User Support Issues session: Supporting the grey area

Emma Sutton, Rick Loup, Paula Cuccurullo (EDINA)

Discussion:

Emma opined that there is a gap between where EDINA support comes to an end (mostly due to resource shortages) and where local institutional support kicks in. Emma and Rick both deal with supporting services which usually require more support, such as Digimap, UKBORDERS, Education Media OnLine and Education Image Gallery. When encouraging usage, it is in everyone's best interest to provide worthwhile support. She asked what those present felt EDINA should provide in the way of support, how we are doing with the support we do provide, and where it's felt there are gaps in support.

Points raised by attendees, as well as Emma and Rick, included the following:

Subject librarians are an endangered species at present! They are not able to specialise as much; they need to be able to spot resources and events for their own subjects while doing everything else, which is getting more difficult. Site reps need to know where and how services such as Digimap are being used for their own assistance and targeting, especially in "selling" services to the institution at large.
It's important to use the EDINA website to sell services to busy sites.
There is a fine line between spatial data and maps, and a lack of comprehension of the difference amongst Digimap users (and of data conversion, a thorny subject), but there are no "diagnostic tests" for them. If they do "fail", where do they go? Where are they sent? Resources are great, but you need to know how to use them.
Digimap site reps could all be trained GIS experts, but they still might not cover what their students need.
There are advisory services for images and video; why is there no equivalent for spatial data? This was a well received idea amongst the attendees.
There's no easy way for us to tell JISC what happens with materials once they're downloaded.
These services need effective local support beyond site representatives, making sure as much of the subject is covered as possible, but they can't cover everything.
Staff development programmes at a local level may be a good way to get across information; Emma discussed what Edinburgh is doing for local awareness.
People need to be pointed in the right direction, hopefully to adequate local support.
In terms of raising cross-discipline awareness, it's probably worth bringing in outside speakers; site reps find that people aren't willing to travel to find out more about resources/subjects, they prefer the information to be on their doorsteps.
The RSCs are now working well as liaisons for/with further education, but now there seems to be a hole in higher education that isn't being covered.
Staff members who attend training sessions for services aren't cascading their knowledge, usually due to time constraints. Also, service changes and updates make them fall behind.
People may be missing out on what services can offer them because we don't know what their needs are.
Site reps want EDINA to offer end user training, but that would be very expensive and JISC probably wouldn't go for it!
One software company trains student "champions" and then pay them to answer questions within their institutions.

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