About the library
Swinburne University of Technology has five campus libraries in Melbourne: Hawthorn, Prahran, Wantirna, Croydon and Lilydale; and one in Sarawak, Malaysia.
Quick links:
Our values are:
- a focus on the customer
- collaboration and partnership
- the importance of information and knowledge in human society
- equity of access to information
- open processes
- a commitment to staff learning, growing and being creative
- a commitment to be open and responsive to change
Twelve Achievements of Information Resources in 2006-2007
1. We won the Vice Chancellor's Service Award
For the third time this century (in only six years), a library team has won the Vice Chancellor's service award. This was to the Hawthorn campus library for the Late Lab. The website says this, in setting out the award. We won jointly with the Student Information Centres.
The Hawthorn Campus Library Team: Ms Rose Humphries and Ms Liz Carter and the Hawthorn Library Lending Team, for the establishment of the Latelab at Hawthorn. The Latelab operates 24 hours/day 7 days/week for all current Swinburne students and staff - there are few such facilities at Australian universities. Creation and operation of this Latelab has involved creativity and commitment on the part of Hawthorn library service desk staff, and close collaboration with the security staff and also ITS, Facilities and Services and the cleaning contractors. The main benefits are:
- access to networked PCs, printing, photocopying and scanning facilities at any time
- a congenial, safe place to work at any time, in particular for students who do not have a convenient home workplace
- expanding opening hours of the library's computer lab from 75 hours to 168 hours
- an effective use of both the Atrium and the library as complementary facilities
- a location for collaborative and group work with or without PCs
- a clear sense that Swinburne is ahead in its thinking, prepared to innovate, and strongly focused on the needs of its clients
- achievement at little cost to Swinburne, and with easy student access.
2. Swinburne Research Bank got up and running
The is the ARROW project, using VITAL software. We are at present the leading user of the software - at about 4000 entries, we are miles ahead of the remainder of Australian libraries (other than UQ) - have a look at Research Bank.
3. Swinburne Image Bank too
Over 2000 images, all harvested by Picture Australia (do an advanced search with Swinburne as the agency to see all Swinburne records) and have a look at the database as well.
4. The Hawthorn building project
An achievement and also an endurance test, but in the end it has delivered us much better accommodation for staff and students at the Hawthorn campus library, a single campus focus for computer access, much more space for students, and a more functional building.
There is an ongoing challenge in 2007, when it is likely that we will experience a massive increase in use of the library, as a result of taking on an additional 150 PCs and the traffic which goes with them. With the redevelopment, the library will become the major focus for open access computing throughout Swinburne.
5. Open Universities Australia at Lilydale
This has been a great achievement in its own way - the Lilydale campus library caters for a largely new service, providing library services for a hundreds of new distance students.
6. The EBL (eBook Library) service
We had thought we were the second library in the world to load all EBL records (40,000 of them) into the catalogue and allow unmediated searching and auto purchase of the entire collection. However, the first library (Brown University in the US) actually didn't get their records loaded properly until August - and we had ours loaded in July - so we believe we were the first. World firsts are rare - here's one to treasure. It is also an achievement in other ways - direct user choice of library resources.
7. Copyright at Ballarat
An entrepreneurial venture and also a partnership. Swinburne began a two-year contract to provide copyright services to the University of Ballarat over the period 2006-2007 - a collaborative arrangement to handle copyright efficiently between two institutions.
8. The LibQUAL user survey
This was another new experience for us, and it was a pretty impressive survey, especially in the volume of information it returned to us. It told us a lot about what library users felt about the library, and what they wanted improved. It also provided the main source of information for a customer needs study, and the report from that will come out in February 2007.
9. Catherine Driussi Wins an iPod
One of our students, Catherine Driussi, was one of four winners worldwide of a video iPod in a competition run by Knovel, the e-book vendors. There were winners from North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of the World. Catherine won Rest of the World. This was one of three competitions open to students in 2006, and we found it a great way to create interest in the library, and in its resources too - for example, the use of Scopus tripled when we ran a competition.
10. First with new software
The library established the first corporate wiki at Swinburne in mid-2006, set up the first blog in January 2007, and launched a new-look website with enhanced functionality at the same time. What's more, the library produced a three-year, 40-point ICT Strategic Framework in December 2006, and circulated it around the University. It will guide our development of new resources over the next three years.
11. Webarama
The Web Office held a Webarama in December 2006 - a round table meeting to consider planning issues, and take input from university website stakeholders. As a result we have a clear operational plan for 2007 which represents the views and needs of stakeholders.
12. Funding for ARROW
Swinburne is a member, along with Monash, UNSW and the National Library, of the DEST-funded ARROW project. In mid-2006 the ARROW project was awarded an additional $4.6 million. Some of this money will go to Swinburne, to run four software development and related projects which will contribute to the usability and customer value of the ARROW project. Running the four projects has clear spin-off benefits for Swinburne, too, and will assist in development of web accessibility and e-research.
Library Services
- Information
resources: access to print and digital information resources from
Swinburne and elsewhere by borrowing, online access, onsite use,
reciprocal access, inter-campus and off-campus deliveries, and
copying.
- Information
literacy training: library orientation and skills in finding,
evaluating, organising and using information.
- Information
access services: liaison, reference, and other personal information
services - onsite, offsite and online.
- Space and
facilities: places and facilities for students to study, meet
in and use library resources and PCs.
- Provision
of wireless access to the Swinburne network.
- Evaluation
of services through customer feedback surveys - part of the Library
Management Information Framework.
Senior
staff
For full contact details please see the contact page.
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