fluidity? How can we help everyone get to the level they need to be at. We want to give students the skills to negotiate software upgrades and changes, so they feel confident when a new piece of software is released.”
Supporting all stakeholders Another priority for the University of York’s library services is supporting research. Again, digital occupies some of that space. Research data is an ever-growing asset for HE institutions and it is an increasing impor- tant resource – making sure it is accessible is crucial. It provides a foundation for other researchers, as well as allowing scrutiny. Kirsty says that it is the library’s responsi- bility to ensure that research data output from the university is fit for purpose. Teaching staff are another set of key stakeholders for the library to consider when transitioning to digital resources. There may be a change in what core texts are available, reading lists may have to be adapted, and there could be more functionality attached to digital resources. The library can be the conduit for making the most of these digital resources and providing the support academic staff need to deliver a teaching experience that meets the expectations of students, who are looking for the
digital fluidity they are already used to. The notion that digital will replace physical, or that there is an either/or choice does not ring true. Instead, we are in a place where digital is giving us new options that sit alongside the physi- cal, offering new ways of working, new insights into collections. Libraries have to meet users in that fluid space and provide not just the resources, but also the skills and knowledge to maximise the benefits.
People first
Kirsty says: “The key is to think of people first and how they might wish to inter- act with Library services, and then also, where will digital make the difference. If that is kept at the heart of the thinking, then digital can make a difference and libraries can encourage people to utilise more digital services. Often though, it’s the users who are keen to see more digital services and options from the library rather than the library pushing the options. “As libraries we need to be braver in making content available in different formats and encouraging people to use different digital tools to work with digital collections. This requires a different mind- set and a more experimental approach. Here, it is about working with our users – creating content as ‘collections as data’
so that whole collections can be worked with digitally and subjected to a range of digital techniques something the National Library of Scotland has done very well with its Data Foundry.
“We are still new to this and therefore need to test, pilot, get feedback from users who are also willing to try out new approaches, so we can deliver what users may require in the future – be it researchers working with digitised text or artists working with images extracted from our collections. We need to celebrate getting things not quite right. We learn from these mistakes and so gain a better understanding of the potential our digital collections offer.”
Kirsty adds that it is not only under- standing the user, but also “understand- ing the skills and capacity of our staff. It is not just about helping our different users access content digitally and use this content in new ways, but it is also about ensuring that our staff have the skills and abilities to help and support our users. Not only do we need to create spaces where our users can experiment, we need to create time and space for our staff to do likewise. The pandemic has given many people greater confidence in using digital resources and tools and we need to con- tinue to build on this.” IP
March 2023
INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL 43
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