The role of digitisation in the increasingly accessible academic library by Annuska Donin, University of Portsmouth
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The document outlines the importance of modern university libraries as accessible information centers that support students' educational needs through digitization. It emphasizes the benefits of electronic reading lists for enhancing accessibility and includes strategies for providing tailored resources for visually impaired students. Additionally, the document discusses copyright considerations related to digitization and ongoing pressures on library resources.
The role of digitisation in the increasingly accessible academic library by Annuska Donin, University of Portsmouth
- 1. Before we begin: Using your smartphone or tablet please install the CLA title search app for a task later on: http://permissions.cla.co.uk/searchbeta.html https://www.cla.co.uk/licences/titlesearch/mobileapp / For Android it can be found in Google Playstore. Available for iPhone and iPod touch in Apple app store
- 2. Annushka Donin University of Portsmouth Annushka.Donin@port.ac.uk 023 9284 3630
- 3. What are libraries for? “Modern university libraries are not just repositories of books, journals and archived material. They are information centres that co-ordinate an electronic gateway to a massive amount of online information.” McMillan & Weyers It is our role to make this material accessible to everyone in our institutions: So are we gatekeepers? Or shepherds? Or very well-educated and trained search-engines?
- 4. There is no doubt that student expectations have increased. They want it all and they want it now. “Students at all universities expressed dissatisfaction with their library holdings…” JISC 2008 Photo of Cardinal Newman's library with the Apologia desk in the foreground (CC) Fr James Bradley - Flickr
- 5. What do we mean by ‘digitisation’? I am not talking about creating digital libraries. Refers to the scanning of specific articles and chapters on an electronic reading list so that they can be accessed by all students on that particular course of study. Maximising our current resources. Ensuring that all our students can access what they need in the format they require.
- 7. Benefits of an electronic reading list Allows an open dialogue between academics, students and librarians. Gives students and librarians early access to what will be required. Allows easy ‘one click’ linking to library catalogue and to digitised resources. Can be accessed from anywhere. Academics can monitor what’s being read and what their students find too boring to read. Can be embedded within the VLE.
- 8. Increasing accessibility From 2014/15 onwards the university’s responsibility for providing accessible texts for students with additional needs will be more stringently enforced. DSA no longer covers paying for support workers to digitise pages for students’ screen-readers or photocopying chapters into a larger format . Many university libraries already provide a service for scanning students’ reading. Does yours? Rapid rise in requests = more work for staff with less money in the budget.
- 9. So how can we achieve more with less? By utilising reading lists (preferably electronic ones, and moving away from paper course handbooks). Digitising articles and chapters on reading lists will benefit everyone on that course. Prioritise lists for courses upon which visually impaired (inc. dyslexic) students are registered. Try to purchase an eBook for key textbooks upon reading lists wherever available. Keep back-ups of scans so we can change their format to meet students’ needs.
- 10. What we do at Portsmouth: As soon as students apply to come here we get a list of visually impaired persons and their prospective courses. We go through the reading lists for every first year module on these lists and buy eBooks where ever possible. We ensure that every article possible from a print journal is digitised, and that every chapter (up to copyright limit) is digitised. When we hear a student is definitely coming then we will contact the student regarding specific needs and digitise excluded chapters and articles specifically for them. This helps to ensure that they receive their reading material in a timely manner.
- 11. Break into groups and briefly discuss the pros and cons of providing everything a student needs to read for their lectures and/or assignments on one list with links to every chapter and article. Does your opinion change whether referring to assignments or class reading? Does your response differ depending on whether you are looking at a college or university environment?
- 12. Feedback from discussion Pros Cons It is useful for accessibility purposes Benefits mature students or those with caring responsibilities / jobs Reduces pressure on library stock as one book serves more pupils Possible improved NSS results Keeps copyright issues under library management Helps the transition from FE to HE Students don’t learn proper information literacy skills Reading lists aren’t always good enough standard Requires academics to engage properly Caveats: Not such a con for FE, where provision of all materials is more prevalent. If don’t provide all materials, just class, then will learn IL skills when researching for assignments.
- 13. Copyright limits One chapter per book (or 5%, whichever is largest) One article per journal issue CLA title search will tell you which items are excluded. These can then only be scanned if the disability exemption overrides the exclusion. This has now been broadened to include dyslexia, and no longer requires a special licence. https://www.gov.uk/government/.../copyright-guidance-disabled.pdf The rules have been extended to include material of digital origin. There are now more relaxed rules for sound recordings, film snippets etc. US titles are now opt-in, so if not found on title search they’re excluded. UK items which aren’t found are usually included. This is illustrative only and does not constitute legal advice.
- 14. Copyright exercise http://permissions.cla.co.uk/searchbeta.html https://www.cla.co.uk/licences/titlesearch/mobileapp/ Use either of above to see which of these items are suitable for digitisation for a reading list / on the VLE – use ‘Higher education’ (or ‘Further’ if that’s where you work) and ‘scanning’ options. Post-it notes: Green = Ok to scan (yes) Pink = Excluded (no) Blue = Unsure / Need more information Look out – I have included some tricky ones to catch you out! Pass your books to the next table. Did you get the same results?
- 15. Useful links: www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/.../studentsuseresearchcontent.pdf www.ipo.gov.uk/techreview-disability-exceptions.pdf https://www.gov.uk/government/news/changes-to-copyright-law http://talisaspire.com/2013/04/11/talis-aspire-digital-content/ http://he.cla.co.uk/ http://www.jisctechdis.ac.uk/techdis/technologymatters/obtainaltformats Fun copyright quick quiz: http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/copy/c-quiz.htm