Super Users at QinetiQJudith EdwardsEuropean Unicorn User Group 13 September 2002

©Copyright QinetiQ Ltd 2002

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Contents

1 What is QinetiQ?

2 Our staff training problems & opportunities

3 The Super User concept

4 Formal and informal training

5 Training and reference materials

6 Crib Cards

What is QinetiQ?

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What is QinetiQ?

• A (currently) wholly government-owned UK PLC, formed in

July 2001 from the major part of DERA, the British

Government's Defence Evaluation and Research Agency.

• Europe's largest science and technology organisation.

• 19 sites throughout the UK

• 9,000 staff

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QinetiQ Information Resources (IR)

• Serving QinetiQ staff in England, Scotland and Wales

from:

• 8 Libraries

• an Information Warehouse

• reading rooms at some sites

• Nearly 80 staff, of whom ¾ use Unicorn every day

• Over 800,000 title and 1m item records

• Also serve many Dstl and MoD staff

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QinetiQ and IR sites

Information Resources sites:

• Boscombe Down & Information Warehouse

• Farnborough

• Fort Halstead

• Haslar & Portsdown West

• Malvern

• Rosyth

• Winfrith/Bincleaves

Other QinetiQ sites

7Unicorn at QinetiQ

• DERA sites used separate CAIRS systems - merged into one Unicorn system

1998

• QinetiQ/Dstl systems duplicated and separated 2001 - still close co-operation

with Dstl Knowledge Services

• Using Cataloguing + Authority, Circulation, Accountability, Serials, Reports,

ILL (Acquisitions to be implemented)

• Management:

• System Administrator + Deputy

• Policy and procedure decisions by Operations and Senior Managers ...

• … after advice from Unicorn Super User Group (QUSUG)

Our problems & opportunities

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Our staff training problems ...

• Many widely dispersed sites

• Small numbers of staff at some sites

• Staff perform many functions

• Historical autonomy of sites

• DERA split into QinetiQ and Dstl

• Changing structure of Information Resources

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… and opportunities

• DERA split into QinetiQ and Dstl

• Changing structure of Information Resources

• Multi-skilled IR staff

• Established infrastructure:

• NT network

• Intranet

Unicorn Super User Group

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What are Super Users?

• Unicorn Super User Group

– a group of 7 experienced QinetiQ IR staff

– each specialises in a certain area of Unicorn

• Main roles:

– first contact for staff & customers with Unicorn queries & possible problems

– training library staff in Unicorn

– maintaining a Unicorn manual & training materials tailored to QinetiQ procedures

– recommending Unicorn solutions to procedural or policy issues

– testing new versions of Unicorn in preparation for upgrades

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Super Users - giving training & support

1. One-to-one training

2. Formal courses

3. Local site support

4. Remote support (mainly by telephone)

5. Training & reference materials on IR Forum:

– Crib Cards

– Unicorn Manual

– Work instructions

– Training handouts

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Formal courses

• ½ or 1 day

• In a purpose-designed training room

• On a particular module, e.g.:– Cataloguing

– Serials

– Reports

• Format:– Presentation

– Demonstration

– Practical exercises

15Training and Reference information on IR Forum

IR Forum - private area on Intranet

Private Super User area - mainly for work in progress

Public Super User area - mainly for Minutes of our meetings

Unicorn and Work Instructions folders:

•Crib Cards•Unicorn Manual•Work Instructions•Hints and Tips

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Crib cards

• To keep at the Library counter

• Aimed at:

– new staff

– staff unfamiliar with a particular task

• Brief checklist of how to do common tasks

• A5 format, laminated

• Not a replacement for the full Unicorn Manual!

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Crib cards on:

• Basic use of WorkFlows:

• How to search

• Toolbars

• Installing

• Circulation procedures: issue, discharge etc.

• Cataloguing different types of material

• Serials control procedures

• Requests and ILL procedures

• Reports

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Crib Card examples:

• WorkFlows navigation (4 x A5, 2 slides)

• Advanced searching (4 x A5, 2 slides)

• Routing serials - distribution lists (4 x A5, 2 slides)

• ILL receiving (2 x A5, 1 slide)

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A few conclusions

• Super User pros ...

– staff like the personal touch and “their own” SU

– tasks shared; relieves burden on SA

– team approach generates fresh ideas and discussion

• … and cons:

– difficult to find time for big tasks e.g. writing/updating Manual chapters

– travel to remote sites

• Crib cards are popular & useful but staff must be reminded they’re not always a substitute for the full Manual