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Redefining Roles: A Year of Integration in Academic Support

Redefining the roles of Academic Librarian and Skills Tutor at Staffordshire University led to the integration of new staff and the creation of a combined role. Challenges included forming new connections and communities amidst a department restructure. Despite initial difficulties, efforts to engage with academics, rebrand services, and forge partnerships have contributed to the role's success in supporting students and staff.

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Redefining Roles: A Year of Integration in Academic Support

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  1. When two become one: Redefining a role, creating new connections, and integrating into a new community. By Jodie Heap Academic Librarian and Skills Tutor

  2. An evaluation one year into the newly created and combined role of Academic Librarian and Skills Tutor at Staffordshire University.

  3. The Library department went through a full restructure during 2020/21. This resulted in a decentralised front end called “Student Connect” who act as the front-line service for all support services, including day to day running of the print collection. Background The roles of Academic Librarian and Academic Skills Tutor were combined, and this newly created role then led to the employment of new staff along side staff who had held previously one position or the other.

  4. A little about me: Qualified Librarian Previously worked in Public Libraries, an FE Library and a FE HE combined University. One year into this newly created post!

  5. Connections Connections with each other as leads in our specific background subject areas. Leaning on each other to learn about the other half of the role. Connections with the newly formed team. Connecting with the wider Resources & Systems team. This coincided with a full Library Management System upgrade. Connecting with Student Connect (the front-end service) who were no longer solely connected to the Library. Connecting to the School areas, academics and students.

  6. Academic Connections Each member of the team has a School designation and has worked on individual projects to liaise with that particular school. Minecraft project - Creation of a Library in Minecraft to engineer communication and interest from staff and students.

  7. Community Creating a new community within the Library was difficult at the start, due to starting during the tail end of the pandemic restrictions and the impact of the restructure.

  8. Working to integrate with the Academics was initially tricky due to the pandemic and wider University changes to School structure. Academic Community Not being able to meet staff in person made making introductions more frustrating. However, persistence and support from management has meant that communication has improved and moving into the new academic year previous barriers are now reduced.

  9. • The introduction of the new LMS and Reading List software encourage communication and integration with the Academic Skills Team and the Resources and Systems team. • Satellite sites such as the London campus were feeling disconnected and work was done to visit, train and communicate with the relevant London support staff. • Working with the front end Student Connect team on Social Media post created a working group which encouraged communication, connections and partnerships! Partnerships

  10. • With the role integration settling down and a stronger sense of identity, it became possible to start working with academics and other support services to offer sessions which met both our goals and supported the students. Academic Partnerships • It also meant working with Schools to roll out the relevant training and liaising with staff who were not naturally engaging.

  11. A lot of this work has been done through redefining engagement! Staff and students were unaware of the new service and the support available to them. The redevelopment of the department and specifically the Academic Librarian and Skills Tutor role meant that there was initially not much clarity of offer. By engaging with academics and support services it has been possible to market the new team and to evidence the benefits of the integration of the roles.

  12. My Takeaways - some downs • Loss of clarity of service. We are having to work even harder to re-integrate into the University consciousness. • Wearing many many many hats! It can be difficult to be strong in all of the required areas. • No lull / down time. Where one area might slow down as the other picked up – that is no longer the case. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

  13. My Takeaways – and ups! • Being able to fully support students in understanding the importance of resources and information literacy and its relation to assignments is fab! • The students are happier with the “all in one” approach and understand how and why resources link to writing better. • Staff are able to book one session which means less admin more impact. Supporting academic liaison. • Communicating, Connecting and forming Partnerships has been key to the thus far success of the new role. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

  14. Questions?

  15. Contact Information: Jodie.heap@staffs.ac.uk

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