A Little Bit of Heaven

1
A Little Bit of Heaven

• UNBSJ overlooks the Kennebecasis River, and is
  adjacent to Rockwood Park

2
UNBSJ Strategic Priorities

• Support education and research objectives of
  Province of New Brunswick home of extension of
  Dalhousie medical school
• Key part of Saint Johns growth strategies,
  including technical training in energy,
  engineering, health sectors
• Become more student-focused to attract and retain
  students
• Enrollment is declining slowly across the region,
  while tuition is relatively high and
  infrastructure is aging but not being replaced
  quickly

3
Information Services and Systems

• Mission
• We advance learning and scholarship by providing
  effective, efficient, and well-managed
  information and technology services to all of our
  users, whenever and wherever needed.

4
Information Services and Systems

• Vision
• We strive to be leaders in the innovative
  delivery of technology and information, and,
  through our expertise and collaboration with
  colleagues across UNB, to enhance lifelong
  learning and contribute to the intellectual and
  cultural life of New Brunswick.
• We are building a unique service that integrates
  information resources with technology in new
  ways, and that will ultimately deliver the best
  information support services anywhere. These
  services, provided in appropriate facilities,
  including the new Learning Commons, by expert
  staff with state-of-the-art tools, will directly
  assist UNB by attracting new students, improving
  student retention, and by actively engaging our
  communities of users in the academic enterprise.

5
Goals and Objectives 08-09

• To help us fulfill our mission, we will
• Enhance services by exploring and implementing
  new instruction opportunities and technologies.
• Implement project management and quality
  assurance processes and methodologies.
• Develop ISS as an integrated unit.
• Strengthen relationships across UNB and beyond.

6
Enhance Instruction

• 2-3 new videoconference facilities, with
  technical support to operate them
• Channel electronic library resources through
  Blackboard (mediated by librarians)

7
Implement Project Management

• All new ISS projects use PM methodology e.g.
  public information display system
• All staff have been trained in PM methodology,
  terminology, and templates, e.g. Project charter,
  plan, reports, tracking system

8
Develop ISS as an Integrated Unit

• Conduct information sessions/lectures,
  presentations led by ISS staff and designed for
  other ISS staff
• Promote information sharing, such as individual
  ISS member bios and skill sets
• Create cross-functional teams, focused on
  graduate students

9
Strengthen Relationships Across UNB and Beyond

• Employ targeted communications to engage
  community organizations and groups
• Seek out/explore new collaboration opportunities
  IR project with libraries on larger campus
• Improve/build on successful inter-campus projects
  email integration, Novell merger

10
Technology Services

• 2 FTE in network/communications grouphandles all
  local hardware/software/security.
• Wireless network extended across all of campus
• Enterprise backup for both campuses being
  installedbackups for each will be housed at
  other campus
• 4 FTE systems analystsfaculty/staff desktop
  support
• 2 FTE student helpdeskstudent software/hardware
  issues, application assistance and training,
  usual network access problems 2 locations
  including Learning Commons

11
Library Services

• 4 librariansliaison with faculty in collection
  development, instruction
• 10 FTE, 2.5 PT support staffreference, document
  delivery, circulation, acquisitions
• Collections include 21,000 e-journals, 150 AI
  and fulltext databases, 190,000 books, gov docs,
  DVDs, maps, etc.
• Laptop loans 2 hr and overnight all allowed
  out of the library

12
Instructional Technology and AV Services

• 2 FTE
• Blackboard/WebCT development, training
• Videoconferencing facilitiestraining,
  maintenance, support
• Classroom technology
• Control systems

13
Pulling Together
14
Challenges

• Bringing 2 cultures together

15
Understand Areas of Friction

• Expectations dont match
• Priority settingeverybody thinks their problem
  is the most important
• Poor communications / different style of
  communication
• IT mandate vs. departmental and library mandates
• Cost of services
• Controleveryone wants it
• Rogue installations, ignoring standards
• Recognition or lack thereof

16
Promote Positive Relationships

• Respect differences
• Be conscious of different pressures and
  constraints
• Treat all staff with respect
• Take every opportunity to teach IT Dept. staff
  about libraries, and vice versa
• Collaborate in projects which give IT and library
  profile with faculty and the institutione.g.
  Cross-Functional Teams, Learning Commons,
  Institutional Repository, Blackboard
• Show appreciation often and genuinely

17
Endless Possibilities