1. ∂
View of Durham City from the train station

2. Stretching the envelope: how to
make ourselves indispensable!
Presented by Jon Purcell
University Librarian and Director of Heritage Services
Durham University

3. Why this topic
• 2020 a very important year professionally and personally
• Current involvement in strategic planning for the next 6 years
• Deep reflection on the role of libraries, their value and their
future – and the people working in them
• Conscious of CPD and of libraries taking on new roles and
fresh challenges
• The theme of this conference ‘to boldly go where you have
never gone before’
• So! Let’s discuss

4. ∂
A little of the Durham Context
Library and Heritage Services responsibilities include
• 5 University Libraries (but not 11 College Libraries!)
• 3 Museum Collections
• 4 Designated Collections of National/International importance
• Learning, Access and Community Engagement Team
And recently
• Copyright
• Open Access Publishing
• Research Data Management
• Durham World Heritage Site
• Cultural Engagement inc University Art Collections

5. ∂
Why have Libraries expanded
their role beyond ‘Core’
Are we ‘the home of lost causes’?
• The cynical view – unexploded grenade syndrome!
• The institutional view – Librarians are good managers
• The professional view – ‘Give us the tools and we
can finish the job’ – professional competence
• The stakeholder view – a supportive, neutral,
engaged front facing student/academic service
• The personal view – indispensability: redefining ‘core
activities’, our skills base, our ‘value’ and our future

6. ∂
RAE: An acronym to remember
R = Relevance
A = Alignment
E = Engagement

7. ∂
Relevance?
• Involved in core delivery of academic services
• Recognition as an academic service / professional support service
• Direct involvement in the student experience -teaching
• Active partner in research support
• Contributor to institutional reputation
• Provider of core services to stakeholders (however defined)
• Institutional expertise in e resources, virtual learning environments,
learning spaces, information/digital literacy, employability skills
development
• Value addedness of what library and information professionals do
• Content management

8. ∂
Alignment
Ensuring
• Complete alignment with institutional/strategic planning
• Especially with developments in teaching and learning - Pedagogy
• Service development (RBL) (SBL) (FIFO)
• Alignment with student and staff needs/wants
• Leading from the front (institution aligning with the Library) OA / RDM
• Strategic positioning (Risk)
• Making choices
• Strategic partnerships (Computing, DARO, Research Office, Estates)

9. ∂
Engagement
“ A University is just a group of buildings gathered around a Library”
(Shelby Foote)
• On or off the institutional radar – does it matter ? Question?
• Partnership roles – FE/HE, JISC, SCONUL, COLRIC,
• Involvement in projects (internal and external)
• Shared Services
• Academic/subject liaison (The Library ‘evangelical stormtroopers’)
• Internal / External validation – QAA, ‘Critical Friends’
• Academic writing
• Externality – CILIP, Conferences, SCONUL
• Benchmarking

10. ∂
Making Choices
STOP STARTING
AND
START STOPPING

11. ∂
Futureproofing: some techniques
• SWOT Analyses - plot your way forward
• Benchmarking – rank against competitor/exemplar libraries
• Institutional Visits – beg, steal and borrow ideas, innovations
• Scenario Planning – year zero to infinity approach
• Use your collective Knowledge, Experience and Skills – be unafraid
• Take (bounded) risks – you have to go to some very unknown places
• Ongoing need for service development – there is no going back!
• Use external facilitation (COLRIC), Institutional Review, critical mates
• CPD/ASR – professional awareness and updating – ‘Library Schools’
• Professional involvement – engagement with the profession
• Process Review – Lean and other techniques to drive change

12. ∂
2014 2018 20252020
Stop
Continue/Start
More likely to happen
Less likely to happen

13. ∂

14. ∂

15. ∂
Some concluding thoughts
The best way to
predict the future is
to invent it
(Alan Curtis Kay)

16. ∂
And more
• We have to prove that we are indispensable, it doesn’t just happen!
• Nobody else could do what we do
• Or be trusted to do what we do
• Doing the same (the status quo) is not an option
• The need for agility, responsiveness, creativity and innovation
• Libraries have changed out of all recognition: the process will continue
• Are we leaders and change agents or content to be followers
• Skills Analysis – what are we lacking and need to rectify yesterday!
• It’s a great time to be a Librarian in
academic libraries

17. ∂
Thank You
Questions?

18. ∂
View of Durham City from the train station