Information Services Newsletter
Director's Welcome

Welcome to the third issue of the newsletter, which continues to reflect the growing integration of Library and IT/media technology services in this University. The year has seen the official opening of the Jordanstown Learning Resource Centre and will see the handover of the second LRC at Magee, which is now scheduled to open on 2nd January 2003. Already at Jordanstown we have seen a considerable increase in use; for a 3 month period last spring, the number of visitors passing through the gate increased by 57% and loan transactions for the same timespan went up by 49%.

Information Services also welcomes Reprographic Services to the Department, following its transfer from Planning and Governance. There will be opportunities for developing a common approach for both photocopying and printing from PCs. We also welcome a number of new staff who have transferred from Faculties, the former NI College of Hotel and Catering and Altnagelvin school of nursing. They will assist in supporting the increased number of IT laboratories and teaching rooms assigned to us on all campuses. The effects of the first year of the rolling investment programme in installing fixed digital projectors in lecture rooms are now being seen, bringing the proportion of rooms equipped in this way to 20%; our target is to reach 50% within the next 3 years.

The Department will be consulting early in the new year on service level definitions, that is defining what users can expect of us in turnaround times and quality of services. This development reflects our commitment to steadily improving our services in terms of both quality and reliability.

Nigel Macartney