Join CoLRiC
Who may join
Membership of CoLRiC is open to any further education or sixth form college in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland.
Why join
- All staff of member colleges benefit from CoLRiC’s networking opportunities: lively email forum, members’ area of the CoLRiC website, and beneficial rates for CoLRiC events.
- Share excellent practice through our regular newsletter, the resources on our website, and best practice and beacon awards.
- Take part in CoLRiC’s annual performance and impact indicators survey and share the findings to help with comparison and benchmarking.
- Member colleges may register for CoLRiC’s Peer Accreditation Scheme.
Through your subscription and involvement in CoLRiC activities, support CoLRiC’s work to enhance and maintain excellence in college library and learning resources services.
Membership subscription
The subscription rate is based on the library/learning resources service revenue budget (excluding staff):
| Revenue Budget | Subscription |
|---|---|
| Up to £4,999 | £20 |
| £5,000 to £9,999 | £40 |
| £10,000 to £14,999 | £55 |
| £15,000 to £19,999 | £70 |
| £20,000 to £29,999 | £95 |
| £30,000 to £49,999 | £120 |
| £50,000 to £74,999 | £155 |
| £75,000 to £99,999 | £185 |
| £100,000 to £124,999 | £225 |
| Over £125,000 | £255 |
How to join
Please complete the form below. For further details, contact us.
Sponsoring CoLRiC
Sponsorship packages
CoLRiC offers a range of opportunities including annual packages and sponsorship of events and awards.
Benefits include:
- Section on the CoLRiC website
- Section in the CoLRiC Newsletter
- Display and presentation at events
- Mention in event documentation
- Logo on delegate packs
- Mention and logo on award documentation
- Follow us on Twitter
For further information, please contact the CoLRiC Administrator, colric@colric.org.uk
CoLRiC sponsors
Colric is pleased to be working with the following sponsors
Browns Books for Students
We are a long established and respected supplier of books and eBooks to schools and further education colleges. At Browns Books for Students we are proud of our reputation for providing a quality service and competitive pricing.
Our unique educational website is host to every UK book in print and contains a database of over 8 million titles. Our stock holding is over 800,000 titles. We can take orders online, by post, fax or email. Real time stock level availability, discounted pricing displayed and reporting on all orders. All orders for in-stock items placed before 2pm and over £50 will receive free next day delivery.
Browns Books for Students has also become the leading provider of eBooks for schools and colleges through our platform VLeBooks.com, with over 630,000 titles currently available.
Browns Books for Students website
IS Oxford
Heritage Cirqa, IS Oxford’s Library Management System, is used by over 50% of UK FE Colleges and the product of over 30 years of careful development and consultation with librarians.
We are an employee-owned, British company made up of highly knowledgeable and dedicated staff. Heritage Online is sophisticated and customisable whilst also being user-friendly and engaging.
We offer a fully-managed hosting service or our system can be installed and maintained locally by your own IT team. Upgrades are free of charge and our support reputation is second to none. All our operations are exclusively UK-based and we trade on a sound financial footing, therefore a decision to purchase Heritage Cirqa is a safe one for the future.
EBSCO Information Services
EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) is the leading provider of content and technology for all libraries.
Our portfolio includes EBSCO Discovery Service™ (EDS) which is used by 6000 Libraries around the world, EBSCOhost®, the world’s premier online research service including full-text databases and EBSCO e-books with over 800,000 titles offered. More recent additions to our product family include Flipster, our new eMagazines service.
PTFS Europe
PTFS Europe provides a wide range of products for the library market.
These include the open source library systems Koha and Evergreen, Rebus:list for list management, RT:request tracker for enquiry management, Rebus:tutorial to support information literacy, the VuFind discovery portal, the CUFTS electronic resource management system, the Explorit federated search solution and the Knowvation enterprise content management system.
An ISO27001 company, PTFS Europe provides the full range of services needed to implement, host and support these products.
