13 Gippsland Campus Library
Gippsland Library Staff Web Page. Improvements made to this Web
page included the addition of HTML lessons by Gary Weston, and Bobby (an HTML
checker). These were to provide assistance to library staff to compile their own
Home Pages, including a page on the progress of the new library building.
CD-ROM Network. Access to the Clayton network from the
Gippsland Library was introduced.
Examination Papers. During the year it became possible to
access and print out digitalised Monash exam papers from within the library.
Later in the year Web access to the papers was introduced, enabling remote staff
and students to use them.
As from the end of February 1997, the University Library ceased to register open
learning students for remote and on-campus library services, following the
designation by Open Learning Australia of the University of South Australia as
the sole provider of library services as from 1 March 1997.
Work on the new library building commenced in January. Prior to this the
Library's reference collection "portable" was removed and the
collection put into temporary storage. The "portable" was subsequently
relocated to house the curriculum resources collection. The noise from
demolition and construction work, the need to operate with even less space and
the lack of access to material in storage were problems for most of the year.
The new wing was completed in mid-November and the first phase of the move to
the new building took a week. While minor work was still continuing, the Library
opened for business in the new building on 24 November, as planned. Despite
minor faults which need to be fixed, the building provides a pleasant and
functional environment for users (and for some library staff) in contrast to the
"old" library.
Demolition of the ground floor of the "old" library commenced on 24
November. This area is to be refurbished to accommodate offices/work areas,
reader education room, staff room and conference room, etc., and is expected to
be completed in February 1998. The second phase of the library move will then
take place
With the departure of the Library Secretary on early retirement at the end of
1997 and approval of voluntary departure packages for four staff the Gippsland
Library lost a total of five staff during the year.
A small committee was established, with Paul Wilkins as convenor, to advise
Management Committee on the restructuring options in the light of staff losses
in Customer Services and Serials. The Gippsland Staffing Restructure Review
Working Group, after several meetings by videoconference and consultations with
staff, submitted its report in mid-April. From the options presented in the
report, Management Committee decided that the full move of Technical Services
function from Gippsland to Clayton and the redeployment of Gippsland Technical
Services staff to the customer services areas was the best option.
Following discussions between the Associate University Librarian (Gippsland) and
staff affected by the transfer of the technical services function to Clayton,
and discussions between representatives of the University Library and NTEU,
Management Committee approved the recommendations for redeployment of the
current Gippsland Technical Services staff. Management Committee also approved
the recommendations made by the Human Resources Librarian on the training needs
arising from the redesign of jobs, and authorised funding for this purpose.
All relocated staff moved to new jobs following the move to the new building.
The transfer of functions and some positions to Technical Services Clayton, and
the new procedures for ordering and processing library materials were in place
by the end of November.
In order to provide library support for the Monash Plan in the areas of
"virtual" and "mixed-mode" students, the Library rethought
its policies and structures for handling such students. Key features of the new
model, which will come into operation in 1998, include the formation of a
Flexible Library Services Unit, with the hub based at Gippsland, extension of
distance education services to mixed mode students, the use of all the Library's
collection on all campuses to service remote students, rather than relying on
the Gippsland collection, and increased funding for off-campus services.
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