Open Practice for the Future of
Library User Engagement
A vision for aligning Teaching &
Learning with Customer Service
for enhanced user education
Niall O’Brien & Dr Johanna Archbold
RCSI Library

Presentation Overview
> Drivers for open practice in RCSI Library
> Service Design with Education in Mind
> T&L Credo + Practical Example
> CS Credo + Practical Example
> Next Steps
> Conclusion

Drivers for Open Practice
• 2016-17 RCSI Library
transformation in space & newly
defined roles at all levels.
• Library as a ‘connector’ within the
HEI environment as a driver for
transformation.
• Portfolios and support materials
built in a collaborative context.

Envisioning Connections
Customer
Services &
Comms
Teaching
& Learning
Curriculum
Based
Liaising with
academic
partners
Active
Learning
Sessions
Learning
outcomes
User
Driven
Interactions
At Info
Point
spaces
Ad hoc
timing
Informed by
CS Experience
Enhanced
User
Education

[Title]
• Edit Master text styles
Design Elements to promote ideal interactions – Hosting & Teaching
Moments
Transactional > Teaching – adding self-service
Service Design with Education in Mind

[Title]
• Edit Master text styles
Introduced UX Methodologies Began ‘pop-ups’ outside Library
spaces
Hosting in your space is a ‘Service’
Increased visibility via College
channels & Campaigns
Collaborative campaigns with
different user groups
Collaborative skills clinic at Service Desk
Relationship development with
Student Representatives
Developing
relationships to
get to know our
users
Space & Service: Experimenting/test-bedding

CS Learnings
Our users are completely knowable…it
is our responsibility to get to know them.
Our users have multiple points of
interaction with the Library – CS is a
way to understand their contexts
(Academic & Extracurricular) and share
back with library team.
We need to know what curriculum
sessions are being delivered, the content
and have great support materials aligned
to curriculum – and to train for this.

Credo: Teaching & Learning
“A statement of the beliefs or
aims which guide someone’s
actions”.
1.To be learner centric.
2.To facilitate contextualised
learning experiences.
3.To foster layered skills
development.

RCSI Library Orientation Fair
Our previous 10 minute presentation was
insufficient for what we were trying to achieve.

Orientation Fair
A staggered welcome that
was inclusive of our people,
our collections and our
space. Stands included:
1. Anatomy of a Library
2. Information Points
3. Collections
4. Learning Supports

Orientation Fair
• Opportunity to showcase to
range and breath of our
services.
• A friendly face and a warm
welcome.
• Create circumstances where
students are happy to return.

Credo: Customer Services
“A statement of the beliefs or aims which
guide someone’s actions”.
1.To design space with educational
interactions in mind – optimising the informal.
2.To take responsibility for knowing our
customer – ask the right questions.
3.To be sure our customers will come back –
excellence happens in context.

Library Bitesize
Started as instructional drop sessions in old library for
library users (College staff and students)
‘Open Practice’ has significantly expanded the scope of
our ambition.
• Using academic relationships to get pitch and timing
of sessions right, advertise to key groups,
complement curriculum sessions
• Using student relationships, especially with societies
who use our space to get the right sessions at the
right time
• Use follow-up emails to close the loop like a CS
interaction and encourage ‘return’ visits

Library Staff Bitesize
With both of our portfolios involved Bitesize is now also our
internal ‘Staff Training’ brand, and it is beyond CS
• CS Sessions – focus on short, digestible, varied format to
suit the topic; open to any of the library team
• Peer-Delivery – to empower the team and share knowledge
about what their portfolios
• Extended Scope – open to anyone on the team to share
skills e.g. SQL coming from Library Carpentry, Macs for
Windows Users etc.
• Provides teaching practice to whole team & enhances
capacity for our ‘User’ Bitesize sessions
Call to team to share ideas for what they might deliver
Culture
Change

Next Steps…
• To align the formal and the informal
in terms of staff and student
sessions.
• Formal – Curriculum Support,
Relationship Management, Individual
Staff Expertise.
• Informal – Troubleshooting, trend
spotting, leverage student
relationships, learning opportunities.

Envisioning Connections
Customer
Services &
Comms
Teaching
& Learning
Curriculum
Based
Liaising with
academic
partners
Active
Learning
Sessions
Learning
outcomes
User
Driven
Interactions
At Info
Point
spaces
Ad hoc
timing
Informed by
CS Experience
Enhanced
User
Education
Engaged Team offering
consistency at all
points of interaction

Thank you
Johanna Archbold, Customer Service and
Communications Coordinator,
johannaarchbold@rcsi.com
Niall O’Brien, Teaching and Learning
Support Librarian, nialldobrien@rcsi.com