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The fellowships are designed to enable library colleagues to set research agendas, be active participants and leaders of multidisciplinary research, and to provide intellectual leadership in their own disciplines and beyond." /> <link rel="canonical" href="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/rluk-technician-commitment/" /> <meta property="og:locale" content="en_GB" /> <meta property="og:type" content="article" /> <meta property="og:title" content="RLUK and the Technician Commitment" /> <meta property="og:description" content="Libraries, archives, and information institutions hold great technical skills and expertise. While the term 'technician' may not easily translate to the rich set of professional identities we celebrate within the research library community, we can readily identify the many diverse skills represented in academic and research libraries essential to producing new knowledge through research, innovation, and experimentation. 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fusion-content-boxes-1 content-boxes-icon-on-side content-left" style="--awb-body-color:rgba(255,255,255,0.5);--awb-title-color:#ffffff;--awb-iconcolor:#ffffff;--awb-item-margin-top:10px;--awb-item-margin-bottom:0px;--awb-margin-top:10px;--awb-margin-bottom:0px;--awb-hover-accent-color:#add9ea;--awb-circle-hover-accent-color:transparent;" data-animationOffset="top-into-view"><div style="--awb-backgroundcolor:rgba(255,255,255,0);--awb-iconcolor:#ffffff;--awb-content-padding-left:40px;" class="fusion-column content-box-column content-box-column content-box-column-1 col-lg-12 col-md-12 col-sm-12 fusion-content-box-hover content-box-column-last-in-row"><div class="col content-box-wrapper content-wrapper link-area-box link-type-text icon-hover-animation-slide" data-link="https://strategy.rluk.ac.uk/" data-link-target="_self" data-animationOffset="top-into-view"><div class="heading heading-with-icon icon-left"><a class="heading-link" href="https://strategy.rluk.ac.uk/" target="_self"><div class="icon"><i style="background-color:transparent;border-color:transparent;height:auto;width: 20px;line-height:normal;font-size:20px;" aria-hidden="true" class="fontawesome-icon fa-bookmark fas circle-no"></i></div><h2 class="content-box-heading fusion-responsive-typography-calculated" style="--h2_typography-font-size:17px;--fontSize:17;line-height:1.2;padding-left:40px;">Transforming the Library 2022-25</h2></a></div></div></div><div style="--awb-backgroundcolor:rgba(255,255,255,0);--awb-iconcolor:#ffffff;--awb-content-padding-left:40px;" class="fusion-column content-box-column content-box-column content-box-column-2 col-lg-12 col-md-12 col-sm-12 fusion-content-box-hover content-box-column-last-in-row"><div class="col content-box-wrapper content-wrapper link-area-box link-type-text icon-hover-animation-slide" data-link="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/role-of-research-library/" data-link-target="_self" data-animationOffset="top-into-view"><div class="heading heading-with-icon icon-left"><a class="heading-link" href="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/role-of-research-library/" target="_self"><div class="icon"><i style="background-color:transparent;border-color:transparent;height:auto;width: 20px;line-height:normal;font-size:20px;" aria-hidden="true" class="fontawesome-icon fa-grip-lines fas circle-no"></i></div><h2 class="content-box-heading fusion-responsive-typography-calculated" style="--h2_typography-font-size:17px;--fontSize:17;line-height:1.2;padding-left:40px;">Role of the Research Library</h2></a></div></div></div><div style="--awb-backgroundcolor:rgba(255,255,255,0);--awb-iconcolor:#ffffff;--awb-content-padding-left:40px;" class="fusion-column content-box-column content-box-column content-box-column-3 col-lg-12 col-md-12 col-sm-12 fusion-content-box-hover content-box-column-last-in-row"><div class="col content-box-wrapper content-wrapper link-area-box link-type-text icon-hover-animation-slide" data-link="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/digital-shift-strategy/" data-link-target="_self" data-animationOffset="top-into-view"><div class="heading heading-with-icon icon-left"><a class="heading-link" href="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/digital-shift-strategy/" target="_self"><div class="icon"><i style="background-color:transparent;border-color:transparent;height:auto;width: 