http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/authors/gary-brewerton/ Recent content in Gary Brewerton on Ariadne Hugo -- gohugo.io en-gb Mon, 31 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/76/brewerton/ Mon, 31 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/76/brewerton/ The two main objectives of a conference are: i) to promote developments in a particular area and/or ii) to gather opinion on the state of play. In my case I’d been involved with a great project [1] and wanted the opportunity to bragtalk about it. As there didn’t seem to be any appropriate event to attend,  I ended up volunteering to organise one. Of course there are many better reasons why you might want to do this; it may be to support your colleagues or a professional body in their endeavours, it’s (now) part of your duties, or because you need to boost your CV. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/75/brewerton/ Mon, 07 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/75/brewerton/ Figshare [1] is a cloud-hosted repository where users can upload their various research outputs (e.g. figures, datasets, presentations, etc.) and make them publically available so they are discoverable, shareable and citable. Earlier this year they launched an institutional offering which aims to ease compliance with open data mandates, measure the impact of research outputs and act as a showcase for an institution’s entire spectrum of research. figshare fest 2015 was the first event to bring together institutional customers, advocates and friends of figshare to talk not only about the repository but about open data in general. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/74/brewerton/ Sun, 11 Oct 2015 23:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/74/brewerton/ In April 2014 Loughborough University launched an innovative cloud-based platform [1] to deliver long-term archiving and discovery for its research data. The platform was based upon the Arkivum/100[2] digital archiving service from Arkivum and the figshare for institutionssolution from Figshare [3]. This article discusses the background and implementation of this new platform at the University. Background Like many other Universities, Loughborough faced a number of challenges in meeting the expectations of its research funders, in particular: http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/73/brewerton-cooper/ Wed, 09 Jul 2014 23:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/73/brewerton-cooper/ 1980 the Pilkington Library (the Library) was opened to support the current and future information needs of students, researchers and staff at Loughborough University. The building had four floors, the lower three forming the Library Service and the top floor hosting the Department of Library and Information Studies. Entry to the building was via the third floor (having been built against a hill) and there was a turnstile gate to count the number of visitors. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/71/cooper-brewerton/ Mon, 08 Jul 2013 23:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/71/cooper-brewerton/ Reviewing Loughborough University Library’s Web site statistics over a 12-month period (October 2011 – September 2012) showed a monthly average of 1,200 visits via mobile devices (eg smart phones and tablet computers). These visits account for 4% of the total monthly average visits; but plotting the percentage of visits per month from such mobile devices demonstrated over the period a steady increase, rising from 2% to 8%. These figures were supported by comparison with statistics from the Library’s blog, where, over the same period, there was also a steady increase in the percentage of visits from mobile devices. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/71/brewerton/ Mon, 08 Jul 2013 23:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/71/brewerton/ This article takes you step by step through the various stages of implementing a Resource or Reading List Management System; from writing the business case to involving stakeholders, selecting a system, implementation planning, advocacy, training and data entry. It recognises the hard work required to embed such a system into your institution both during the implementation process and beyond. Reading lists have long been a feature of Higher Education in the UK. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/69/knight-et-al/ Mon, 30 Jul 2012 23:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/69/knight-et-al/ The Loughborough Online Reading Lists System (LORLS) [1] has been developed at Loughborough University since the late 1990s.  LORLS was originally implemented at the request of the University’s Learning and Teaching Committee simply to make reading lists available online to students.  The Library staff immediately saw the benefit of such a system in not only allowing students ready access to academics’ reading lists but also in having such access themselves. This was because a significant number of academics were bypassing the library when generating and distributing lists to their students who were then in turn surprised when the library did not have the recommended books either in stock or in sufficient numbers to meet demand.