Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future. Niels Bohr Recently I have been thinking a bit about ‘mobile’ within an academic context. The M-Libraries projects are coming to an end, and we’re currently working on a report exploring the future impact of mobile and ubiquitous technologies on the HE sector called Mobile Futures. Mobile … Read more
Who’d have thought that a redesigned library website could attract quite so much attention. Yet, the recent announcement by Stanford’s University Library that it has redesigned its website seems to have triggered a significant amount of interest. At JISC colleagues have been discussing it for a number of reasons, from the development and UX approach … Read more
I recently facilitated a workshop at the Institutional Web Managers Workshop (#IWMW12) entitled: Preparing for Mobile. This is a slightly delayed (by holiday) write up of the event and some of the things I took away from the session. The aims of the session were: to share some of the resources JISC (and others) have … Read more
As part of the recent Library Systems funding call I am pleased to announce that seven new projects have been funded to explore the future of library systems. Details of the successful projects can be found below. Background The Programme builds on significant work JISC, in collaboration with key sector bodies like SCONUL, has undertaken … Read more
While libraries come to terms with new forms of scholarly communication and the technological transformation of the academy, has one academic domain already drifted beyond reach? Have the sciences already become self-sufficient in their information needs? Are libraries lacking in the services and information resources that scientists require? In the first of three reports on Research Support … Read more
Below is a copy of the plenary presentation I gave to the UKSG conference 2012. I have also included a much reduced transcript of the talk to provide some context to the slides. My presentation was about looking at library services and systems from a data-centric point of view. Specifically, it was about the potential that library … Read more
What role does the library have to play in the increasingly data driven, technologically evolving humanities? Humanities and the social sciences have traditionally been disciplines aligned closely with the institutional library and its resources and services. Increasingly, in my conversations with librarians, there is a concern that while the library as a space remains popular, … Read more
This is an update on a recent Usability workshop held by Ben Showers and Torsten Reimer as part of their work on the Usability and Adaptability of User-Interfaces. Background As universities and academic institutions increase the focus and investment on improving the ‘student experience’, so the ‘user’ needs to find their way into the heart … Read more
Last week saw a two-day workshop, held at Warwick University, exploring the future of library systems. I wanted to briefly highlight the format of the two days, and reflect on some of the outcomes from the event. In particular, how the workshop has helped inform a new funding call that will be published in early … Read more
As part of the Mobile Infrastructure for Libraries programme I am pleased to announce that 6 new projects have recently received funding, with projects starting in November and finishing in August 2012. The majority of the projects are innovating around library content and services to develop prototypes for the innovative delivery of scholarly content and library services. … Read more