Information Services Newsletter
Library performance and plans for the
current academic year

During the summer library staff have been busy supporting students engaged on third semester courses, transferring stock, readjusting stock on shelves and acquiring new materials for the new academic session. Last academic year 1,600,000 people used our 6 libraries and 485,993 books were borrowed, and I expect that this high level of activity will be maintained in this present year. As well as continuing to deliver our normal service to students and staff, we have identified a range of key tasks which we intend to undertake in 2004/5, and these include:

• Revising the Collection Development Policy
• Implementing new upgrades to the current library management system
• Developing, in co-operation with Reprographics, a service to scan
  documents cross campus, particularly journal articles
• Strengthening links with FE colleges and other partner institutions
• Reviewing and developing our service and resources for researchers
• Aligning stock with current teaching and research needs
• Planning the design and layout of the new Learning Resource Centre on
  the Belfast campus
• Improving ease of access to information resources for students and staff
• Investigating the creation of an institutional repository and making
  recommendations
• Investigating a range of open web address resolvers and making
  recommendations

The net result of all this activity will be to provide better services and resources to all our users and to be ready to take advantage of the new opportunities provided by the exponential growth in electronic information.

Elaine Urquhart