Fid BleasdaleRichard Brine | Sheron Burton | Kwasi Darko-Ampem | Moira Johnson | Margaret Phillips | Joanne Rees |

 

Fid Bleasdale

Organisation/College: Aquinas College

Current areas of responsibility: Learning Resources Manager / ILT Manager

Previous areas of responsibility: Previously a Governor at Aquinas College (Finance & Buildings Committee); Have held Assistant Librarian and Librarian posts in 3 other FE/Sixth Form colleges

Cross college/academic responsibilities: In my current post I am a member of the college management group; an ILT Manager; a member of various groups including Quality Group, Curriculum Group, Accommodation Group, Support Staff Advisory Group. In current and previous posts I have been involved with quality assurance and the provision of staff development opportunities for support staff areas as well as trade union activities via Unison

Professional areas of specialism: Learning Resources in Sixth Form Colleges; Learning Resources and ILT

Professional areas of interest: JISC RSC NW Steering Group (one of the Sixth Form Colleges’ representatives); North West Sixth Form Colleges Librarians Group; South Manchester ILT Group; Northern Autolib User Group; Learnwise User Group; I have held the position of Minutes Secretary for CoFHE Southern Circle

Length of time in FE/Sixth Form: 17 years

Project management experience/expertise: Within my current post there are 2 key areas I am involved in: introducing an VLE/MLE and reviewing future college accommodation needs

Role in CoLRiC: Deputy Chair

Due for re-election: May 2012

Current professional challenges in their situation: Trying to expand staffing in a time of financial constraint; linking e-learning and learning resources

What are the top three issues all librarians need to address in order to provide proactive responsive provision? Develop management/leadership skills; seek out all opportunities – participate in college priorities such as e-learning; develop strong emotional intelligence and communication skills

Outside interests: Keen watcher of football – Southampton is my team but due to distance I hold a season ticket at Preston NE; “trundling” around England and Wales during holidays; renovating a cottage in North Wales; theatre and cinema goer

Comment box: Edwina Salmon encouraged me to observe a CoLRiC meeting and by the end of it I was organising the next conference! Working with committed, supportive colleagues has opened my eyes to challenges affecting the sector and re-enforced the need to be proactive as individuals and as a profession.

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Richard Brine

 

Organisation/College: Exeter College

Current areas of responsibility: Head of Information and Learning Services. The Department operates a set of integrated services comprising Learning Centres and Library functions, specialist curriculum support services, ICT infrastructure and user-support, VLE, web, digital media, design and print services.

Previous areas of responsibility: Head of ICT (16-19 Comprehensive Schoo); Producer of corporate media and training materials (commercial sector)

Cross college/academic responsibilities: College Leadership Team member; Accommodation Strategy Group member; e-Strategy Group member; Responsible for Data Protection and FoI compliance across the college

Professional areas of specialism: Chartered professional member of the British Computer Society ; ICT management and information security; e-learning development and support; Media production

Professional areas of interest: FE community representative on the JISC RSCs National Board; Member of the SW RSC Advisory Group; Member of the BCS Information Security Special Interest Group

Length of time in FE/Sixth Form: Appointed to present role in September 2003

Project management experience/expertise: Five new Learning Centres in two years; College-wide ICT infrastructure redevelopment including IP telephony; Virtual environment development; Major systems development projects

Role in CoLRiC: Website project leader

Due for re-election: May 2012

Current professional challenges in their situation: Ensuring that the department is sufficiently agile to allow its services to evolve at a rate which matches, or exceeds, that of the College and the FE sector.

What are the top three issues all librarians need to address in order to provide proactive responsive provision?

Align their service with the Institution’s strategic goals and curriculum delivery

Promote their service as adding value to teaching and learning in the Institution

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Sheron Burton

Organisation/College: City and Islington College

Current areas of responsibility: Learning Centres; E-Learning; Careers

Previous areas of responsibility: Customer Services; Learning Centres

Cross college/ academic responsibilities: Learner Support, Copyright

Professional areas of specialism: Management of Change; Staff management; training; copyright

Professional areas of interest: FE development generally; e-learning

Length of time in FE/Sixth Form: 20 years

Project management experience/expertise: Development of new LC; management of refurbishment of Learning Centre; introduction of new Library System

Role in CoLRiC: Committee member

Due for re-election: May 2011

Current professional challenges in their situation: Time management!

What are the top three issues all librarians need to address in order to provide proactive responsive provision? Customer focus; Qualitative measurement of service provision; Focussed staff

Outside interests: Travel, reading, good food, art

Comment box: I was coerced into joining CoLRiC on my return to FE! The benefits are: Working with a group of committed professionals; keeping up to date professionally; sharing, discussing and debating common concerns.

 

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Kwasi Darko-Ampem

Organisation/College: South Thames College (Incorporating Merton College)

Current areas of responsibility: Head, Library & Learning Centre

Cross college/academic responsibilities: Academic Board, College Management Committee, Quality Improvement Group

Professional areas of specialism: Information Literacy Teaching, Cataloguing & Classification

Professional areas of interest: Institutional Repository

Length of time in FE/Sixth Form: 14 months

Project management experience/expertise: 5years- managed retrospective conversion project  (1999-2003); managed Milton Keynes Inspire Project (2005); currently managing a small project on Library Cataloguing at Merton College

Role in CoLRiC: Executive member- Conference

What are the top three issues all librarians need to address in order to provide proactive responsive provision? Add value to student learning by providing training in the access and use of electronic resources; good customer care;

Outside interests: Lawn tennis, Chess, Football (supporter not player)

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Moira Johnson

Organisation/College:  Treloar College

Current areas of responsibility: Manager of LRC

Cross college/academic responsibilities: College Management Committee, Quality Board, IT Development group, 14-19 Curriculum Task Force

Professional areas of specialism: Information Literacy, assistive technologies.

Professional areas of interest: Adult literacy

Length of time in FE/Sixth Form: 12 years

Project management experience/expertise: transferred library collection to specialist college LRC and installed library management system (2000); grew inclusive LR services and staffing (2000-09);  closed HE nurse education site library (1998)

Role in CoLRiC: Committee member

What are the top three issues all librarians need to address in order to provide proactive responsive provision? Deliver user-centred services and resources; grow a confident team; keep strategic priorities visible

Outside interests: visiting libraries (yes, really!), cinema, theatre, music, travel.

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Margaret Phillips

Organisation/College: Runshaw College

Current areas of responsibility: Beacon Awards and Peer Assessment

Previous areas of responsibility: Conference organiser with Fid

Cross college/academic responsibilities: Middle Manager for Library and  ILT including the internet, intranet and VLE plus resource conversion.

Professional areas of interest: ILT

Length of time in FE/Sixth Form 20 years

Project management experience/expertise: Setting up new libraries. Coordinating the move from one VLE to another.

Role in CoLRiC: Beacon Award Leader

What are the top three issues all librarians need to address in order to provide proactive responsive provision?

Creating/maintaining a committed and proactive team and allowing them to bring and develop new ideas.

Staff development to keep up to date with new technologies, new resources and new ideas.

Listening to the customer

Outside interests: Camping, dogs and other animals,

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Joanna Rees

Organisation/College: Coleg Morgannwg, Nantgarw Campus

Current areas of responsibility: Learning Centre Coordinator

Previous areas of responsibility: Learning Adviser Pontypridd Campus

Length of time in FE/Sixth Form5 Years

Role in CoLRiC: Committee Member

Due for re-election: 2010

What are the top three issues all librarians need to address in order to provide proactive responsive provision?: Quality, Service and Training

Outside interests: Reading, Theatre, Film, Music, Cycling, Walking

 

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