UWIDEC P4b

2003/4

 

UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES

 

REPSONSE FROM UNIVERSITY LIBRARIAN TO A REQUEST FOR LIBRARY ACCESS FOR STUDENTS OF THE SCHOOL OF CONTINUING STUDIES

 

TO:      Professor Lawrence D Carrington,

            PVC, Non Campus Countries & Distance Education,

            Director School of Continuing Studies,

            P.O.Box 42,,

            Mona, Kingston 7

 

 

FROM: Stephney Ferguson,

             University Librarian,

             Mona

 

Request for Library Privileges for School of Continuing Studies

 

The request was given careful and sympathetic consideration by the Campus Librarians. While accepting that access to the SCS community is an ideal principle worth achieving, it was agreed that  severe resource constraints  which have been aggravated by the increased intake in the number of new students in 2003/2004, would make it impossible  to agree to the request in its entirety at present.  However concessions were made but  the responses varied  so at this time I am unable to offer a  common University wide response.

 

At Cave Hill the response was as follows-:

“SCS students taking CXC Exams and leisure courses (eg. Flower arranging) will be offered reading and reference privileges on Saturdays on presentation of a SCS ID card.    SCS tutors and students pursuing further education courses will be offered borrowing privileges similar to other outside members on payment of a caution deposit only.”

 

At St. Augustine  the recommendation was as follows-:

  1. That  borrowing privileges be given to Tutors engaged to teach programmes of the School of Continuing Studies.
  2. That Reading and Reference privileges be given only to those students of the SCS who are registered in the Further Education Programme, Those in  Technical/Vocational Programmes should be excluded.

 

It was further suggested that the Campus Library could render assistance to the School of Continuing Studies to develop their collection and give support by way of Inter-lending and Document Delivery Services.

 

At Mona  the Main Library already renders assistance to the SCS Montego Bay Campus and efforts could be made to explore  areas of assistance (including inter-lending and document delivery services) required by the Kingston Campus.  In addition borrowing privileges could be offered to Tutors engaged to teach Programmes in the Schools of Continuing Studies.

 

In general however there were some common concerns as follows-:

1.      The short term nature of the contracts on which some tutors are employed, suggests that payment of a caution deposit  similar to that made by outside borrowers should be required.

2.      Until all tutors and students of the Schools of continuing Studies are registered  with the university  using the university-wide I/D registration system difficulties will be experienced in  accessing library services whether it is borrowing material or using computer facilities.  Failing this a parallel manual system would have to be introduced and this would be cumbersome to operate even if only  small numbers were involved.

3.      Logistics concerned with the organization of Orientation and Information Literacy sessions would have to be addressed  to enable SCS clients to make effective use of the libraries.

 

The Campus Librarians are committed to reviewing the situation in an effort to achieve the ideal of general access to the community served by the Schools of Continuing Studies,  however at this time the only common ground seems to be provision of access to tutors in the Schools.

 

SF

18/10/2003