Librarians as digital leaders: developing digital competencies in

collection management at Staffordshire University

Vicki McGarveyStaffordshire University

Learning & Information Services Manager: Collection Management, Research & Digital Resources

vicki.mcgarvey@staffs.ac.uk @vickimcgarvey

2013Library

Manager

2006 Elearning

Developer/Project

Manager

2004 Learning

DeveloperManager

2003 Project

Manager

2001Helpdesk Manager

1997Subject

Librarian

My Leadership Journey

What is leadership?The action of leading a group of people or an organization.

Oxford English Dictionary

What is leadership? The Challenges

“Ask yourself - how can I make the people around me do great things?”

“Seek out people who don't agree with you. It will teach you to compromise.”

B.Obama

Leadership as behaviour“Leadership is a series of behaviours rather than a role for heroes.” Meg (Margaret) Wheatley, management consultant

“Presenting leadership as a list of carefully defined qualities (like strategic, analytical and performance-oriented) no longer holds. Instead, true leadership stems from individuality that is honestly and sometimes imperfectly expressed… Leaders should strive for authenticity over perfection.” Sheryl Sandberg, COO Facebook

Now there is digital leadership

“Digital leadership refers to the ability to harness digital technologies to facilitate and enhance your leadership skills, specifically as we begin to develop relationships with colleagues, customers and suppliers beyond the physical organisation.”

V McGarvey https://sites.google.com/view/dlcm2017

Staffordshire University Institutional Digital Timeline

2015 Digital U

2016Staffs Teaching

Excellence Fellowship

2016 University Digital

Transformation Project

2016Digital Leadership

Framework

2017Digital Leadership

Collection Management

2017University PlanDigital Central

DL & CM

Digital Leadership

Digital U

• Confidently use technology to participate, facilitate and initiate working relationships and networks

• Communicate effectively in a variety of digital media and forums

Communicator, Collaborator & Participator

• Locate, evaluate, organise and share digital information• Collate, manage, access and use digital data• Handle and manage data securely

Information & Data Handler

• Design or create new digital artefacts or materials• Develop new practices with digital technology in organisational settingCreator & Innovator

• Identify and utilise digital learning opportunities• Use digital tools and resources to participate in learningLearner & Self Developer

• Develop and project a positive digital identity and reputation• Look after personal health, safety and relationships in digital settingsAmbassador

Staffordshire University’s Digital Capability Values: To be digitally capable you must be a digitally capable

Expert

Team

Digital Digital

Capable Employee

Role

All employees will havethe Digital Capability Values but skills will be situationally developed & enhanced, depending on the team, role and individual’s expertise

Digital Leadership Behaviour Competency

Digital Collaborator Confidently use technology to facilitate and initiate working relationships and to build networks.

Data Handler Locate, evaluate, organise and share data in order to inform decision making. This unit will look at how data can be used to evaluate collections.

Digital Innovator Implementing new practices

Digital Self Developer Identify digital learning opportunities

Digital Ambassador Project a positive digital identity and reputation

Why Digital Leadership & Collection Management?• Digital encroached on budgeting, promotion & evaluation of

resources• Price increases, reduced budgets & new teaching & research

portfolios led to periodic evaluation of collections using data • Suppliers & publishers taking advantage of digital communication to

stay in touch with their customer • Diminished staff development budgets importance of relationships via

social networks, free staff development offerings e.g. webinars & MOOCs

It’s all about the context…What you need…When you need it!

Vicki McGarvey Bookmobile Lisbon 2015 CC BY-NC-SA

On the job Competencies

Professional Development

Personal Development

DL & CMFramework

Course Prerequisites Perquisite Solution

Open Access Google Sites

Just in time Standalone Sections

Minimal Production Curated Content

Responsive Google Sites

Addresses CM & DL Frameworks Blend of knowledge acquisition & work based reflection

Consistent design Read, Watch, Do

https://sites.google.com/view/dlcm2017/home

Timings20 hrs to write text20 hrs to curate content5 hrs to make amendments 5 hrs to collate feedback1 hr for student to complete a Unit

4 Staff Uni Students 2 External Students

egg_timerHour glass running outwww.flickr.com/photos/74964518@N00/130969487

Challenges• Proof reading – quite a few errors • Course navigation - clarity on how to

progress through the course• New Google Sites – no site history,

issue backing up content • Curation – finding good relevant

content

I think it looks like a really useful beginning and introduction to topics relating to collection

management. looks really interesting & some of the links are great starting points.

You have brought out the international significance of collection management by

selecting U.S. and U.K. videos and blogs.

Very impressive. There are a

number of things I like, the split into small sections, the breakdown

within the sections of things to read, watch and do – makes it very

manageable without being too directed

A very good job, the course makes sense & easy to read

& understand

FeedbackI like the look and feel of it and the ability to start and

stop or go back over something.

Suggested improvements• Introduction

• Guidance on navigation• Welcome from the author

• Digital Leadership• More on what you will do, how you will do it

& the outcomes

• Data handling: • Using Excel to manipulate data• Comparing usage patterns of different

resources • Data to enhance not cut collections

• Include summary/conclusion • What you have learned &where next

• Reflection piece of experience undertaking course • Chat area• Badging

Where next….badging, crowd curation Twitter chats, encourage organisations to provide some good video content, make recommended changes…correct the errors

So over to you• Is the course useful?• Is the concept clear?• What else should be included?• Would you be willing to collaborate curate?

Links• Digital U www.staffs.ac.uk/digitalu • Digital Leadership & Collection Management

https://sites.google.com/view/dlcm2017/home • eLearnesque Blog http://elearnesque.blogspot.co.uk/