Presentation and Q&A with a focus on the way that the new building has provided a focus for service improvement and innovation. Elizabeth Traynor, Assistant Director (Library Services), Queen's University Belfast

1. The McClay Library
SCONUL Library Design Awards
and Showcase 21 February 2014

3. Outline
• Headline Figures
• Key Service Concepts
• Initial Service Delivery
• Service Development 2009 to date
• Occupancy & Footfall
• User Feedback & Wider Impact
• McClay Library Enhancement Project
summer 2013
• The Future!

4. Headline Figures
• Area: 17,600 square metres
• Height: 4 floors + partial basement
• Stock: capacity for 1.5 million volumes
• Reader spaces: initially 2,000
• Staff: initially just over 200 (but a few less now!)
• 2 phases
• Incorporates: former Main Library, Science Library & Seamus
Heaney Library + almost all Information Services

5. Ground Floor Plan
Information Services – What„s!

6. Upper Floor Plans
Information Services – What„s

7. Key Service Concepts
• Integration – almost all IS staff and services for the first time
• Long opening hours; flexibility & capability for 24/7
• Support for users close to stock
• Direct access to stock
• Fixed PCs and loanable laptops
• Wireless access throughout &
power to all desktops
• Self issue & RFID
• Group work facilities

8. Initial Service Provision
• Systems
– Migration of Library Catalogue
– Student computing environment
• Staffing
– New teams, new opening hours
– Move to 7-day week
• Students
– Footfall
– Students in transition
– Pressure on space

9. PCs and Study Seats
• 150 additional PCs and study seats created in summer 2010
– Removed shelving to put in additional study seats
– Converted staff meeting room into Student Computing
– Removed tub chairs and sofas
• 250 additional study seats and PCs in summer 2013

10. Self-Service
• Up from less than 10% self-service to virtually 100%
• Sept 2011 - Self-service laptop loan scheme launched
• Self service reservation collections
• Self service fines payment; Sentry temporary card system
• Retained Borrower Services desk

11. RFID
• 2009 - RFID in Short Loan Collection only
• Summer 2012 - RFID tagging of entire collection (including
sites outside the McClay Library)
• Summer 2013 – automated book sorter
• September 2013 - RFID circulation
• Summer 2014 - RFID security
• Stock checking (and further stock rationalization)

13. Study Environment
• Student survey; Study Environment Review Group; review of
Access Policy in early 2010
• New Study Environment Policy implemented
– Whisper and silent zones; acoustic treatment of group
study rooms & new hand driers
– Policy on reserved seats
– Roving support & Noise Alert
– Leaflet and publicity campaign; new signage
– Policy rolled out during unstaffed hours
• Review of cleaning provision and resourcing
• New Access Policy launched

14. Please be aware!
You are entering a
quiet study area.
You are
entering a
quiet
study area

15. The McClay Library
Noise Alert Service
Report problems that you experience
during staffed hours:
e-mail: noise.mcclay@qub.ac.uk
or complete the online form:
http://go.qub.ac.uk/bnbbc
Please give details of floor/location and
brief description.
A member of staff will visit the location
as soon as possible.

16. Opening Hours and Out of Hours Support
• Initial hours 20% improvement on previous
• Incremental improvements every year since
– 2009-10 additional spaces opened and extended termtime hours to 1.00am 7 nights a week
– 2010-11 Bank Holidays over Easter weekend
– 2012-13 open until 2.00am 7 nights a week in term-time;
early Saturday and Sunday mornings at exam periods;
May Day
– 2013-14 further extended 24 hour opening
• Support outside “Library staffed” hours

17. Staffing
• First year of operation
• Recruitment moratorium and loss of posts; PRVS and
restructuring exercise
• Review and consolidation of service points – Borrower
Services took on responsibility for Language Centre queries;
reduced staffing on upper floors; flexible deployment of staff
• Staff training – emphasis on support for the study
environment
• September 2013 - embarked on Customer Service
Excellence programme

18. Occupancy & Footfall
• Average of 10,000 visits per day in term time
• Peak at 1,400 and rising!
• 2009-10 - 1,072,915 visits recorded
• 2010-11 - 1,260,535 visits recorded
• 2011-12 - 1,284,507 visits recorded
• (2012-13 - 1,203,611 visits recorded)
• Data by School and category of student
• Future use of analytics

20. User Feedback & Wider Impact
• Positive impact for the University; willingness to invest in
Library projects; seen as critical to “student experience”
• NSS scores
• 2010 (4.0)
• 2011 (4.3)
• 2012 (4.4)
• 2013 (4.4)
• Student feedback; use of social media; strong sense of
ownership of the Library
• New traffic routes established on campus

22. The McClay Library Enhancement Project
Summer 2013
• 200 additional study seats and PCs on ground floor
• Much larger student lounge
• Enhanced toilet provision for increased footfall
• Planned to upgrade Wi-Fi
• Automated book sorter installed
• Significant PC replacement after 4 years of operation
• Hugely successful!
• Students all found seats during the Semester 1 exam period!

27. The Future!
• Queen‟s remains hugely ambitious
• Estates Master Plan – 2013-20
• Significant investment in “Student Hub”, reconfiguration of
former Library buildings, etc.
• New Medical Library
• The McClay Library to take over adjacent David Bates
Building in 2019-20!