It seems fitting that I mark my 100th post on this blog with the announcement that, after months of thinking about it, I've finally registered for Chartership. I've found a mentor, attended a Professional Registration Workshop at CILIP, and paid my fee. I had my first telephone meeting with my mentor this morning: she seems lovely and I'm confident that we will have a good working relationship.
My first task is to complete the PKSB before our next meeting at the end of October. I'll write another post then on how I found the process.
ARLG London and South East Visit to the Wallace Collection Library and Archive
Earlier this week I was fortunate enough to participate in a visit to the Wallace Collection Library and Archive, organised by ARLG London and South East. The Wallace Collection is located within Hertford House, near Oxford Street in London, and is an impressive collection of paintings (particularly 18th century French work), furniture, porcelain and arms and armour. It grew from the private collections of the first four Marquesses of Hertford, and was bequeathed to the nation by Lady Wallace (widow of Sir Richard Wallace, son of the fourth Marquess) in 1897.
The Library began as a research library for curatorial staff, though it is now open to the public by appointment. It contains around 20,000 books, periodicals and exhibition catalogues relating to the artworks in the collection, as well as the De Walden collection of rare fencing books, which it holds on long-term loan. The Archive has files relating to the history of the collection and related material. Both the Library and Archive employed professional staff only comparatively recently.
We were taken on a tour of the Library, which is more complicated than it sounds: the "proper" library is in the basement, but there are other rare books in a cabinet within the museum, and more on the top floor within staff offices. Like many libraries there is a problem with lack of space, and staff also have to face challenges from members of curatorial staff, who like to have "their" books with them. Like many museums, the Library is not always seen as a priority - museum concerns take centre stage. However, despite this the Library is doing well, with the collection almost fully catalogued. I really enjoyed this fascinating visit.
The Library began as a research library for curatorial staff, though it is now open to the public by appointment. It contains around 20,000 books, periodicals and exhibition catalogues relating to the artworks in the collection, as well as the De Walden collection of rare fencing books, which it holds on long-term loan. The Archive has files relating to the history of the collection and related material. Both the Library and Archive employed professional staff only comparatively recently.
We were taken on a tour of the Library, which is more complicated than it sounds: the "proper" library is in the basement, but there are other rare books in a cabinet within the museum, and more on the top floor within staff offices. Like many libraries there is a problem with lack of space, and staff also have to face challenges from members of curatorial staff, who like to have "their" books with them. Like many museums, the Library is not always seen as a priority - museum concerns take centre stage. However, despite this the Library is doing well, with the collection almost fully catalogued. I really enjoyed this fascinating visit.
CILIP South East Visit to the Inner Temple Library
I visited the Inner Temple Library with CILIP South East. The Inner Temple is one of the four Inns of Court, the others being Middle Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn. The Inns are unincorporated associations which have existed since the 14th century, and majorly contribute to the recruitment, training and professional life of barristers. They hold the exclusive rights to call candidates to the bar of England and Wales.
The Library is mainly used by practising barristers, though it is occasionally used by students. It is used by members of all four Inns of Court: each Inn's library specialises in a different kind of law so that the books are not duplicated, a sensible arrangement. The Library itself is very attractive, a calm, quiet place in which to work.
The Library is mainly used by practising barristers, though it is occasionally used by students. It is used by members of all four Inns of Court: each Inn's library specialises in a different kind of law so that the books are not duplicated, a sensible arrangement. The Library itself is very attractive, a calm, quiet place in which to work.
London Blackboard User Group Meeting 24/04/2015
I attended my third Blackboard User Group (#LondonBUG) meeting at Bucks New University in Uxbridge on Friday. The theme was “Mobile and Multimedia” and the afternoon contained several interesting talks.
iPads to Staff Initiative (Steve Hoole, Bucks New University)
Steve spoke about the “Take a Tablet” project at the University, which trained staff to use iPads and provided an iPad to each member of FT academic staff (other staff are able to borrow an iPad from the pools at the Uxbridge and High Wycombe campuses).
Why was this done? Staff wanted to improve the quality and turnaround time of staff-student feedback, as well as increasing digital literacy – changing the disparity between staff and student abilities and knowledge. They also wanted to explore new ways of teaching, and increase the wellbeing of staff and their ability to manage their time: staff were also able to use their tablets for personal reasons.
Staff faced battles with IT over which tablets to have. IT wanted them to have Microsoft Surface tablets but Turnitin does not work on these – in addition iPad is a cooler brand and staff thought more people would be encouraged to come to the sessions if iPads were used. To be as inclusive as possible, all full-time staff were included in the scheme. Equipment issued included the 16GB WiFi enabled iPad Air and a connector for the light projector.
