A Day in the Life of… Kathryn Hudson - Head of Collection Development

Thursday 26^th June 2008

25 staff are employed in Collection Management Services, which is comprised of the Acquisitions, Cataloguing and Courier teams

8.25am Start the Day

Log into the Network (and make a cup of tea whilst PC is coming to life)
I deal with the 18 emails which have appeared overnight – plus others as they arrive…

9.15 am Access to a New Resource

I forward an email confirming access to MEMSO (Medieval and Early Modern Sources online) to the Library cataloguing team for a link to be added to Voyager (our Library catalogue and acquisitions system). I also forward this to Vicky Stallard to add a link to the Database List on the INSRV website. I contact Tom Dawkes (as sponsoring Subject Librarian) to inform him that access to this resource is now live, so all interested students and academic staff can immediately gain access. (Not bad as I only placed the order two days ago – if only all Publishers were so responsive…)

I forward the file of associated MEMSO MARC records to the Systems Team for them to investigate download into Voyager. (This will allow individual titles to be searched for and retrieved via the Library catalogue)

9.30 to 11 am: Innovative Fund Codes

I log on to SwetsWise subscriptions (the database of our journal supply agents) and change a sub-set of fund codes in line with the restructuring of the Library resources commitments lists for 2009. All fund codes must be changed before the online renewal lists can be requested, (they are a new innovation for this year, which we hope will improve the efficiency of the renewal process, if it all works as they promise!)

10.30am: Using Usage Statistics!

Phone call from Kate Bradbury (Library Research Support team). We discuss the vagaries and inconsistencies of usage statistics obtained from the Highwire ejournals platform. The phone call lasts around 20 minutes, and follows on from a two hour meeting the previous day, relating to the usage statistics project that Kate is currently working on, and the ways in which it might be possible for Collection Management Services staff to assist with this.

11.24 am: Buying Back Files

I receive an email from our Elsevier Account Manager acknowledging our order for two journal back file collection purchases, totalling €46,408 (+VAT!) and updating the pricing information. I adjust the commitment in the Library Management system in order to reflect the slight price increase, and contact the INSRV finance team to request them to move around a supplementary sum of money in line with this increase. This is necessary in order to ensure that sufficient funds are available for payment of this order.

11.30 am - 2.00 pm: Health Databases

I start work on creating a list of our health related databases. This has to be sent to Value Wales by mid July, as agreed at the customer focus group meeting for Medical E-Resources, which I attended at Builth Wells on the 10^th June. The lists once collated should show the most popular resources, and highlight opportunities for joint purchasing across sectors.

12.30 am to 1pm

Lunch

2.50 pm: Licenses and Legalities

I receive an email from MEMSO with an invoice and Licence agreement attached. I print off the invoice ready to process for payment (to be held until the licence is approved).

I print off a copy of the license and email a copy to Andrew McVay the INSRV Legal Compliance Officer to check. I then scan through the licence myself and notice in the fees section that it refers to an annual maintenance fee which I wasn’t aware of. I contact them to query this. The response is that this was added in error – but it takes two more emails before the clause is finally removed from the license. This is resolved at 4.22 pm. I then email the amended license agreement to Andrew McVay for approval. One approved by Andrew this will have to be printed off and sent to Janet Peters, University Librarian for signature. We will then take a copy and return the original signed agreement to the Publisher

3 pm to 3.30 pm: More Licenses!

I go to the JISC web site and download the renewal paperwork for a one year extension to our agreement for the Times Digital archive.

I email a copy of the license agreement to Andrew McVay to check (though this one shouldn't be a problem as it conforms to the terms of the JISC model license – but best to follow procedure…) I complete the license acceptance form with Cardiff contact details, order number etc, print off two copies and put them in internal post to Janet Peters for signature. I amend the notes and prices on Voyager and the Commitments list, in line with the new details.

4.15 pm: Chasing Quotes

I chase up our Nature Journals representative for a quote for a site license for the ‘Journal of Direct Data and Digital Marketing Practice’. Palgrave have changed their policy, and e access is no longer ‘free’ with print. Site licences now have to be purchased via Nature Publishing! It’s on my to do list to work through the list of our Palgrave titles I requested from Swets (a couple of weeks ago) and work out the cost implications for us to retain e access to Palgrave titles for 2009. But that isn’t going to get done today…

4.40 - 5.30pm: Secret Enhancements!

Teleconference call from Dan Blum (Enform Interactive in Maryland USA.)

He is working for Swets, who are undertaking usability testing of proposed database enhancements. This was very interesting, but I’m not allowed to reveal what it was all about as this is commercially sensitive data… Earlier in the week I accepted the invitation from Swets to become a member of their UK Development Advisory Board comprised of 10 key customers - this is the first session resulting from this. Having input at the early product development stage will hopefully mean that we end up with tools well suited to our subscription management requirements.

5.30 - 6.35 pm: Still here!

Everyone else in the office has gone home, and the phones have stopped ringing, so I get some quiet time to concentrate. I attempt a rough draft of this ‘day in the life’ before I forget what it was I actually did. I should have written it down more systematically as the day went on…

6.40 pm: Contacting the British Library

I check through and email to the British Library the revised list of 165 Cardiff University theses for digitization. I ask them when they want us to arrange for these to be sent to them. They are being digitized free of charge and once completed will be available for inclusion in our Institutional Repository.

7 pm: Time to go home!

Too many things to do with only one day left before going on leave for a week – I debate attempting to complete some appraisal paperwork before leaving. But at 7.01 the lights (which are on a timer switch) go out. I decide to take this as an unsubtle hint and to go home instead! I have a last check through my inbox, and file a few things away after adding reminder flags. I make sure I really have saved this document!

Intersperse the above with various emails, phone calls and queries from staff, too numerous to itemise - which form the background of my day. (Oh, and the occasional cup of tea to keep me going!)

7.08 pm: I really am going home now…!

Information Services