M25 Consortium of Higher Education Libraries

MINUTES of the Consortium Annual General Meeting held Friday 11 June 2004 at National Art Library, Victoria and Albert Museum

Present:

Robert Hall (Surrey) – Chair

Ann Badhams (Buckingham Chilterns UC), Nick Bevan (Brunel), Graham Bulpitt (Kingston), Margaret Coutts (Kent), Vanessa Crane (CADISE), Doug Dodds (National Art Library), Philippa Dolphin (Birkbeck), Suzanne Enright (Westminster), Wendy Fish (Wellcome), John Flanagan (Kew), Graham Higley (NHM), Julie Howell (London Metropolitan), Nicky Kershaw (APU), Maire Lanigan (St Mary’s College), Jackie Lord (RCN), Marina Logan-Bruce (SGHMS), William Marsterson (Middlesex), Julia Munro (Reading), Ann Murphy (Greenwich), Brian Murphy (QMC), Joan Pateman (Goldsmiths), David Pearson (ULL), Anne Poulson (SOAS), Sue Price (Courtauld), Vivien Robertson (Kings), Pete Ryan (Canterbury Christ College UC), Sasha Shaw (Goldsmiths), Debbie Shorley (Sussex), Maureen Wade (LSE), Christine Wise (ULL), John Wolstenholme (TVU), Jean Yeoh (Kings)

Apologies:

John Akeroyd (London South Bank), Mary Auckland (University of the Arts London), Paul Ayris (UCL), Brendan Casey (City), Sue Clegg (Surrey, Roehampton), Mary Davies (UEL), Elizabeth Davison (University of the Arts London), Helen Edwards (LBS), Helen Fletcher (Buckingham Chilterns UC), (Brian Furner (LSHTM), Sarah Gerrard (RHUL), Richard Golland (Imperial War Museum), Maggie Haines (KCL), Peter Hassell (RCA), Denis Heathcote (Greenwich), Simon Jackson (RVC), Clare Jenkins (Imperial), Chris Launder (Courtauld), Linda Lisgarten (School of Pharmacy), Di Martin (Hertfordshire), Chris Pedley (Heythrop), Anne Peters (IOE), Jean Sykes (LSE), Nicky Whitsed (OU in London), Jan Wilkinson (BL), Roy Williams (London Metropolitan), Jules Winterton (SAS)

In attendance:

The Chair welcomed David Bradbury (ALCL) and John Gilby (M25 Systems Team)

Introduction

It was noted that the business meeting and AGM was preceded by a morning session when Members were presented with information on three areas of activity:

1. Christine Wise, Chair M25 Disaster Management Group (University of London Research Library Services) updated Consortium members on

• current and ongoing M25 Disaster Management Group work, especially on business and service continuity planning, potential consortial agreements with disaster recovery suppliers, and risk management in libraries and archives.
• the revised Mutual Support Agreement and discussion, leading to formal confirmation by the Directors in the subsequent AGM

Presentations are available at:

• m25dmgjun04.ppt

• M25ConsortiumMutualSupportAgreementJune04.ppt

In addition, Glyn Price (LSE) launched the revised technical structure and enhanced content for the M25 disaster control plan template

(presentation available at

• M25BusinessMeetingJune04.ppt )

2. Bill Hubbard, SHERPA Project Manager updated members on Institutional Repositories and the SHERPA Project. He gave an overview of

• institutional repositories in general and some of the practical and administrative issues that have arisen in his work so far;
• SHERPA and the different partners (including London LEAP) and the different repository models they have adopted;
• Progress so far and the way he see things developing.

(presentations available at

•                 Institutional Repositories and SHERPA Project

•                 Institutional Repositories and SHERPA Project Supplementary

3. Graham Fisher, Chief Executive, Archives Libraries and Museums London updated members on the new regional agency which came into being on 1st April 2004, and its programme of work.

4. Fiona O'Brien, London Libraries Development Agency updated members on the work of the London Libraries Development Agency, including an update on WiLL (What's in London's Libraries) and related projects and services.

Input from the speakers, and the range of perspectives they brought to these issues, is designed to help Consortium members clarify their thinking in these areas, both at a local and consortial level.

In addition, the National Art Library was thanked for the tours provided to Members of the National Art Library and the V&A Book and Paper Conservation Studios

2. Minutes

2.1 The minutes were approved from Consortium meeting held on Thursday 29 January 2004 at 10am at the Wellcome Library for the History and Understanding of Medicine

2.2 The minutes were received from the Steering Group meeting held 3 March 2004 at Kings College London

2.3 The minutes were received from the Steering Group meeting held on 6 May 2004 at SOAS
 

3. Matters arising from the minutes not otherwise on the agenda

3.1 ULC bids

3.1.1 It was noted that details of the RSLG-related bids for the Vice-Chancellor’s Fund from the University of London Libraries Committee had been circulated to Members. Also the recent announcement that bids 1 (collaborative collection mapping) and 2 (collaborative journals store) have been partly funded if they fit into the restructuring plans of ULL/SAS libraries; bid 3 (online training in research methods) had been rejected as SAS has been allocated money to do this); a separate Special Collections bid was successful subject to rewriting and resubmission). In view of the ongoing discussions about the first two bids a presentation to Members planned for the June 2004 Members’ meeting had been deferred.

3.1.2 It was also noted that Members had recently been updated by email about MASC-25 (a unified online resource guide to special collections of printed material in the Consortium) which has also been funded by the University of London Vice-Chancellor’s Fund. Project staff have been appointed for Phase 2 which has two objectives (a) to import existing information of material in University of London libraries into a web-enabled database and (b) to add collection level descriptions for the rest of the Consortium libraries.

