Fit for the future; the challenges of an expanding customer base

Joint JIBS-Eduserv Seminar, Wednesday 16 June 2010

Josephine Burt, The Open University

Contents

• OU context• Libraries of the future• Challenges for the OU• Case studies• Key messages

Context - The Open University

• 13 regional centres• Single module,

certificate, diplomas, awards, PG, research

• Materials - paper-based, blended and online learning

• Europe and

worldwide

• 570 modules

Open University students

• no previous qualifications required• 150,000 undergraduate students• 30,000 postgraduate students• 10,000 students have disabilities• 30,000 students live outside UK• Part-time study

– 70% of undergraduates in full-time employment– 50% sponsored by employer

• 2,000,000 OU alumni

OU on TV

Context - OU Partnerships• About 150 partnership agreements• Europe and international (Africa, India, China)• Negotiated by

– OU Worldwide– OU Validation Services– Centre for Continuing Professional Development– Strategic and Curriculum partnerships

• typology of partnerships -13 types – direct, collaborative, licensed, etc

• 52,000 students

So what?

• The world is changing

Libraries 2020

• Will they exist?– Or will we live in a Google world

• What library activities will be important?– and what will we not be doing

• What assets/features/skills do we need to focus on?• How do we add value to the student experience/our

institutions?

OU 2013

• More collaborative activity -working in partnership – International strategy

• Employer engagement• Not for loss work

– Social justice• Other enquiries

= challengeshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/dan4th/2295925353/

Mapping partnerships

• Challenges– complexity– establishing student

numbers and full time equivalents (FTEs)

– modelling groups– managing expectations

of library services– definition of OU student!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelheiss/2871993069/

Licences

• Challenges– model licence– terms of licences– ‘bolt-on’ clauses– range of potential

usershttp://www.flickr.com/photos/julishannon/2434691031/

Access and Authentication

• Challenges– definition of user groups– definition of groups of resources (permission sets)– influencing other internal teams– keeping legal

Case studies

http://www.flickr.com/photos/qthomasbower/3563420741/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8422710@N06/2164279407/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/yjv/4124436036/

Further challenges (for us)• Development project

– non - standard service– not core business– funding and staff resources

• E-books

OU progress in 3 years• Influencing JISC collections, publishers etc• Membership of JIBs, UKSG, etc• Information sharing with colleagues• Implementation of Shibboleth• Services for Retired staff, Locally employed tutors• Open Access information resources -

http://library.open.ac.uk/libpartnerships/ • Library and support services to other organisations

http://library.open.ac.uk/libbusinessdev/

Josephine Burt,Business Development Manager, Library ServicesThe Open University

j.m.burt@open.ac.uk

OU library supporting achievementhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KI60v6L_2mI

Thank you!