ITS (Info Technology Supply Ltd)
ITS (Info Technology Supply Ltd) is a leading software development company who have been supplying quality, reliable software solutions for over twenty five years. We have many longstanding customers within UK higher education who especially find our Computer Booking (MyPC) and Resource Booking (R&R) solutions save them time and money.
We specialise in access management, booking systems, cost recovery, desktop management utilities, e-resource management and track and control solutions.
ProQuest
ProQuest is a global provider of digital content and technologies for academic, government, corporate, school and public libraries. We curate content, simplify workflows and connect people and organizations throughout the information community.
The company’s cloud-based technologies offer flexible solutions for librarians, students, and researchers through the ProQuest®, Bowker®, Coutts® information services, Dialog®, ExLibris®, ebrary®, EBL™, Alexander Street® and SIPX® businesses – and notable research tools such as the RefWorks® citation and document management platform, Ebook Central™ and MyiLibrary® ebook platforms and the Pivot® research development tool.
For information about sponsoring CoLRiC, contact the CoLRiC Administrator, colric@colric.org.uk
Annual report
Chair’s annual report 2014-15
Introduction
This has been a year when we have seen a number of colleges merge, services re-structured and slimmed down, staff moved around and, sadly, in some cases, lost from the sector. We decided that the best approach to supporting our members is to help them to remain positive, to focus on continually raising the standards of library and learning resources provision, and to be proactive and also responsive. In this way services would become ‘indispensable’. One of the presenters at our London event told us ‘we never say “that isn’t our job”’.
As always, we created an annual plan and this year, for the first time, we also created a three year plan. This helped us to focus on longer term strategies and also motivated us to think that CoLRiC will still be here in three years’ time, whatever life throws at us!
Our plan this year included:
Sponsorship of our events to help enhance them with additional materials and to provide an opportunity for delegates to meet different organisations which might be of interest. Some of our delegates said this was much appreciated as they don’t always have time for investigating new services and this gave them an ideal chance to meet suppliers – and over a nice lunch as a bonus!
Marketing of the various aspects of CoLRiC. We see this as a vital means of letting you know what we do, for example, through our new online newsletter – Quality Impact. To be kind to the environment and to avoid wasting your valuable subscriptions we have moved to using electronic means of communication as much as possible; however we realise that in some cases hard copy may be more appropriate and we will continue to make this available.
We also contact Principals to let them know what we can do to support libraries and learning resources in their colleges. And we keep in touch with other relevant organisations to help share best practice which, in turn, we can share with you.
Surveys to help you assess your service and benchmark against others in the sector; particularly helpful, of course, if you are being inspected or peer assessed. We again ran the annual PII survey, but also this year, a survey of library resource services in sixth form colleges. It has been some time since we undertook the first sixth form college survey in 2006 / 2007 and we felt it was now timely to carry out another. We are planning a similar survey for FE colleges early next year.
Awards to celebrate the best in your services, to help you achieve recognition within your own colleges, or beyond in the sector. In alternate years we sponsor an AoC Beacon Award and 2014/15 fell in between Awards; we are currently in the round for the 2015/16 Awards.
We also offered this year our second set of Best Practice Awards – again proving very popular judging by the number of submissions. We received entries in three categories and saw some excellent projects. We were delighted that the winners were able to speak about their projects at our events in London and Birmingham and were presented with their awards. Delegates had lots of questions for the presenters and they were keen to share good ideas.
Peer assessment to provide an objective view of services who undergo the process. A number of colleges this year have registered to obtain the criteria against which services are measured. Many have used this to carry out a self-assessment and some have gone forward through the whole process and now have a report giving detailed feedback from our experienced assessors. Some services use this as evidence for inspections or other college assessments.
Events in London and Birmingham, this year focusing on sharing good practice about what is working well and exploring strategies for coping when times are tough. As well as hearing from the Best Practice Award winners, delegates learned of some varied approaches to information literacy by different types of college and how one college has fought through some difficult times to emerge as a fresh and progressive service. We had some excellent feedback and are already planning next year’s events, so look out for these.