20px;line-height:normal;font-size:20px;" aria-hidden="true" class="fontawesome-icon fa-grip-lines fas circle-no"></i></div><h2 class="content-box-heading fusion-responsive-typography-calculated" style="--h2_typography-font-size:17px;--fontSize:17;line-height:1.2;padding-left:40px;">Digital Shift</h2></a></div></div></div><div style="--awb-backgroundcolor:rgba(255,255,255,0);--awb-iconcolor:#ffffff;--awb-content-padding-left:40px;" class="fusion-column content-box-column content-box-column content-box-column-4 col-lg-12 col-md-12 col-sm-12 fusion-content-box-hover content-box-column-last-in-row"><div class="col content-box-wrapper content-wrapper link-area-box link-type-text icon-hover-animation-slide" data-link="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/open-scholarship/" data-link-target="_self" data-animationOffset="top-into-view"><div class="heading heading-with-icon icon-left"><a class="heading-link" href="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/open-scholarship/" target="_self"><div class="icon"><i style="background-color:transparent;border-color:transparent;height:auto;width: 20px;line-height:normal;font-size:20px;" aria-hidden="true" class="fontawesome-icon fa-grip-lines fas circle-no"></i></div><h2 class="content-box-heading fusion-responsive-typography-calculated" style="--h2_typography-font-size:17px;--fontSize:17;line-height:1.2;padding-left:40px;">Open Scholarship</h2></a></div></div></div><div style="--awb-backgroundcolor:rgba(255,255,255,0);--awb-iconcolor:#ffffff;--awb-content-padding-left:40px;" class="fusion-column content-box-column content-box-column content-box-column-5 col-lg-12 col-md-12 col-sm-12 fusion-content-box-hover content-box-column-last-in-row"><div class="col content-box-wrapper content-wrapper link-area-box link-type-text icon-hover-animation-slide" data-link="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/culture-heritage" data-link-target="_self" data-animationOffset="top-into-view"><div class="heading heading-with-icon icon-left"><a class="heading-link" href="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/culture-heritage" target="_self"><div class="icon"><i style="background-color:transparent;border-color:transparent;height:auto;width: 20px;line-height:normal;font-size:20px;" aria-hidden="true" class="fontawesome-icon fa-grip-lines fas circle-no"></i></div><h2 class="content-box-heading fusion-responsive-typography-calculated" style="--h2_typography-font-size:17px;--fontSize:17;line-height:1.2;padding-left:40px;">Culture & Heritage</h2></a></div></div></div><div style="--awb-backgroundcolor:rgba(255,255,255,0);--awb-iconcolor:#ffffff;--awb-content-padding-left:40px;" class="fusion-column content-box-column content-box-column content-box-column-6 col-lg-12 col-md-12 col-sm-12 fusion-content-box-hover content-box-column-last content-box-column-last-in-row"><div class="col content-box-wrapper content-wrapper link-area-box link-type-text icon-hover-animation-slide" data-link="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/collective-collections/" data-link-target="_self" data-animationOffset="top-into-view"><div class="heading heading-with-icon icon-left"><a class="heading-link" href="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/collective-collections/" target="_self"><div class="icon"><i style="background-color:transparent;border-color:transparent;height:auto;width: 20px;line-height:normal;font-size:20px;" aria-hidden="true" class="fontawesome-icon fa-grip-lines fas circle-no"></i></div><h2 class="content-box-heading fusion-responsive-typography-calculated" style="--h2_typography-font-size:17px;--fontSize:17;line-height:1.2;padding-left:40px;">Collective Collections</h2></a></div></div></div><div class="fusion-clearfix"></div></div></div></div><div class="fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-3 fusion-flex-column fusion-flex-align-self-stretch" style="--awb-padding-top:40px;--awb-padding-right:40px;--awb-padding-bottom:40px;--awb-padding-left:40px;--awb-bg-color:rgba(192,221,232,0.78);--awb-bg-color-hover:rgba(192,221,232,0.78);--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-border-color:#e5e5e5;--awb-border-style:solid;--awb-width-large:35%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:0px;--awb-margin-bottom-large:0px;--awb-spacing-left-large:0px;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:0px;--awb-spacing-left-medium:0px;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:0px;--awb-spacing-left-small:0px;" data-scroll-devices="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility"><div