1 August 2019

Work to repair the water damaged carpet and shelving on the top floor of Dixson Library will begin in August. Access to Level 4 will be restricted during this time. Notices will be posted in the Library and staff at the Service Desk will be able to assist with enquiries. Resources that were held on Level 4 will still be available with assistance from Library staff. Alternative quiet study areas will also be provided.

10 July 2019

Now that the repairs to the Library roof have been successfully completed, work to repair the water damage on Level 4 can begin.

Collection review

The library has just completed its review of some of the serials and books on Level 4, ahead of the repair and remediation work due to begin in August.

Such a large project needed a collaborative engagement between library staff and academic staff to ensure the library continues to maintain a current, relevant collection which supports UNE teaching, learning and research.

From all accounts, it was incredibly successful.

“We’re very grateful for the time and effort a lot of academics took to review the collections and we were also pleased that many took the opportunity to keep old books removed from the shelves for personal research and teaching,” said the library’s Collection Assessment Specialist, Celia Munro.

From an academic’s perspective, the collection review process was both collaborative and effective.

“As always, library staff were helpful, knowledgeable and professional,” Andrew Piper, Lecturer in Australian History and Heritage, said of the process. He added that taking the review to disciplinary cluster groups early on would add to the level of engagement in future.

Dr Adele Nye, Senior Lecturer in Contextual Studies, opted to keep some removed copies of serials as they were regarded as pivotal to the discipline in terms of pedagogy and from a historiographical perspective.

For more information on the collection review, the process or the upcoming repair work, contact Celia Munro: cmunro5@une.edu.au or phone x2957.

6 June 2019

Repairs will be made to Dixson Library’s level 4 later this year.  Part of the collection will need to be removed to undertake this work, which, earlier in the year, prompted a review of many of the books and journals on the top floor.

Library staff have been consulting the schools and disciplines whose books reside in the affected area. Relevant academic staff members have been part of the consultative review of the collection, including reviewing the teaching, learning and research needs of the relevant disciplines. Together, discipline and library staff will agree on the best new home for any removed books. This could include being offered to Faculty or School collections or other organisations where resources could add significant value.

The next stage of the project, the removal of multiple copies of books and journals, is now underway and further consultation will occur. While removing the books is taking place in the evenings, it may disrupt people using the level 4 quiet space for study. Students have also been advised.

16 May 2019

UNE Library staff are working with academics to review part of the collection of books and periodicals on Level 4 of the Dixson Library, as part of a repair and remediation project.

This project is a continuation of last year’s remediation work to fix the water damage to the library roof. Now that the roof has been repaired, the insurance claim on the subsequent internal damage has been approved and will take place in August. In this phase, the damage affecting Level 4’s walls and floors will be repaired, including some paint work and installing new carpets and shelving.

Part of the collection will need to be removed to undertake the work, and this has prompted a review of many of the books and periodicals on the top floor.

According to University Librarian, Blanca Pizzani, this is an opportune time to undertake a consultative review of the collection. She confirmed that the relevant academic staff members will be key to the consultation. “Collaboration on this project is critical, and we’re pleased with the strong support we’ve received to date. We will act on the advice of the academics whose books reside in that part of Level 4,” she said.

“The review really is an open dialogue and includes reviewing the teaching, learning and research needs of the relevant disciplines, retaining relevant and useful resources and removing multiple copies of books and journals where advised.”

Discipline and library staff will agree on the best new home for any removed books. This could include being offered to Faculty or School collections or other organisations where resources could add significant value.

The review is currently underway. In June, this part of the Level 4 collection will be temporarily moved to another space in the Library. Level 4’s work space will still be accessible during this time, in the lead up to the August repair work.

More information will be provided on the potential impact to staff and students as the project progresses.