Exemplar papers to provide a set of online resources in the members’ area of the CoLRiC website. During the year we built up a large collection of job descriptions and are now considering other topics for collection and development.
And finally!
As always we are keen to learn what you would like from CoLRiC as we strive to be relevant to you and your services. At our events we always gather feedback, but you can also contact us in a number of ways to ask questions and make suggestions. Please get in touch – we will be delighted to hear from you!
Margaret Phillips, Chair of CoLRiC, September 2015
CoLRiC mission and aims
Our Mission
Championing quality in the provision of library and learning resources services in the post-16 and HE in FE sector.
Our Aims:
- Drive continuous quality improvement
- Formulate national quality standards
- Recognise achievements in quality by accreditation and award
- Support service delivery and training
- Provide opportunities for networking and the sharing of good practice
- Advocate for the role and impact of Library and Learning Resources in supporting teaching and Learning
How our Aims are achieved
- Drive continuous quality improvement (PAS, CoLRiC awards, exemplars)
- Formulate national quality standards (PAS criteria)
- Recognise achievements in quality by accreditation and award (PAS accreditation, Beacon Award, Jeff Cooper Award, Best Practice Awards)
- Support service delivery and training (PAS, JISCmail forum, CoLRiC events, exemplars)
- Provide opportunities for networking and the sharing of good practice (JISCmail forum, CoLRiC events, web forums).
- Promote the role and impact of Library and Learning Resources in supporting teaching and Learning (PAS, CoLRiC awards)
CoLRiC constitution
1. Name
The name of the organisation is the Council for Learning Resources in Colleges, hereafter referred to as CoLRiC.
2. Aim
CoLRiC’s aim is to act as an independent support agency to champion quality in the provision of library/learning resources services in the post-16 and HE in FE sector.
3. Definition of library/learning resources services
A library/learning resources service can be defined in this context as being an integrated service that is recognised by the college as providing learning resources and appropriate work spaces, services, facilities, associated expertise and staff to support teaching and learning.
4. Function
CoLRiC will support colleges in the post-16 and HE in FE sector by:
- Setting nationally recognised standards of provision in liaison with relevant organisations.
- Recognising achievements in quality by accreditation and award.
- Providing opportunities for networking and the sharing of good practice.
- Delivering events on subjects of professional relevance.
- Advocating for the role and impact of library/learning resources services in supporting teaching and learning.
5. Membership
5.1. Membership of CoLRiC is open to institutions in the post-16 and HE in FE sector.
5.2. Individuals may apply to become individual members of CoLRiC
5.3. The subscription rates will be set each year by the Executive Committee to operate from September of that year.
6. Executive Committee (EC)
6.1. The EC will consist of:
- Up to 15 members drawn from institutions which are in membership of CoLRiC, to be balanced, where possible, by type of establishment and area.
- Co-opted members, as appropriate.
6.2. The Officers of the EC will be drawn from the EC and shall consist of a Chair Person, a Treasurer and a Vice-Chair. Other members of the EC will be appointed to specific roles as appropriate.
6.3. All members of the EC shall have full voting rights.
6.4. Appointments to the EC
Members will be recruited to the EC through a normal selection process:
- Vacancies for specific EC roles will be advertised as they occur.
- Members who wish to be considered must complete an application form and obtain a reference and a commitment agreement from their line manager.
- Suitable candidates will be interviewed and selected by EC Officers.
6.5. Appointment of Officers
6.5.1. Officers will be appointed from within the EC through a normal selection process:
- EC Members who wish to be considered must complete an application form.
- Candidates will be interviewed and selected by up to three EC Members.
6.5.2. Should a position fall vacant, the EC may immediately appoint a replacement Officer, the appointment to be confirmed at the next Committee Meeting and publicised in the next issue of the Newsletter. The Officer will need to go through the selection process.
