Talis Insight 2016

The less we talk about libraries the better ..

Nick BevanPro-Vice Chancellor, Director of Library and Student Support, Middlesex University

© Middlesex University Gary Stevens. Jean-Luc Godard at Berkeley, 1968. Source: Flickr | 2

A story should have a beginning, a middle and an end, but not necessarily in that order

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Proposition 1: The big intractable library problems are now about research. We should have sorted out teaching support as all the tools are within our reach

Uniinnsbruck. Lecture Hall. Source: Flickr | 7

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2. Universities fail students when they work in silos and fail to view course delivery and support as a system

Doc Searls. Silos. Source: Flickr | 8

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3. We have failed to address digital literacy as we have been too focused on information literacy

Robin Hutton. Digital literacy. Source: Flickr | 9

© Middlesex University Classic Film. Illustrated 1947 ad. Source: Flickr | 10

4. Librarians’ recent engagement with employability is therefore partly misguided

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5. The Library is now just another learning space (so why aren’t librarians more interested in learning spaces generally?)

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6. “Content” and “assessment” will increasingly merge in a digital context

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7. Data is key … but it is complex … and it is not about libraries

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8. The less University senior managers talk about libraries the better; the less we talk about libraries the better

Nastya Leontieva. Silence. Source: Flickr | 14

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1. We should have sorted out teaching support …2. Universities fail students when they work in silos

…3. We have failed to address digital literacy as we

have been too focused on information literacy4. Our recent engagement with employability is

partly misguided5. Why aren’t librarians more interested in learning

spaces?6. “Content” and “assessment” will increasingly

merge 7. Data is key … but complex … and it is not about

libraries8. The less University senior managers talk about

libraries the better; the less we talk about libraries the better

© Middlesex University Legosz. Future. Source: Flickr. Colours changed | 16

1.It is not about pushing the library up the agenda, it is about focusing on getting systems in place and working seamlessly for students

2.We need to fully engage with the University’s teaching and learning strategy and show how we can help deliver it

3.Let’s look outside our domain and see where we can best apply our skills to make a difference

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“The railroads … let others take customers away from them because they assumed themselves to be in the railroad business rather than in the transportation business.” (Levitt)

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