The Library Advisory Group is your way of helping to shape the future direction of Library Services. It is a participatory forum to explore what the Library’s users want and how the Library can best provide it. All members of the University are welcome to attend. Last year we weren't able to meet in person but we continued to use your experiences of the Library to guide our service delivery and priorities. This year we're looking forward to (hopefully) getting back to normal with some more in-person activities.
LAG meetings usually take place in the Albert Sloman Library, where there will typically be a variety of activities to get involved with, designed to capture your thoughts, feelings and experiences of using the Library.
Although there’s sometimes an element of formal business at the beginning, with a report by the Director of Library & Cultural Services on latest developments, LAG meetings are generally informal and participation is welcomed. We often have workshop activities, such as building your ideal study space in LEGO, drawing a mind map of your research life, or commenting on some case study videos. We usually provide refreshments and an opportunity to talk to Library staff and other attendees: You bring the ideas, we bring the cake (drinks/snacks/etc.).
The outcomes of LAG meetings are considered by the Library’s management team, and fed into future service developments. Some examples of the impact of LAG are:
More formally, LAG reports to Education Committee and Student Experience Committee, so that there is a wider University context for what we do.
We wanted to update you on progress we’ve made towards some of the actions identified after our most recent Library Advisory Group week in November. As a result of your feedback we said we would:
Look out for opportunities to get involved via our social media channels. We’re looking for members of academic staff to help represent the interests of their departments, so if you’d like to act in that capacity please let us know. One academic rep has commented that: "I was impressed by how receptive to feedback the library staff were and how genuinely interested you all are in improving the overall library experience for everyone."