Shaping the EduLib model

• The initial Development Team of 12 practicing librarians who have been selected to represent the current diversity of higher education. The development team will be the first accredited trainees of the project. They will shape and guide the programme, assuring relevance to librarians supporting users of the networked information sources which underpin the notion of the electronic library.
• The Centre for Teaching Learning and Support at the University of Hull which has established a successful collegiate staff development model.
• The University of Abertay Dundee Library which has integrated LISP (the Library Information Skills Programme ), with students' subject based modules, giving an excellent focus on the needs of students and the skills needs of library staff.
• SEDA, the providers of teacher accreditation for higher education in the UK, and the principal organisation in the UK for the encouragement of innovation and good practice in teaching and learning in higher education. At the end of the funded period EduLib will comprise, the training programme itself and equally importantly, the network of institutions and librarians that have participated. Once the first Development Team of 12 Development Officers are trained they will recruit and train subsequent teams (of a further 6-10 people) within regional consortia - thus perpetuating the model as a collegiate, rather than a top down approach to staff development.

What sort of content and materials will EduLib use or produce?

EduLib clearly involves two areas of training that are at times difficult to separate. Firstly there is the educational (EduLib) programme itself, the actual content of the programme will depend upon the outcome of the needs analysis but is likely to equip trainees with the capacity to:

• select and evaluate methods relevant to network training,
• organise and develop learning events involving active use of networked information, and the use of the network as a method of delivering the learning experience,
• develop diagnostic skills focused to ensure that learners receive appropriate support and advice,
• develop knowledge and practical experience in methods of obtaining feedback from client groups about their satisfaction, and about the effectiveness as trainers, of those providing the learning events.

Secondly, there are the programmes developed by trainees as part of their EduLib portfolio. The content and delivery of trainees own training programmes, upon which they are assessed, will involve developing original materials in addition to the evaluation and integration existing materials. Here EduLib will cooperate with other projects in the training and awareness area - principally Netskills. Netskills will be developing high quality learning packages to address specific network skills. It is envisaged that Netskills materials will be relevant to the content of the EduLib trainees' own programmes, in addition to which Netskills materials may be used by EduLib trainees to enhance their own network competence. Equally, the product development team at Netskills will benefit from the evaluations and piloting of materials EduLib can offer, and EduLib will collaborate with the Netskills team to offer appropriate pedagogic underpinning for product development.

What direct benefits will EduLib offer librarians in the HE community?

• The development of a professional culture allowing librarians to take responsibility for their own training.
• Ongoing opportunities for librarians to become involved in regional consortia supported by their institutions, with the additional opportunity of a nationally recognised accredited programme.
• The programme materials themselves - it is intended that these will be maintained for three years beyond the lifetime of the funded project to allow the training cascade to continue.
• The training programmes developed by librarians during and beyond their training period - these may have been used with students and / or with colleagues, they will be a tangible resource that may be maintained by and for the institution - enhancing awareness and effective use of network potential in teaching and learning.

Getting involved with EduLib

• make colleagues aware of EduLib and consider it's potential as a model for institutional staff development.
• participate in the programme directly as a member of a regional consortium or remaining aware of regional consortia - a Development Officer has been assigned to every HE institution in the UK to act as regional liaison.
• join and contribute to the mailbase list lis-elib-edulib which acts as a forum for the discussion of issues surrounding the teaching and learning role of librarians working with networked information.
• attend awareness events held around the country, these may be regional or institutional depending on demand and will involve cooperation with Netskills wherever possible.
• visit EduLib WWW. which has been created, to inform the community further, to create links to the Core Team and the Development Team and to disseminate the programme outline and materials.

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