The aims of the training were to inspire, transform and encourage creativity. It was aimed at the lowest common denominator. The training was divided into two three-hour sessions. The first looked at how to use the iPad, connect WiFi, use email and use the calendar. It also explored the Turnitin app. The second session covered the Bb Collaborate & Learn app, as well as other apps which could be useful for teaching, such as Twitter. Staff found that as the sessions went on, the content expanded as users developed more knowledge and understanding of the iPads. The equipment was not given out until the second session, to ensure that participants returned to the training.
All tutors were added to a Bb module containing information about new and existing apps. Tutors were encouraged to “show and tell” to disseminate good practice. The Issues – There were initial problems with MAC IDs and Apple IDs, as well as issues with staff not following instructions. In addition there are ongoing costs and issues with getting the iPad back when a staff member leaves the university. However, over time most of the problems have been or will be ironed out.
Future plans include building on the iPad technology and establishing WiFi zones in IT. There are also plans to explore Swivls and lecture capture technology as well as develop a “Bucks Store” – an app store containing potentially useful apps.
Large scale multi-media based assessments (Manuel Frutos-Perez, University of the West of England)
Manuel talked about the issues arising with getting 900 students to produce video assets as assessment tasks, along with a reflective piece, in only one week. Students spend most of their time out of class and are only taught intensively, conference-style, for a week or two; most have no technical background. Any assessment has to focus on skills development.
The project involved creating videos, and the students would be assessed not on their performance, but on their reflection. It was hoped that the students would actively participate and learn about different perspectives. The project has proven to be manageable, sustainable and academically challenging.
Video assignments via Blackboard and Helix (James Leahy, Regent's University London)
James spoke about a scheme allowing students to submit video assignments via Blackboard. This has proven largely successful, so long as the students follow the steps correctly, and the scheme has allowed files to be shared with external examiners. However, there have been a few technical issues with some students not understanding the process, and the file size of some assignments, which can take a while to upload.
Top 3 updates from the Blackboard Teaching and Learning Conference (Anne Cross, Blackboard)
The key themes from the conference were: embedding libraries, anon assignments, the flipped classroom, Digital Olympics, tabs and accessibility. There was lots of interest in core features that not everyone has implemented.
Blackboard Collaborate Latest Updates (Alex Ball, Blackboard)
Alex demonstrated the latest version of Collaborate, which appears fairly intuitive.
Blackboard Enhancement Requests (Workshop session facilitated by Chris Boon, City College Norwich and Danny Ball, Canterbury Christ Church University)
The top-voted choices for enhancement requests were looked at and discussed. It was decided that many “enhancement requests” were actually bug fixes:
• Issue with uploading assignments – special character in filename means that tutors cannot download
• Tighter control of grade centre
• Retention centre does not register/log mobile users
These items were set aside to be submitted separately. The following Enhancement Requests were submitted: the ability to extend or amend assignment due dates for individual students or groups; the ability to drag and drop items into folders; the possibility of using sign-ups to allow students to choose time slots for tutorials.
Overall, I found the meeting to be useful and informative.
iPads to Staff Initiative (Steve Hoole, Bucks New University)
Steve spoke about the “Take a Tablet” project at the University, which trained staff to use iPads and provided an iPad to each member of FT academic staff (other staff are able to borrow an iPad from the pools at the Uxbridge and High Wycombe campuses).
Why was this done? Staff wanted to improve the quality and turnaround time of staff-student feedback, as well as increasing digital literacy – changing the disparity between staff and student abilities and knowledge. They also wanted to explore new ways of teaching, and increase the wellbeing of staff and their ability to manage their time: staff were also able to use their tablets for personal reasons.
Staff faced battles with IT over which tablets to have. IT wanted them to have Microsoft Surface tablets but Turnitin does not work on these – in addition iPad is a cooler brand and staff thought more people would be encouraged to come to the sessions if iPads were used. To be as inclusive as possible, all full-time staff were included in the scheme. Equipment issued included the 16GB WiFi enabled iPad Air and a connector for the light projector.
The aims of the training were to inspire, transform and encourage creativity. It was aimed at the lowest common denominator. The training was divided into two three-hour sessions. The first looked at how to use the iPad, connect WiFi, use email and use the calendar. It also explored the Turnitin app. The second session covered the Bb Collaborate & Learn app, as well as other apps which could be useful for teaching, such as Twitter. Staff found that as the sessions went on, the content expanded as users developed more knowledge and understanding of the iPads. The equipment was not given out until the second session, to ensure that participants returned to the training.
All tutors were added to a Bb module containing information about new and existing apps. Tutors were encouraged to “show and tell” to disseminate good practice. The Issues – There were initial problems with MAC IDs and Apple IDs, as well as issues with staff not following instructions. In addition there are ongoing costs and issues with getting the iPad back when a staff member leaves the university. However, over time most of the problems have been or will be ironed out.
