Library & IT
Facilitator: Hilde Stephansen
Comments made by the facilitator are given in italics and solutions suggested by students are given in bold.
Question 1: What are your opinions of information and publicity materials that are provided about library and IT facilities (is enough information available and is it easy to access)?
SOAS Student 1: There are a lot of really good library and IT services, they just aren’t publicized very well. Inspiration is a great way to structure essays and prepare for exams, but access to these programs can be difficult. The self study rooms are good, as are the loan extensions. To access these, students have to activate them themselves, but information is poor.
Birkbeck Student 2: I have only recently learnt that software is on computers, but previously I had no idea. When trying to find the computers with assistive software neither Central Computing Services nor the library knew where they were.
Birkbeck Student 4: LAMP services at Birkbeck are good and it is useful to have someone to talk to. Tailoring support is useful.
Birkbeck Student 2: I wasn’t aware that there was a disability coordinator within the library. This needs to be addressed so that students who are not aware they may have a disability or those who have chosen not to disclose can access software.
SOAS Student 5: E-mail services at SOAS are not good.
SOAS Student 5: Delivery of support services (study skills sessions) is limited and need to be tailored, possibly even with specific sessions for disabled students. It would be useful if these could be run very early in the academic year, possibly even in freshers’ week.
Birkbeck Student 4: A general week, early in the year, for disabled students would be hugely beneficial and would help alleviate some of the concerns that non-disabled students don’t have.
SOAS Student 1: Learning and Teaching unit at SOAS has info on all software, they also offer self study support and can give training, but these services are not very well advertised. This could be solved by providing more information, IT training for disabled students and early support, possibly in freshers’ week.
Birkbeck student: Hit and miss. Can be daunting for first time users. Some staff on reception are good, but others will just point down the corridor! Trying to find some things is difficult. Has been a mixed experience.
Birkbeck student: For visual impaired students it has been very lacking. Unless you have knowledge of IT and accessibility functions (such as how to change screen resolution) it is very difficult - the website is not accessible for VI people. CCS is not user friendly. It is designed for people who don’t need support.
Birkbeck student: I found it very difficult in the 1st year. 2nd year has been easier. At first I wasted a lot of time e.g. Getting onto the internet.
Birkbeck student: I’m a bit of a technophobe - the librarians get it very fast but I don’t get it quickly.
Birkbeck student: I felt intimidated asking how to search for an item. Had to pretend to do something else but watched someone else do it.
Birkbeck student: There is a computer service but can be overwhelmed by people’s expertise. They need to break things down into simple steps –give ABC support.
Birkbeck students: one of the students knew about assistive technology on the computers but 6 didn’t
Birkbeck Student: Had a ‘virtual introduction’ to services as part of general college induction – found the amount of information offered overwhelming – sheer quantity of research required from students is off-putting (especially for part time students). Website is not always easy to navigate. Better to offer a tailored induction focused on the needs of disabled students. There was recent re-design of the website which caused confusion. Still essential to have staff available in person (or by phone) to assist with enquiries. Better to learn about research strategies and techniques on site within the library, where staff are on hand to help if necessary.
IoE Student: Student found library staff very helpful – they offer a book fetching service, and have provided this even on occasions when the student did not notify them in advance. However, the IT helpdesk did not offer helpful support, even for basic enquiries. Student has to work from home because of disability, and the IT helpdesk refused to offer advice or support beyond the PCs on campus. Student discovered that it was more productive to ask for IT related advice from the library staff.
SOAS Student: Experienced difficulty locating e-journals – had some assistance from staff, but more patient sympathetic training is required.
Visually impaired SOAS student found it very difficult to find the IT department because of signage. Also, there was no accessible information for a visually impaired person. There are some leaflets on a rack, but there are no large print or electronic copies available. Was told she needed one-to-one training, rather than join the group, but that there was no time to provide this. The student found that the only way to function was through the web-site.
Certain SOAS library information readily available. However, most information needed a specific support librarian and was harder to access.
Positives
- Birkbeck student: Extended loan scheme, Birkbeck Staff are responsive to needs. I had a one hour personal induction session which was extremely helpful (other students agreed that this would have been helpful for them)
Negatives
- Birkbeck student: Book reshelving, books are often not back where they are supposed to be
- Birkbeck student: Books that are restricted access (e.g. to FCE)
- Birkbeck student: Masters in Law students are reliant on other libraries for books
- Birkbeck student: Feeling of ‘passing the buck’ – For computer problems with library access library refer student to CCS and CCS refer the student back to the library.
- Birkbeck student: Don’t know location of computer with specialist software on
- Birkbeck student: Occasional lack of seats – sometimes other non-disabled students are sitting in the specialist orthopaedic chairs, awkward to ask them to move etc
- Birkbeck student: Staff awareness of disability needs tends to be ‘hit and miss’, some are very good others are not so good.
- IoE student: IT is a shambles at IoE, do not get replies to requests for help. Student would like to see more individual help given.
