5.1 General Responsibilities
The main purpose of a Library Representative (LR) is to serve as the liaison point between the College, School or Section and the appropriate Information Consultant (IC). Wherever possible, the aim is to ensure that:
- Information flows smoothly and efficiently both ways between the Library and the School
- The Library has sufficient, timely, information to support the School’s research and teaching activities
- Information is communicated to users in the Schools and comments/suggestions from students/academic colleagues are fed back to the IC
- Initiatives by the Library are supported and encouraged within the School.
A summary of the LR’s main tasks is given below, although the intention is to be illustrative rather than prescriptive. As internal procedures vary widely across Schools, practice will differ considerably.
Responsibilities include:
- co-ordinating and prioritising orders for new purchases, both books and journals
- allocating materials funds between teaching and research
- monitoring the state of the School’s library allocation to ensure its efficient use
- co-ordinating School recommendations on relegation/withdrawal of stock
- advising the Library re purchase of multiple copies of student texts, particularly those on reading lists
- submitting School requests for purchases from the Subject Development Fund
- reviewing journal expenditure annually, co-ordinating cancellations and new subscriptions
- attending meetings of Library-related groups
- ensuring ICs are aware of, and invited to, appropriate staff/-student meetings
- ensuring that ICs receive notifications of new or revised courses
- communicating School’s opinion (staff and student) to the Library and the College Library Committees
- notifying ICs of new staff members within the School and new research interests/teaching methods
5.2 Spending the Collection Development Budget allocation
The LR has delegated responsibility for the Library Collection Development Budget allocation to their particular School or Section. The School can recommend materials in all formats in accordance with this policy’s guidelines. Materials purchased through this fund must be located physically within one of the University’s site libraries. Colleagues must order materials through the LR. Library staff will only process those orders which are authorised by the LR. Each LR is required to deposit with Library staff a specimen signature (to fulfil the requirements of the Library’s auditors), plus a password so that orders can be made through the appropriate web-mounted forms. The LR is supplied with a monthly statement of monies spent to date, plus a list of what has been ordered and those orders completed. A Library Guide Spending your Library Collection Development Budget Allocation is available.
5.3 Procedure for ordering material
Information about how to order material, including electronic order forms, can be found on the Ordering Library Material pages
Books, journal back runs and electronic databases can be ordered in a variety of ways:
- Hand-written order cards
- By using the electronic book order form
- submission of an annotated publisher’s catalogue with the LR’s signature attached
- a typed list with full bibliographic details
Use of the e-form for new journal subscriptions is mandatory
Recommending electronic resources which are on a subscription basis must be done on the web
The cost of expensive books – currently defined as over £50 – can be shared with other Schools. This should be investigated/arranged through the appropriate IC(s).
5.4 Inter Library Loans
For those Schools that have purchased vouchers for Inter-Library Loan requests, the LR may also be responsible for co-ordinating distribution of the vouchers. Again, monthly statements are provided which detail number of requests made and a balance of funds available to spend. Each School is responsible for arranging internal authorisation procedures. A library guide Inter-library Loan and Document Delivery Services is available.
