WHELF meeting update
The WHELF Representatives met via videoconference on Tuesday 7th February 2017. These are some of the topics that were discussed at this meeting.
Digital preservation/digital repositories: The National Library of Wales are organizing an event at the end of March to provide a forum to facilitate open discussions on the digital preservation requirements of WHELF and ARCW (Archives and Record Council Wales). There will be breakout sessions held in the afternoon which will provide a forum to discuss and define further requirements for a digital repository.
Academic Book Week: Sue Hodges had delivered a presentation on the “Treasures of Wales” at the British Library during Academic Book Week (23rd-28th Jan). The presentation was followed by a discussion on how we can open up our Collections.
WHELF Shared LMS: Work is being progressed by a number of Project Boards to capitalise on the opportunities that the shared LMS has opened up for WHELF. The Cataloguing Project Board are exploring the opportunities offered by Jisc’s National Bibliographic Knowledgebase project. WHELF will have a representative on the NBK Steering group to develop this.
Cambridge Econometrics will produce a draft report by the end of February as part of the Jisc funded project to identify the benefits of the WHELF Shared LMS. The draft report is supplemented by three WHELF institutions case studies from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, the National Library of Wales and Cardiff University. The final report will be disseminated later in the year.
Reading lists: There is an opportunity to run a joint tendering exercise for WHELF to procure reading list management software. Although WHELF institutions are at different stages in their current contracts there was agreement that a joint tender could be explored further. Cardiff and Swansea University will meet to discuss this procurement exercise further and make recommendations for WHELF.
Changes to the WHELF Executive: It was Sue Hodges last meeting as WHELF Chair as she retires from Bangor University at the end of February. She was presented with flowers and thanked for Chairing WHELF over the last 18 months and for all her hard work, commitment as a member during the last 5 and a half years. Steve Williams, University Librarian Head of Libraries, Archives, Culture and Arts, Swansea University (s.r.williams@swansea.ac.uk) was formally ratified as new Vice Chair of WHELF and Emma Adamson, Director of Learning Services, University of South Wales (emma.adamson@southwales.ac.uk) will take over as Chair from 1st March.