6.5.3. If deemed necessary, the EC will commission one or more individuals to provide administration services and to carry out specific tasks. They will be remunerated, but will not be employed by the Council. Their appointment and remuneration will be confirmed at a Committee Meeting.
6.6. Period of service:
6.6.1. EC members will indicate their commitment for the following year at the annual planning meeting.
6.6.2. EC members will be reviewed annually by the Chair Person.
6.6.3. The Chair Person’s period of office will be four years; the EC to review every two years. After four years, the Chair Person will have the option of re-applying for the role, along with all other EC members.
6.6.4. The Treasurer and Vice-Chair will be reviewed annually by the Chair Person.
6.6.5. Co-opted members’ appointments to be reviewed annually and continued if appropriate.
6.6.6. Commissioned services to be monitored and reviewed annually by the EC.
6.7. Functions of the EC:
- To plan and carry out activities in support of CoLRiC’s aims and in response to members’ needs.
- To plan and run agreed projects.
- To approve expenditure to support activities.
- To respond to national initiatives.
- To listen to and to respond to members’ requests.
6.8. Decisions that need to be made promptly may be delegated to the Chair Person, Treasurer and Vice-Chair.
7. Annual report and strategic planning
7.1. The EC will provide an annual report and an annual financial statement. This will be communicated to members through the Newsletter, the JISCmail forum and the CoLRiC website.
7.2. Policy and strategy formulated by the EC will be communicated to members for their approval through the Newsletter, the JISCmail forum and the CoLRiC website
8. Amendments to the constitution
The constitution will be reviewed annually by the EC at the Annual Planning Day. Changes will be communicated to members for their approval through the Newsletter, the JISCmail forum and the CoLRiC website.
Amended June 2015
CoLRiC Executive Committee
| Name | College | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Corinne Walker Co-Chair |
Learning Resources Manager, Oldham Sixth Form College | cwr@osfc.ac.uk |
| Mirna Peach Co-Chair |
Head of Library Services, Leyton Sixth Form College | Mirna.Peach@leyton.ac.uk |
| Jim Temple Treasurer |
Library Service Manager, Aquinas College | JTEStaff@aquinas.ac.uk |
| Collette Xavier PAS Leader |
Library Consultant | |
| Margaret Phillips | ||
| Heather Roberts | LRC Services Manager, The City of Liverpool College | heather.roberts@liv-coll.ac.uk |
| Chris Hall | Learning Centre Manager, INTO Manchester | chris.hall@into.uk.com |
| Grazyna Kuczera | College Librarian, Northampton College | grazyna.kuczera@northampton college.ac.uk |
| Andrew Eachus | Digital Learning Manager, Salford City College | andrew.eachus@salfordcc.ac.uk |
Administration
| Sue Woolmer | CoLRiC Administrator | colric@colric.org.uk |
About CoLRiC
CoLRiC is an independent organisation which was established in 1993 by a small group of librarians working in the further education sector. To this day we remain dedicated to enhancing and maintaining the quality of learning resources services in further education colleges, including sixth form colleges and the HE in FE sector. Membership has grown to nearly 200 college learning resources services throughout the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland.
Our work
- We provide networking opportunities including a lively email forum, a members’ area of our website and regular events.
- We run an annual survey of performance and impact indicators to assist in benchmarking for comparison and planning.
- We publish a regular Newsletter which features articles by members about excellent practice in their own services.
- We provide a rigorous self assessment and peer accreditation scheme for college libraries/learning resources services.
- We run Best Practice Awards, showcasing some of the most innovative ideas in FE library/learning resource service provision
- We maintain a collection of job descriptions and other resources on the CoLRiC website
- We have sponsored several AoC Beacon Awards for the integration of libraries/learning resources services in curriculum delivery.
Colric Executive Committee
CoLRiC is run for members by members. We have an Executive Committee who plan and implement future developments and initiatives. Members can apply for a place on the Executive Committee which meets in different venues around four times a year.
Hello world!
Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!