Future plans include building on the iPad technology and establishing WiFi zones in IT. There are also plans to explore Swivls and lecture capture technology as well as develop a “Bucks Store” – an app store containing potentially useful apps.
Large scale multi-media based assessments (Manuel Frutos-Perez, University of the West of England)
Manuel talked about the issues arising with getting 900 students to produce video assets as assessment tasks, along with a reflective piece, in only one week. Students spend most of their time out of class and are only taught intensively, conference-style, for a week or two; most have no technical background. Any assessment has to focus on skills development.
The project involved creating videos, and the students would be assessed not on their performance, but on their reflection. It was hoped that the students would actively participate and learn about different perspectives. The project has proven to be manageable, sustainable and academically challenging.
Video assignments via Blackboard and Helix (James Leahy, Regent's University London)
James spoke about a scheme allowing students to submit video assignments via Blackboard. This has proven largely successful, so long as the students follow the steps correctly, and the scheme has allowed files to be shared with external examiners. However, there have been a few technical issues with some students not understanding the process, and the file size of some assignments, which can take a while to upload.
Top 3 updates from the Blackboard Teaching and Learning Conference (Anne Cross, Blackboard)
The key themes from the conference were: embedding libraries, anon assignments, the flipped classroom, Digital Olympics, tabs and accessibility. There was lots of interest in core features that not everyone has implemented.
Blackboard Collaborate Latest Updates (Alex Ball, Blackboard)
Alex demonstrated the latest version of Collaborate, which appears fairly intuitive.
Blackboard Enhancement Requests (Workshop session facilitated by Chris Boon, City College Norwich and Danny Ball, Canterbury Christ Church University)
The top-voted choices for enhancement requests were looked at and discussed. It was decided that many “enhancement requests” were actually bug fixes:
• Issue with uploading assignments – special character in filename means that tutors cannot download
• Tighter control of grade centre
• Retention centre does not register/log mobile users
These items were set aside to be submitted separately. The following Enhancement Requests were submitted: the ability to extend or amend assignment due dates for individual students or groups; the ability to drag and drop items into folders; the possibility of using sign-ups to allow students to choose time slots for tutorials.
Overall, I found the meeting to be useful and informative.
LIHG Visit to The Caird Archive and Library at the National Maritime Museum
I signed up for a CILIP Library and Information History Group visit to the Caird Library at the National Maritime Museum. The Library is a research library that specialises in maritime history, and holds the most extensive maritime archive in the world. The visit included a talk on the Library and its collections as well as a tour of the reading room and archives.
Introduction
We were met at the front desk and taken to the seminar room where Gareth Bellis, the Library Manager, told us about the history of the Library. From 1937 until 2011 the Library was organised under one design, and was opened to the public in 1980. In 2011 a new library opened as part of the museum extension, including an open space as well as archive stores. The new library allows up to 46 readers, as opposed to 16, to work in the building.
The Collection
The collection is made up of many and varied items: manuscripts and original documents, including personal papers; admiralty records and business collections (such as the archive collections of P&O); Board of Trade deposits (e.g. Masters certificates); and atlases, maps and charts. The Library also holds printed materials including rare books dating back to the fifteenth century and modern books bought by the museum to assist research. Periodicals, ephemera and eresources complete the rich collection.
Facts and figures
We learned some interesting facts and figures: the Library has 12km of shelving, 60% of the materials are stored in the Sammy Ofer wing at the NMM and 40% are stored off-site. The Library receives approximately 5000 visitors a year, of which around 50% are academic, and 40% are interested in family history or general history. Around 200 written enquiries and 120 phone enquiries are received each month. The NMM has three catalogues in all, one for the archives, one for museum collections including maps and charts, and one for the library itself.
Treasures
My favourite part of the visit was when we got to inspect some of the treasures held by the Library. The NMM's links with the Royal Observatory are demonstrated by John Flamsteed's Historia Celestus, a "corrupt catalogue" published too early by Halley and Newton. Another interesting item was an edition of William Buchan's Domestic Medicine, which belonged to the HMS Bounty and ended up with the mutineers on Pitcairn Island.
An account of the loss of the Royal George at Spithead in 1782, as well as a lieutenants log and some memorial books made of wood from the wreck, were present, as well as a letter from Lord Nelson to Emma Hamilton written on board the HMS Victory on 24 August, 1803. A crew agreement from the Cutty Sark and Board of Trade certificates for Edward John Smith, later of the Titanic, were also present. My favourite item of all, though, was a book by Peter Halkett from 1848 describing the author's rather bizarre invention of a boat-cloak, or cloak-boat. As the name suggests, this oddity was designed to be worn as a cloak and deployed as a boat should an emergency arise requiring this.
Overall a really interesting visit - thanks to all involved.
2015 Resolutions
I'm hoping to be more successful with my resolutions for 2015 than I was for 2014. To this end, I have made only one resolution - to register for Chartership.
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