Browsing by Author "Brine, Alan"

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    Acquisitions and the accelerated shift to digital in academic libraries in the UK: reflecting on the Covid experience at De Montfort University and Imperial College London
    (Taylor and Francis, 2021-09-07) Brine, Alan; Knight, Andrew
    Summer 2020 witnessed a large-scale temporary release of content from the publishing community to support UK universities as they moved to online-only delivery, followed by a scramble by those institutions to maintain access to resources. This paper reflects on the experiences of De Montfort University and Imperial College libraries during this period as they supported the move to remote teaching. It focuses on the complexities experienced during this transitional period, and considers how the speed of these changes increased staff workloads, stretched budgets, and compelled acquisitions teams to act without always fully gathering evidence or strategically planning how new practices might work in the longer term. The authors, who sit on various national contract management and acquisitions strategy groups, examine the repercussions of navigating from an unplanned, accelerated digital shift to a more managed, sustainable paradigm, and contemplate how the advent of multimode teaching may impact on the way libraries are resourced.
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    Emerging technologies as change agent within and across organisational cultures.
    (Inderscience, 2010) Conboy, H.; Brine, Alan; Clarke, J.
    E-learning policy and project implementation can be said to act as a driver of change in educational institutions, but institutions can change in markedly different ways. This paper reports on recent qualitative research focused on the implementation of Web2.0 approaches within a UK university. It argues that the embedded use of Web2.0 relies on the changing of working practices and people's mindsets. We suggest that implementation may be problematic, resulting in change being more readily accepted by some groups and/or cultures than others. The way in which the Web2.0 concept is socially constructed in everyday discourses, events and learning communities is explored. The informal and participatory nature of these approaches, which may initiate the seeping of informal practices into otherwise more formal educational environments, can frame emerging technologies as 'disruptive'.
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    The information needs of UK historic houses: mapping the ground.
    (Emerald, 2010-01) Brine, Alan; Feather, John
    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to concentrate on establishments that are known as the "built heritage", often described as "historic houses". Many operate in a similar vein to small businesses and often have a more diverse range of needs. In the UK historic houses form part of the tourism and leisure market. Heritage encompasses a wide variety of establishments including historic houses, historic gardens, heritage centres, town centres, countryside and museums. Design/methodology/approach: A model was developed for the study to show the information needs of historic houses and the information-seeking behaviour of those managing historic houses. Data have been collected both via questionnaires to and interviews of those managing properties. The collection of data focused on diversity of activities, information provision, use of information, developments (including technology) and collaboration. Findings: The conclusions discuss the management of information and the difficulties expressed for those managing historic houses as discovered during the research. Properties need to be able to make effective use of this to protect the heritage for future generations. Building on the empirical work recommendations are made on policy making, education, audits, co-operation and technology to improve the provision and management of information within the sector to support these establishments. Originality/value: The research represents the first study to investigate the existing situation of historic houses and their information needs in the UK, to try and provide an overview of the sector and information provision and how that might be improved.
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    Libraries in a Time of Covid
    (De Montfort University Press, 2021-08-17) Brine, Alan
    The impact of Covid on providing access to library resources has raised interesting questions in regard to supporting students at a distance. Aside from enabling access to resources through online channels there is also the need to ensure that support for academic skills is available.
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    Library Services as Partner: Bringing Students and the Public Together to Deliver Impact
    (Purdue University, 2022-02-11) Brine, Alan; Wheelband, Elizabeth
    This paper discusses the creation of a permanent, centre for research and education in a UK university, open to the public and delivered in collaboration with its students and the public. Library Senior Leadership Team presented a business case to develop a new centre at De Montfort University an underutilised area on campus. This area contains parts of a fourteenth century collegiate church, once at the heart of medieval Leicester and was part of the earliest of the predecessor institutions of the University. Grounded in De Montfort University’s central objectives of serving the community and the public good, the proposals were developed by a range of participants to bring the present University’s 150 year history to a wider audience and to present the history of this important part of the city of Leicester to the public. A central tenant of the enterprise was that content should be generated by DMU students and public partnerships. De Montfort students worked with the library to develop designs for the centre as part of their studies. After its creation the centre has undertaken student collaborations that include additions to the space, such as ceramics. Collaborations have been undertaken with the local community including exhibitions with the health authorities, the police and the local football club (Leicester City). We work closely with the local council on joint public exhibitions and collaborative projects, one example of which is “Heritage Sundays” where we open together and deliver informative sessions for the public. This has seen a continual rise in our visitor numbers and a welcome for thousands of new visitors since first opening the doors. The centre has become a valuable asset for the institution on a number of levels and has been used as a test bed for developing and evaluating innovative interpretation techniques and methodologies, especially during covid, by various groups within the university enabling De Montfort to use its heritage to research into design development.