy 100 97

Social Work 90

Sociology 91 95

Theatre, Film & Television (Drama) 88 81

York Law School 97

York Management School 97

York NSS: 2009-2015

IT: BlueLibrary: PinkOverall University: Green

CLP Consultant’s View

“… embedded excellence marks this Directorate out from other parts of the University, and from other Universities, and this achievement is unusual. The University has much to learn from what has been done here, and it provides what should be a model …”

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNT?

Suggestions for the future

• Find out what people want and deliver it• Work together• Don’t wait for permission• Read, write and share broadly

WHAT’S NEXT?

Choices?

THANK YOU!