Question 2: How have you found the additional services, such as book fetching, extended loans, postal loans, that the library and IT support provide?
SOAS Student 5: Fantastic
Birkbeck Student 2: They help a lot.
SOAS Student 1: Had to contact library services [herself] which proved difficult.
SOAS Student 5: Managed to find the relevant person in the library and found her very supportive.
Birkbeck Student 4: Found LAMP service very useful. The majority of library staff are not very helpful.
Birkbeck student: Some of the students weren’t aware that there was individual support available.
Birkbeck student: Some difficulties around physical access to computers, also not being able to reach the top shelf.
Birkbeck student: Some of the students did not know about book fetching.
Birkbeck Student: had requested articles from the British Library through the inter-library loans service – the request form does not include a fax number for submitting the request – once she discovered what the fax number was, it speeded up the request process considerably.
IoE Student: It would be helpful to publicize the availability of other libraries to students, and make the procedures clear to them by which they can join other University of London libraries or the British Library.
SOAS Student: felt very self-conscious about asking for help, and resented the fact that you have to declare a disability in order to get assistance from library staff, otherwise your request for help would be refused. Would be a good service if all students could just phone or email ahead with their book requests, and have the books fetched from the shelves and put aside for them.
Birkbeck student: Website is not very ‘user friendly’, took student a long time to work out how to access information, ended up going round in circles as the layouts are not always clear. The student reported the same experience for the whole Birkbeck website in general.
Birkbeck student: ‘Google Scholar’ is useful. Would be better to have one online database search engine rather than searching one by one.
Birkbeck student: LAMP service needs better advertising – some staff in library don’t give any information about this or might refer student to a particular person who may not always be available at that time.
SOAS Extended Loans
- Extended loans system found to be very useful. The only aspect that is a problem is that it doesn’t work when books are recalled by other students.
SOAS Support librarians system
- Support system difficult to co-ordinate and that the onus was on the student to set it up.
- Provision was felt to be patchy. Students found some staff very kind and helpful. However, some staff seen to perceive disabled students as a problem and made clear that they begrudge having to provide the support. A staff member was overheard to say that she hid from an assisted student because the pressure she (the staff member) was under was too great.
SOAS C13 and other rooms to work in
- SOAS Students felt that it was a very good idea to have a separate room for students to work in. However, C13 was felt to be problematic by most students. It was felt that the room was badly organised and needed someone to really take care.
- SOAS Students can block book for a month at a time, and large chunks of time, which is problematic. It is not clear whether one can take non-dyslexic students into the room e.g. to assist with study while in the room
- The fact that the room is run jointly by library and IT was felt to be a difficult interface as it was not clear who to approach for certain things and it ends up feeling abandoned. For example, no ink at the moment.
- Some SOAS students didn’t know about the quiet room on the 4th floor.
SOAS Library
- Extended time in the SOAS library during exams made an enormous difference
- If responsibilty for the SOAS library support system could be taken by the library as a whole rather than a few individuals. For example, the central development of electronic text availability; staff awareness and attitudes re accessibility
- Better organisation and management of C13
- Great if more electronic journals could be subscribed to
- Lecturers should consider which resources are available electronically when they draw up their reading lists
- Suggestion that the library should subscribe to Questia
SOAS Information Technology
- Students should be able to have increased accessibility options on all computers
Very little feedback from SOAS students about IT. In general, IT felt not to be set up to respond effectively to disabled students.
Question 3 : How have you found the computer services?
SOAS Student 1: Inspiration is very useful but is only available on a few computers in one room which is often booked out for classes. Inspiration needs to be networked throughout the University.
Birkbeck Student 2: There should be computers that at certain times can only be booked out by disabled students. There should also be a computer in the library with a scanner attached so that disabled students can scan only the parts of the book/article they need. This can then be processed through Read and write Texthelp.
[Note: A scanner has already been arranged for the library at Birkbeck.]
SOAS Student 5: IT support is very mixed and can make you either feel really bad or really good. Support is very polarized.
SOAS Student 1: There probably aren’t enough people in the IT department.
SOAS Student 5: None of the IT staff have disability training.
Birkbeck student: I have had a lot of trouble getting hold of resources. The books that I need for my studies are not there and I haven’t worked out how to get them electronically (PhD student).
Birkbeck student: For specialised medical information I go through the Edinburgh university website as it is not available in Birkbeck. I could not access medical journals. There is no open access, even exam papers are not on the system.
Birkbeck student: There is poor communication between the faculties and library so that you can find that books on the reading list are not in the library.
Birkbeck students: One had a good experience of down loading journals remotely.
Birkbeck student: Being dyslexic it can be difficult accessing info on the computers.
Birkbeck student: It’s about not being intimidated by the institution, tutors etc. If the college was more person-friendly, it would be better.
Birkbeck Student: No idea what help is available – what sort of support would be offered (by phone/ in person?) or what kind of situations they would cover.
