Minutes of the meeting held on 14 February 2005 at University College London

Present: Nicky Kershaw (APU) (Chair); Angus Brown (Kings College); Kate Burke (UEL); Wendy Fish (Wellcome); Peter Godwin (London South Bank); Susan Howard (Imperial); Sue Price (Courtauld Institute); Elaine Salter (Westminster)

Apologies: Janet Percival (UCL); Pete Ryan (Canterbury Christchurch)

1. Minutes of the meeting held on 1 December 2004

The Minutes were agreed as a true and accurate record.

2. Matters arising

Minute 2 Links with other quality groups
NK to contact ACPI, now that it has a London member who could attend our meetings. Action: NK

Minute 4 Benchmarking
The Wellcome will be meeting with potential benchmarking partners next week: WF will report on progress at next meeting. Action: WF

3. Action Plan: to finalise and agree timescales

NK will check which time period Action Plan is supposed to cover. Action: NK

The following dates were agreed:

• Workshop on focus groups: November 2005 (or earlier if we can get a trainer; see Minute 7)
• Survey on focus groups: July 2005 Action: PG/JP
• SLDs: April 2005 (see Minute 5; AB/SVH)
• Checklist and good practice recommendations for user feedback methods: December 2005 Action: KB/WF

It was agreed that the Action Plan should be put on the Group's website. Action: SVH

4. Mystery Shopping report

It was agreed that this can now be placed on the website. Action: SVH

5. Service Level Definitions

AB and SVH are working on a template and best practice guidelines, including KPIs. A draft paper will be circulated for comment in advance of the next meeting. Action: AB/SVH

6. Book Availability Survey

ES has not been contacted by any libraries which conduct book availability surveys, although a number of people have expressed interests in the results of her investigation. Given the lack of data, it was agreed that the Group is not in a position to draw up a template or guidelines.

ES reported that the University of Westminster finds that book availability surveys provide useful evidence of the student experience of using the library, providing clues to, amongst other things, the helpfulness of signage, use of the catalogue and the state of the shelving.

PG reported that LSBU conducted a survey in 2004, in which library staff checked the shelves for reading list materials.

7. Focus Groups

It was agreed that the Group should use some of its budget to buy in a trainer to run a workshop. NK will ask Jane Harrington if she can recommend anyone. Action: NK

Good practice guidelines could be developed from the workshop. Action: PG/JP

8. Quality Survey

It was agreed that the survey should stay on the website for 3 years, and that a note should be appended stating that the Group intends to hold another survey in 2007. Action: SVH

9. Date and venue of next meeting

The next meeting will be held at 2.00pm on Tuesday 12 April 2005 in Room 5, Chalk Suite, Marylebone Campus, University of Westminster, Euston Road.

SH