3.2 M25 Systems Team staffing: Members expressed their thanks to Fraser Nicolaides for his work on InforM25 over the past five years given his secondment to the M25 Systems Team has ended. A new staffing strategy has been agreed and is being put into place.

3.3 It was noted that the M25 access and borrowing scheme for staff and researchers has been re-introduced for M25 Members outwith SCONUL Research Extra from 1 June 2004. This will provide a managed access route for staff and researchers from those M25 institutions that are not eligible to join SCONUL Research Extra (there are 8 of these, all non-HEFCE funded). Members expressed their thanks to Caroline Lloyd (Birkbeck) for her ongoing work in this matter.
 

4 Constitutional and membership issues

4.1 Members received an oral report on constitutional issues. It was noted that the Consortium’s application to the Charity Commissioners has been re-submitted following completion of the new banking arrangements and auditing of accounts prior to submission.

4.2 Members received an update on membership of the Consortium

4.2.1 Members endorsed the recommendation to offer membership to the University of Brighton.

4.2.2 It was noted that organisational changes to the University of London Library and the 7 institute libraries that comprise SAS will come into play over the coming year. The Consortium was invited to respond to the University of London Information Strategy consultation.

4.2.3 It was noted that Jan Wilkinson will be the British Library representative for the Consortium when she takes up her new role as Head of HE Marketing in July 2004.

4.3 Members received a paper outlining rights and responsibilities of membership. This was agreed in principle and will be issued by the Secretary, incorporating some proposed changes to some of the terminology.

• Rights and Responsibilities of Members (PDF)

It was also noted that the new M25 Systems Service Delivery Plan spells out Members’ responsibilities in relation to delivery of the plan and specifically InforM25. (URL - after SG consideration on 1 July)

4.4 Members received an update on membership of the Consortium Steering Group and noted the results of the election for two Officer vacancies for Secretary (Maureen Wade) and Treasurer (Nick Bevan) and also for three vacancies on the Consortium Steering Group (Graham Bulpitt was elected and Margaret Coutts and Mary Davies were re-elected for a second term). In addition, it was noted that Nicky Kershaw has been co-opted as the new Chair of the Quality Working Group).

• Update on SG Membership 0604 (PDF)

Members also expressed their thanks to outgoing members of the Steering Group (Brian Murphy) and passed a vote of thanks to the outgoing Secretary (Suzanne Enright) for her positive contribution to the work of the Consortium and the Steering Group, going back over many years

Members also noted that membership of the Consortium Working Groups is reported via the Groups’ web-pages  

5. Business planning issues

5.1 Members accepted an Annual Report for 2003/04 which gives an update on progress related to the aims and objectives for each of the main areas of Consortium activity

• m25anrpt03-04.pdf

In addition, Members noted that

• the M25 Systems Team has issued an annual performance report for 2003/4
  M25SysTeamRpt04.pdf
• The second Consortium awareness survey has been run (May 2004) and preliminary analysis shows a much increased response rate and higher awareness of the Consortium and its key services.

5.2 Members considered a draft Development Plan for 2003/4 to 2006/7 which details aims and objectives for the Consortium. The Steering Group will amend the plan in the light of comments made and decisions taken at the meeting.

• m25updatetodevplan04-05.pdf

In addition, Members noted that

• the M25 Systems Team has issued a new Service Delivery Plan for 2004/5. (URL - after SG consideration on 1 July)
• the quality survey is not yet complete and Members were encouraged to respond if they had not already done so.

5.3 Members approved the amended global Mutual Support Agreement, using the subject strengths reported by member libraries on InforM25, which had been prepared by the Disaster Management Working Group for the benefit of all M25 Consortium members. This will come into force on 1 August 2004. Members thanked Christine Wise for her continuing strong leadership of DMG and also thanked the Group for its substantial body of work over the past year.

• M25MutualSupport0604.pdf

6. CPD25: Staff development and training issues

Members received a report from the Chair of CPD25

• CPD25rpt0604.pdf

It was again noted that CPD25 continues to be very successful, with high levels of participation across the events, visits and Chartership programmes, providing excellent VFM (with the need for a continuing watching brief over rates for non-members being highlighted). Members thanked Jean Yeoh for her continuing strong leadership of CPD25 and participants in all the CPD25 groups for their hard work in delivering a complex programme. It was noted that good progress is being made with continuation of administrative support arrangements and that the new CILIP Qualifications Framework may require a new direction for CPD25.
 

7. Treasurer’s report

7.1 Members received audited accounts for 2001/2 and 2002/3 and expressed their thanks to both the Treasurer and to Roy Williams who had audited them.

• Anaccounts2001-3.pdf

7.2 Members approved a draft Reserves Policy which will be kept under review by the Steering Group

• DraftReservesPolicy.pdf

7.3 Members received a progress report on finances for 2003/04

• Rptfinances2003-4.pdf

7.4 Members endorsed the proposed Consortium budget for 2004/05 and strongly supported the need for secretarial help.

• Budget2004-5.pdf

7.5 Members approved the proposed subscriptions for 2004/2005 in principle. It was noted that while members were happy with the overall level of subscriptions, the recent approved change in the methodology used to assess subscriptions had led to large increases for some members. The Steering Group agreed to consider the impact of this on the libraries concerned, and to keep the funding methodology under review. Members again expressed their thanks to the Treasurer.

• Subscriptions2004-5a.pdf

• Subscriptions2004-5figures.pdf

8 Any other business

8.1 Members were asked to note the dates, time and venue of programme of Consortium meetings for 2004/05

• January 2005 (date and venue tbc)
• 16 June 2005 at the Royal College of Nursing

8.2 Members were invited to discuss proposals and themes for the January 2005 meeting, which would again be a one-day meeting with a mixture of keynote speakers and interactive sessions.

Suzanne Enright

Secretary

20 July 2004