IoE Student: Not easy to get assistance from IT helpdesk. Long queues to get any attention. Student had to resort to other sources of help, eg. internet, PC supplier.
SOAS Student: No IT training offered. IT staff unwilling to offer help or advice to students regarding their own equipment (eg. laptop).
Wonderful to be able to get electronic journals.
Difficult to get access to computers at SOAS, so many students work from home which becomes quite restricted if one doesn’t have internet access / can’t get certain journals.
Birkbeck student: Would like more information on resources available, from both home and other libraries (e.g. information on specialist libraries in Bloomsbury, more support from Senate House)
Birkbeck student: Problem of lack of provision if not own college library e.g. Birkbeck students cant get extended loans if they get book from IoE (and vice versa). One student also reported problems with getting books at other University of London colleges.
Birkbeck student: Not sure what computers have specialist software on. Took staff a long time to let student know, staff did not always know what student was talking about.
Birkbeck student: One student resorted to buying books rather than using the library.
Birkbeck student: Undergraduate student seems to have less problems for access to relevant material than postgraduate student.
Birkbeck students: one had no complaints about library provision. Varying student experiences within the group (one happy about speed of referral to LAMP, another didn’t know anything about LAMP).
Birkbeck student: Finds using computer in the library crowded and cramped, availability of computers in the library is a problem.
Birkbeck student: Shutting off of seminar rooms when only a small number of people are in there is frustrating.
Birkbeck student: Would like specialist software within the institution.
Birkbeck student: Previous uni had ‘green card’ scheme where if a student was registered disabled they could use the ‘green card’ computers which had specialist software on.
Birkbeck student: IT department do not answer questions/queries. Library staff are friendly and try to help, IT staff completely different
Birkbeck student: Problem when other students are using ergonomic equipment, means student has to use other equipment which results in pain for them
Question 4: How have you found getting hold of material?
SOAS Student 1: Impossible, but this is not a disability related issue.
E-journals are very hard to find and use. This difficulty can lead to limited references in assignments which in turn can affect grades.
SOAS Student 5: Study packs are very useful to students with dyslexia.
Birkbeck Student 4: Has a support worker who provides assistance in the library.
Birkbeck Student 2: Short loan books (which are now available after 6pm to disabled students) aren’t very useful to students who have classes in the evening. Maybe if there was one day a week when disabled students could borrow short loan books and key texts.
Birkbeck Student 2: How much notice does the library need for processing postal service requests? Hilde Stephansen: About 1 week.
Birkbeck Student 4: This [getting hold of materials] can cause difficulties for students that have organizational difficulties as a result of their disability.
Birkbeck student: I like re-newing books on-line and also the book bins
Birkbeck students: 1 person didn’t know about the computer workstation rooms and 5 use them.
Birkbeck student: One student asked how the extended book system works.
Birkbeck student: Apparently there is an orthopaedic chair in the library but I have given up asking for it as it is always out.
Other issues:
Birkbeck student: Maybe staff could have training in not shouting at students. There was an incident when one of my peers let me pass through a queue that was blocking my access and the librarian shouted at me something like “just because you’ve got this problem it doesn’t mean that you have to push through!”
Birkbeck student: The lift button has to remain pressed in the library. The lift is also very noisy and I feel I don’t want to use it in case I disturb other students. The lift system is a major problem throughout the college. Most of the year [at least] one of the lifts is broken. This can cause problems for us, even though the college may think it’s comical (ie in terms of signs that are hung up saying “the lift is broken again!” )
Birkbeck student: Can be difficult to navigate the library, and find your way around different collections on various floors. Frustrating to have to come down from the upper floors of book stacks into the staffed areas in order to get assistance. Student was unaware that a fetching service was available, and felt this had not been well-publicized. Student recognized some efforts had been made to improve the physical environment of the building, along with the provision of better copying facilities and more online material.
Birkbeck Student: General feeling that some adjustments are available, but that the onus is on the student to fight for any support, and demand ‘special treatment’ from staff, when it should be their right. Available support and facilities should be better promoted (eg. open evenings for disabled students) at induction and throughout the year.
IoE Student: Very difficult to contact the library by phone – can never get through to arrange loan renewals or fetching. Not always convenient for students to be restricted to contact by email only. Some problems with communication between the library supervisors and counter staff – had experience of being shunted between the two when a course of action was agreed by a senior member of staff, but the staff providing the front-line service were unaware of this.
SOAS student: Good idea to send an update to disabled students once a term to remind them of the current service provision, their rights, and the facilities available. Extended book loan periods currently available only on request through staff – the student’s dyslexia should be flagged up on their record so that the system automatically recognizes the entitlement – would enable online renewals. Very little continuity of staff – they move around different posts and areas of responsibility within the library – it is nicer for the student to have one staff contact with whom they can build a relationship. Staff should combine a friendly approach with expert knowledge in their field. Subject specialists were not always found to be approachable by students.
