ADVOCATING A LIBRARY BUILDING TRANSFORMATION

Process, partnership and patience

John Cox

University Librarian

NUI Galway

Outline

• The problem• Building an evidence base• Talking to people• Accidents of timing• Making the pitch• Current status

THE PROBLEM

An Uncomfortable Building

Study area: Poor internal environment with no natural light, natural ventilation and lack of privacy for concentration.

Main Library: deep floor plan with hidden services reducing floor to ceiling height increasing lighting and ventilation running costs

An Inefficient Building

An Unloved Building

A Piecemeal Approach

Benchmarking Tour, October 2013: common success factors

• Long-term, persistent advocacy

• Clear articulation of vision and benefits to range of constituencies

• Support from top

• Emphasis on quality, impact

• Recognition of contribution to student experience

• Commitment, engagement, agitation by students

• Linkage to learning strategy and preferred styles

EVIDENCE BASE

LibQual

Footfall2014 Month Library Footfall

Nov 151,154

Apr 142,869

Mar 129,687

Oct 125,360

Feb 106,133

Dec 102,547

Sep 73,083

Jan 51,439

May 34,454

Aug 16,675

Jul 12,735

Jun 6,528

Total 952,664

Student ExperienceTop 7 Universities Top 7 Libraries

Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey, 2014

Sheffield

Bath

East Anglia

Dundee

Oxford

Cambridge

Exeter

Bath

Falmouth

Sheffield

East Anglia

Oxford

Cambridge

Dundee

Engagement: Edinburgh University

Competitiveness

CONVERSATIONS

Who?• University Management Team• Directors• Academics• Students• Librarians• Architects• Foundation• President

Messages• Strong support, generous advice

• How to pitch, who else to meet and when

• Be bold – advocate a different type of library and contribution

• Hold out for best long-term solution

• Emphasise the University, not the Library

• Link to institutional priorities

• Get the language right: transformation

• Balance positive and negative rationale

• Use valid benchmarks

• Feed the message gradually

Packaging the Message

TIMING

Hardiman Research Building, July 2013

“It is unfair that we are unable to access the new state of the art library extension, which I'm sure our fees aided in building” (4th Year u/g)

Library Quality Review, February 2014

“The University should commit to the transformation of the existing James Hardiman Library to bring about a building that:

• Encourages and motivates scholarship

• Symbolises and enhances the ethos, brand and reputation of the University, avoiding risks to future recruitment of students and researchers

• Enhances the student experience

• Is genuinely at the heart of the campus

• Anticipates and responds to user needs”

University Strategic Planning, July 2014

Documentation Group:

Director of Planning, Professor of Drama, Head of School

of Law, Academic Secretary, Director of Public Affairs,

Internal Communications Officer, University Librarian

University Strategic Plan, 2015-2020“We will develop a campus-wide buildings

regeneration plan, for implementation on a

phased basis. This plan will include the

transformation of our Hardiman Library

building into a dynamic learning

environment, reflecting the culture of

knowledge creation in a contemporary

university.”

Changes in University Management Team

• Registrar and Deputy President, March 2014• Academic Secretary, September 2014• Long-term support for building transformation

Feasibility Study Completed, Oct. 2014

MAKING THE PITCH

A Mobile Presentation…

Components• Data• Images• Quotes• Plans• Benefits

A PLACE TO EXPLORE THE FUTURE, AS WELL AS THE PAST:

TRANSFORMING THE LIBRARY BUILDING

What Today’s Libraries Deliver

• Student experience

• University reputation, competitiveness, attractiveness

• Learning engagement and enablement

• Graduate attributes

• Digital creativity

• Place of community for all disciplines

• Statement of scholarship

Learning Engagement

Scholarship“From its earliest beginnings in 1845, NUI Galway has regarded its library as being at the very heart of academic and student life. The Library has been a base for generations of scholars.”

(Archives Brochure, 2010: Introduction)

“Libraries have a special place in the university. They should communicate and reflect our values, with a vital role in conveying to students (and perhaps reminding ourselves of) the idea of scholarship, and of the university's aims.”

(Library Vision Consultation, 2014)

• A compelling destination, designed for learning engagement and enablement

• An inspirational place for discovery, knowledge creation, sharing and reflection

• A technology-rich, versatile and energy-efficient space

• A confident statement of the University’s scholarly, cultural and communal values

• A key contributor to positive student experience of NUI Galway

• An internationally recognised University asset for the rest of the 21st century

…the place to be for engaged learning on campus

A Vision for NUI Galway’s Library Building

CURRENT STATUS

The State of Play• The business case is accepted• Feasibility report is under consideration• Funding needs to be found• Challenges:

• The cost is high• Other campus buildings need attention

• Library project is on the list, accepted and will benefit all

What Next?• Keep talking to people• Combine patience with persistence• Emphasise transformation, not short-term solutions• Manage expectations