Introduction

The Delivery Model

The Operation

Context

Indicators of good practice

Strategy, Planning and Liason

Quality Assurance

Relevance of Learning Materials

Availability and Accessibility

Copywright and Licensing Agreements

Human Resources

Introduction

These guidelines are a tool to enable you to develop good practice for the delivery of library and learning resource services for higher education provision in a further education institution.

December 2004

They are also a guide to establishing quality procedures within further education institutions and between those higher education institutions with whom they work.

Because of the diversity of provision of higher education within further education, the guidance cannot cover every possible scenario that may arise. Therefore it is essential that you increase your understanding by:

• Being visible and pro-active within your institution
• Being involved in the wider professional world, which will provide you with a broad base on which to learn from, and share knowledge with, colleagues in other institutions
• Being aware of developments within the library and information sector by reading the professional and educational press and regularly checking relevant websites, such as, DfES, HEFC, Ofsted, ALI, LSC, QAA, CILIP, MLA

As a library and learning resource manager you can use these guidelines to inform the development of your services and to illustrate within your institution examples of good practice that should be adopted.

There are differences in the provision of higher education in further education institutions in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland because there are significant differences in the delivery of education. These guidelines have been designed to be as generic as possible.

The delivery model

Higher education is delivered in the majority of further education institutions, but there is no single model of delivery

Aspects such as volume of provision, range of provision and experience of provision have a significant impact.

Volume

The volume of provision will range from institutions with just one or two courses to institutions with a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes

Range

The range of provision will be from HND/Foundation degree through to Masters level courses

Experience

Some institutions will have many years’ experience of higher education provision: others will have little or no experience

The Operation

There can be major differences in the operation of higher education in further education institutions

This operation is significantly influenced by the funding criteria of the provision:

• Directly funded provision
• Indirectly funded provision
• A combination of directly and indirectly funded provision

Further education institutions with only directly funded provision

• All provision is validated by the same higher education institutions
• Provision is validated by a number of different higher education institutions

Further education institutions with only indirectly funded provision

• Provision is franchised from a single higher education institution
• Provision is franchised from a number of different higher education institutions

Further education institutions with a combination of directly and indirectly funded provision

• Foundation degrees are developed and delivered through consortia arrangements
• Joint degrees are developed, delivered and funded jointly with one or more other institution
• Degrees in collaboration, where courses are jointly designed, and delivered, but the higher education institution owns the course and student and ‘buys in’ teaching, accommodation and access to resources

The context of library and learning resource provision

The quality and effectiveness of library and learning resource provision in the support of learning and teaching depends on:

The relationship between the library and learning resource service and the academic processes of the institution, including course design, delivery, evaluation and validation.

The involvement of library and learning resource staff in the institution’s managerial arrangements, such as policy formulation and resources allocation.

The adequacy of resourcing for library and learning resource provision – including staffing, staff development, information and learning resources (print, electronic and multi-media), accommodation, equipment and access to external resources.

The availability of library and learning resource services – including hours of opening, electronic and other forms of remote access, enquiry and tutorial support, study facilities and links to external resources and facilities.

Indicators of good practice

Funding allocation models should:

Be sufficiently transparent to provide managers of library and learning resources services with a clear indication of the level of resource

Include the facility for new, and increased, provision to be resourced without any diminution of resource for existing provision

Provide a clear indication to managers of library and learning resources of the amount(s) allocated for the provision for the relevant course(s), especially where funding originates through a financial relationship with a higher education institution

Ensure that further education funding does not subsidise higher education provision, and vice versa

Agreements must:

Specify the responsibilities of both the higher education institution and the further education institution
Specify the services, and the levels of those services, provided by the higher education institution to the further education institution

Consider the position of teaching staff within the further education institution with regard to access to the same range of information as the learners

Where a further education institution has agreements with a number of different higher education institutions every effort should be made to achieve parity in the student entitlements. Failure to achieve this will lead to inequities and confusion for the students and for the provider

Course marketing and enrolment information should make students and prospective students aware of their entitlements at the higher education institution

Managers of library and learning resource services must be aware of the content of the agreements and the relevant arrangements with the higher education institution

Registration arrangements at the further education institution and, where relevant, at the higher education institution should be clear

Strategy, planning and liaison

It is essential that relevant strategies, plans and liaison opportunities are developed for the delivery of higher education in further education institutions. These would include:

Learning resources strategy

There should be a learning resources strategy which:

• Is integrated and co-ordinated with institutional strategies, the structure of the institution will determine how, and by whom, this is produced
• Supports the intended programme outcomes
• Is effectively facilitated in terms of the provision of learning resources in order that there might be appropriate learning opportunities for the students

Course development and review

Mechanisms must be in place:

• To ensure that library and learning resources staff participate in the course development and review processes
• Which facilitate the identification of library and learning resources implications for both new courses and for changes to existing courses
• To ensure that LLR services make sufficient and appropriate provision to effect the intended learning outcomes by meeting the needs of learners, and of teaching staff, in a timely manner

Communication

Effective communication is essential to achieve the highest quality of provision for learners. While a lot can be achieved through informal discussion and feedback, it is not sufficient to rely on such ad-hoc channels of communication. Formal mechanisms must be in place to provide a framework for discussion, with appropriate evidence for quality and evaluation processes.

