► Library Access for All

Motion to First Council

Library Access For All

 

This Union Notes

1.              That the ‘special collection’ libraries of the Institutes of the University of London are being converged and partly centralised geographically into Senate House and the current University of London Library to create a ‘super-resource’ and allow a central catalogue of the entire collection to be established.

2.              That the University of London Library has changed it’s name to reflect the centralisation process and will now be known and referred to as the Senate House Library, University of London (SHL)

3.              That under the current system of funding, college affiliation and access policy only some 30% of UL students have direct access to SHL.

4.              That at the last meeting of UL Council in 2004, it was recognised that UL Library ‘open access’ was desirable for ALL students of the University should an appropriate funding system be proven viable

5.         That currently a banding system applies whereby colleges can purchase memberships of the following numbers of students:

A: 0-50                                  

B:50-100

C:101-500

D:501-1000

E:1001-1750

F:1751:2150

G:2151-3000

H:3000-4000

I:4001-5000

J:5001:6000

K:6000+

 

And is based on a calculation resulting in approximately £70-90 per student head according to band.

 

This Union Believes

1.              That the SHL is a fantastic resource that has the potential to enrich the academic life and overall development of every UL student irrespective of their course of study.

2.              That the obstacles standing in the way of direct access are both political and financial.

3.              That not every student who wants to use this resource can under the current system.

4.              That a student-led demand from all member colleges will effect a change in this area and must put pressure on decision makers to represent their needs effectively and put political obstacles aside for the greater good of the right to central student resources.

5.              That colleges and the UL itself are not doing enough to promote this central resource and indeed that there should be a standardisation of information given to all students across the UL about it.

 

This Union Resolves:

1.              To lobby the UL at all appropriate times and opportunities to achieve open access.

2.              To lobby the colleges and in particular college heads and generally raise awareness amongst key decision-makers on this issue.

3.              To provide advice and guidance for UL college unions on the issue to effectively lobby their own college decision-makers (college heads) and to act as an intermediary between the unions and the SHL.

4.              That alternative funding sources/systems must be researched thoroughly.

5.              That ULU should request information from the central library service on college take-up of this central service.

6.              To lobby the SHL and decision makers at Senate House to make sure that the library continues to review its services and seek student input in to that review ensuring that it is providing a cutting edge, modern, all-round service to its users. Examples of this might be photocopying charges, development of online resources and specific services for Students with disabilities.

7.              To lobby the Colleges, UL and Senate House itself to promote the central resource to all students of the University as normal standard practice.

 

Proposed by: Matt Cooke, ULU President

Seconded by: Jo Fried, ULU V-P [Welfare & Student Affairs]; Jim Eynon, ULU V-P [Sports & Societies]; Rob Park, ULU V-P [Finance, Services & Operations] and the ULU Executive Committee