class="fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column"><div class="fusion-title title fusion-title-2 fusion-sep-none fusion-title-text fusion-title-size-six" style="--awb-text-color:#0b1c38;--awb-font-size:18px;"><h6 class="fusion-title-heading title-heading-left fusion-responsive-typography-calculated" style="font-family:"Lato";font-style:normal;font-weight:400;margin:0;font-size:1em;letter-spacing:1px;text-transform:uppercase;--fontSize:18;--minFontSize:18;line-height:var(--awb-typography1-line-height);">Programmes & Activities</h6></div><div class="fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep" style="align-self: center;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;width:100%;"><div class="fusion-separator-border sep-single sep-solid" style="--awb-height:20px;--awb-amount:20px;--awb-sep-color:rgba(139,207,232,0.92);border-color:rgba(139,207,232,0.92);border-top-width:1px;"></div></div><nav class="awb-submenu awb-submenu_column awb-submenu_em-hover awb-submenu_icons-left awb-submenu_dc-yes awb-submenu_transition-fade awb-submenu_dropdown awb-submenu_expand-right" 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awb-submenu__main-background-default_fade"></span><span class="awb-submenu__main-background-active awb-submenu__main-background-active_fade"></span><a href="https://iarla.org/" class="awb-submenu__main-a awb-submenu__main-a_regular"><span class="menu-text">IARLA</span></a></li><li id="menu-item-14928" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-14928 awb-submenu__li awb-submenu__main-li awb-submenu__main-li_regular" data-item-id="14928"><span class="awb-submenu__main-background-default awb-submenu__main-background-default_fade"></span><span class="awb-submenu__main-background-active awb-submenu__main-background-active_fade"></span><a href="https://research.rluk.ac.uk/" class="awb-submenu__main-a awb-submenu__main-a_regular"><span class="menu-text">libraries X research</span></a></li><li id="menu-item-14929" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-14929 awb-submenu__li awb-submenu__main-li awb-submenu__main-li_regular" 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class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-post menu-item-13945 awb-submenu__li awb-submenu__main-li awb-submenu__main-li_regular" data-item-id="13945"><span class="awb-submenu__main-background-default awb-submenu__main-background-default_fade"></span><span class="awb-submenu__main-background-active awb-submenu__main-background-active_fade"></span><a href="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/emerging-leaders-prog-study/" class="awb-submenu__main-a awb-submenu__main-a_regular"><span class="menu-text">Emerging Leaders Programme</span></a></li><li id="menu-item-13946" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-13946 awb-submenu__li awb-submenu__main-li awb-submenu__main-li_regular" data-item-id="13946"><span class="awb-submenu__main-background-default awb-submenu__main-background-default_fade"></span><span class="awb-submenu__main-background-active awb-submenu__main-background-active_fade"></span><a href="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/vrr-toolkit/" class="awb-submenu__main-a awb-submenu__main-a_regular"><span class="menu-text">VRR Toolkit</span></a></li><li id="menu-item-13948" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-13948 awb-submenu__li awb-submenu__main-li awb-submenu__main-li_regular" data-item-id="13948"><span class="awb-submenu__main-background-default awb-submenu__main-background-default_fade"></span><span class="awb-submenu__main-background-active awb-submenu__main-background-active_fade"></span><a href="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/digital-shift/" class="awb-submenu__main-a awb-submenu__main-a_regular"><span class="menu-text">Digital Shift</span></a></li></ul></nav></div></div><div class="fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-4 fusion-flex-column fusion-flex-align-self-stretch" style="--awb-padding-top:10px;--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:30%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:0px;--awb-margin-bottom-large:0px;--awb-spacing-left-large:0px;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:0px;--awb-spacing-left-medium:0px;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:0px;--awb-spacing-left-small:0px;" data-scroll-devices="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility"><div