The following formal measures must be in place:

• The inclusion of library and learning resource managers in the membership of the appropriate committees
• Recognised mechanisms for communication between library and learning resource staff and teaching staff/course planning teams
• Recognised mechanisms for communication between library and learning resource staff and students

Plus, in the case of course(s) delivered through consortia/franchising agreement(s):

• Appropriate liaison between library and learning resource staff within the further education institution and library and learning resource staff within the higher education institution
• Working teams comprising representatives from the relevant higher education institution, the further education institution and, where applicable, other further education institutions delivering the same course
• Opportunities for joint staff development, and possible work-shadowing, between higher education institution and further education institution library and learning resource staff

User support

There must be mechanisms in place:

• To ensure that students and staff are enabled, and encouraged, to make effective use of the range of library and learning resource services and resources
• To make teaching staff aware of the opportunities which information and communications technologies offer to add value to teaching delivery and student learning opportunities
• To provide students and teaching staff with information skills instruction, wherever possible through collaborative work between the further education institution and the higher education institution 

Quality Assurance

Quality assurance operates at different levels: internal to the library and learning resources, internal to the further education institution, internal to the higher education institution, as part of agreements between the further education institution and the higher education institution, through the requirements of external quality bodies.

The library and learning resources service must play an active role in the quality assurance processes

Library and learning resource staff must be provided with relevant staff development to ensure that they are cognisant with, and are active participants in, the quality assurance mechanisms applicable to higher education provision

Evaluation methods must be in place to measure the appropriateness and effectiveness of library and learning resource services to the intended learning outcomes and to the quality of student learning opportunities

Evidence gained through such evaluation must be used to improve services

Relevance of learning material

The further education institution must provide effective and adequate learning resources (books, periodicals, electronic information resources, datasets, on-line learning environments and equipment through which to access them) to support courses. Additional resources may be available via the relevant higher education institution.

To establish and maintain collections of relevant learning materials, there must be:

Library and learning resource involvement at course team level

An adequate level of financial resource for the initial establishment of a collection for a new course

An adequate level of financial resource for the maintenance of such collections

Where appropriate, the establishment of a relationship with the respective subject liaison librarian at the higher education institution

An engagement with library and learning resource colleagues in other further education institutions to pool information and to share knowledge and experience

Access to printed and electronic resources at the relevant higher education institution, dependant on agreements and electronic licences

Availability and accessibility

It must be recognised that students decide to study at higher education level in further education institutions for a range of reasons, e.g. personal circumstances, familiarity. Even where entitlements exist at the higher education institution, the information needs of the course should be provided at the further education institution. It should not be assumed that students can access the facilities at a higher education institution: geographical distance, transport constraints, personal circumstances etc can make this impossible.

The further education institution library and learning resource service must follow general good practice by having, for example: 

A range of study accommodation to accommodate different learning styles and study preferences - quiet study, group study, silent study
 
An appropriate level of security with institutionally applied procedures in place to enforce sanctions in the case of theft and/or damage

Physical accessibility for users with special educational needs and disabilities

In addition, the specific needs of higher education learners must be taken into account through:

Consideration of the need to provide the learner with the “higher education experience”

Opening hours which meet the needs of higher education learners

The use of differing entitlements, for example 

• a higher loan entitlement
• a range of loan periods
• multiple copies with different loan categories
• increased access to inter-library loans
• increased loans for vacation closure

Copyright and licensing agreements

It is essential that:

Library and learning resource services and their users, in both higher education institutions and further education institutions, adhere to copyright and intellectual property rights.

No systems should be put in place without due reference to these rights.

There is an awareness of differences between higher education and further education licence agreements

Human resources

Library and learning resource staff must:

Be high calibre, well-motivated, appropriately qualified and experienced in order to ensure that the library and learning resource service makes the fullest possible contribution to the goals of the institution.

Work within an appropriate staffing structure, with staff appointed across a range of specialisms and skills to cover the range of services provided by the library and learning resource service.
 
Be appointed to posts which are graded according to the level of contribution which they make, the level of responsibility which they bear, and the level of qualification, skills and experience required.

Have access to the full range of staff development opportunities.

Have access to continuing professional development opportunities in addition to general staff development.
 
Have active involvement on the appropriate academic and quality committees/working groups within the institution.

Have an active engagement with appropriate professional bodies, for example, through involvement with national and regional groups and e-lists