Talis Aspire and University

of Portsmouth:

An ‘Aspire-ational’

journey into digitisation?

Annushka Donin MA MCLIP

University of Portsmouth LibraryStop dreaming about your future – start living it.

Beginnings

This is David our Map librarian. He used to deal with any

digitisation requests which lecturers emailed to him and

checked those sent to our Distance Learning Team.

What we used to do:

Very ad hoc.

Often had to chase for more information.

No workable database to store details of what

we had already scanned. Relied on memory.

Had to check each request which came via

email, phone or in person using the CLA title

search. I still use this as a back up when I

disagree with the “computer says no” issue.

No!

What do you

mean no?!

Let’s just see

about that!

What made us choose TADC?

We were looking for a way to improve accessibility

to resources for students.

We had been using Aspire Reading List software for

a number of years.

The only thing the library is criticised for on the NSS is

not having enough books.

Motivation for lecturers.

We have enormous take up of eBooks and journals

by students.

Trial started June 2013.

Me

I started in this post in April 2013.

Official title is Assistant Librarian (Accessibility)

Responsible for:

Implementation and operational management of the

library’s new scanning service

Supporting students with additional needs to access

the resources they need, including obtaining

alternative formats

Assisting with the running of the Map Library and it’s

Large Format Scanning Services.

The many-hats juggling act!

But it’s good, and keeps me busy, especially as I work part-time.

Workflows using TADC:

As you will see sometimes hardly any interaction is

required.

Under option 2, where we don’t have an item in

stock, we identified an area that really needed

streamlining – and the new BL ordering service

through TADC will cut out most of this workflow.

Receive request via email

Does req. include

unit details?

Yes

Lecturer /

Reading list

manager

OthersScanning service

Go to Reading list

Raise request via

email

Yes

Full & correct

metadata?

Search for item on catalogue

Add/correct

metadata

No

Yes No

No

Yes

Is item in catalogue?

No

Is item on

RL?

Locate and use ‘Add to

bookmark’ tool

Return to RL and add item in

correct position

Click ‘Request digitisation’

link

Return to RL & create

manual bookmark

Add item in correct position

Send email with unit

details

Send email request for

full details

Does unit have

reading list?

Yes

If long reading list forward to

FL/AFL to create.

FL/AFL requests digitisations

once RL completed

No

Receive request via TADC

Is item on

our catalogue?

Create BL electronic

copyright cleared

request via

LinkedSource or our

internal form.

No

Place slip in book at start

position for scan. Place

in scanning tray.20% team do scan

20% team return book to

‘completed’ tray in ML.

Completion email

with link to scan is

sent from TADC to

requester.

Yes

View details

Raise request via

‘Request digitisation’

link on Reading List

View in Campus edition

(catalogue)

Record location on a

slip with Req number,

unit number and page

range at top as filename

NO

Reserve item Reservation team send

book up when returned

Option 1.

Option 2.

Yes

Is

item in stock?

Locate item

Print form and take down

to P&M

P&M raise request

via BL

Item collected and

uploaded

Item returned to trolley Shelved by CM

team

P&M raise

search

elsewhere

Rejection email

from TADC to

requester.

No

Yes

Email received.

Item uploaded

Successfu

l?Successfu

l?Yes

No

Periodic check on progress

Copy to be

uploaded

Serials

coverage

undetermined

Receive request via TADC

No

View details

Raise request via

‘Request digitisation’

link on Reading ListDiscern reason for error

Try to identify via online

search engines , catalogues

etc

Option 3.

Yes

Can metadata be

improved?Edit and resubmit

Try to identify via CLA

website

Successf

ul?

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

Can item now

be identified?

YesIs item in catalogue?

Cannot

identify

resource

Improve metadata

No

Refer

back to

requestor

for

additional

informatio

n

Successf

ul?

Receive request via TADC

Duplicate request?

No

Yes

View details

Raise request via

‘Request digitisation’

link on Reading List

Discern reason for

referral

Option 4.

Yes

Override concierge

Doublecheck via CLA

website

Can item

be

scanned

?

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Has the user

exceeded

copy limit?

YesIs item in catalogue?

Cannot copy

under licence

Refer

back to

requestor

for

additional

informatio

n Option 5.

Referred by

requestor

View details

Discern reason for

referral

Error with TADC?

Solveable?

Incorrect metadata?Other requestor error?

Edit and resubmit

Override

My d

esk

is littere

d w

ith th

ese

!!!

Request

number:

Unit code:

Page

range:

Shelf mark:

Title:

Volume/Issue

/

edition

Author:

On loan

items-

Reserved:

Yes/No

Uploaded to

TADC:

Yes/No

Moved to

unit folder:

Yes/No

Scanning

done by:

Initials here:

I have hundreds of these little slips littering my desk. This is how we keep track of what we’ve reserved, ordered, scanned and need to scan.If the search functionality were improved I’d have a tidier desk!

Hardware:

We started off with a really old and quite basic

book-edge scanner. Staff with physical issues with

their arms couldn’t operate it.

Fairly slow going as couldn’t check

progress/quality until the end.

In the Despatch Room, so noisy and cramped.

After more proposal writing we

got a lovely new scanner:

Bookeye Professional

with v-glass.

Though it doesn’t like

the light sometimes!

Where we’ve

got to so far: Faculty of Humanities and

Social Sciences

Portsmouth Business School

Faculty of Creative and

Cultural Industries, (CCi)

Faculty of Technology

Faculty of Science

Three Faculties have employed graduate trainees

for a year each to build the reading lists.

Two of these have been since we started using TADC, and one has generated most of the scanning requests – closely followed by me. I maximise the digital content for any course with a declared Visually Impaired person registered.

R.I.P. Reprints collection

Current usage:

We hit the 1000 live requests mark back in July – but now many are

waiting for new editions to come in so they can be redone.

What next?

Keep working by stealth and word of mouth to expand the

number of reading lists used.

Keep prioritising VIP lists and DL.

Hope to open up the option of requesting straight from Moodle.

Combine my accessibility and digitisation roles to ensure all

students can access what they need when they need it.

One year to get through roll over with no dramas.

Our aim is that eventually every student will have access to

reading lists for every unit taught within the university.

To deal with the irony that most of my job is spent making it

unnecessary for students to come into the library!