class="fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column"><div class="fusion-builder-row fusion-builder-row-inner fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap" style="width:calc( 100% + 0px ) !important;max-width:calc( 100% + 0px ) !important;margin-left: calc(-0px / 2 );margin-right: calc(-0px / 2 );"><div class="fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column_inner fusion-builder-nested-column-0 fusion_builder_column_inner_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column" style="--awb-padding-top:25px;--awb-padding-right:20px;--awb-padding-left:20px;--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:0px;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:0px;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:0px;--awb-spacing-left-medium:0px;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:0px;--awb-spacing-left-small:0px;" data-scroll-devices="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility"><div class="fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column"><div class="fusion-image-element " style="text-align:center;--awb-aspect-ratio:16 / 9;--awb-object-position:36% 0%;--awb-max-width:400px;--awb-caption-title-font-family:var(--h2_typography-font-family);--awb-caption-title-font-weight:var(--h2_typography-font-weight);--awb-caption-title-font-style:var(--h2_typography-font-style);--awb-caption-title-size:var(--h2_typography-font-size);--awb-caption-title-transform:var(--h2_typography-text-transform);--awb-caption-title-line-height:var(--h2_typography-line-height);--awb-caption-title-letter-spacing:var(--h2_typography-letter-spacing);"><div style="display:inline-block;width:400px;"><span class=" fusion-imageframe imageframe-none imageframe-2 hover-type-zoomin has-aspect-ratio" style="border-radius:5px;"><a class="fusion-no-lightbox" href="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/rluk-networks/" target="_self" aria-label="OSM mtg 23"><img decoding="async" width="886" height="562" src="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/OSM-mtg-23.jpg" class="img-responsive wp-image-13463 img-with-aspect-ratio" alt srcset="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/OSM-mtg-23-200x127.jpg 200w, https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/OSM-mtg-23-400x254.jpg 400w, https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/OSM-mtg-23-600x381.jpg 600w, https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/OSM-mtg-23-800x507.jpg 800w, https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/OSM-mtg-23.jpg 886w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 886px" /></a></span></div></div><div class="fusion-text fusion-text-1" style="--awb-font-size:14px;--awb-text-color:#424242;--awb-margin-top:10px;--awb-text-font-family:"Lato";--awb-text-font-style:normal;--awb-text-font-weight:400;"><p>Our networks explore areas of professional or strategic interest to RLUK and work with the Board and Executive to help deliver RLUK’s strategic objectives.</p> </div><div style="text-align:center;"><a class="fusion-button button-flat button-large button-custom fusion-button-default button-1 fusion-button-default-span fusion-button-default-type" style="--button_accent_color:#ffffff;--button_accent_hover_color:#ffffff;--button_border_hover_color:#ffffff;--button_gradient_top_color:#5d7eb4;--button_gradient_bottom_color:#5d7eb4;--button_gradient_top_color_hover:#efa35c;--button_gradient_bottom_color_hover:#efa35c;--button_text_transform:capitalize;--button_typography-letter-spacing:var(--awb-typography3-letter-spacing);--button_typography-font-family:"Lato";--button_typography-font-style:normal;--button_typography-font-weight:400;" target="_self" href="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/rluk-networks/"><span class="fusion-button-text">Find out more</span></a></div></div></div><div class="fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column_inner fusion-builder-nested-column-1 fusion_builder_column_inner_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column" style="--awb-padding-top:-5px;--awb-padding-right:20px;--awb-padding-left:20px;--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:0px;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:0px;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:0px;--awb-spacing-left-medium:0px;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:0px;--awb-spacing-left-small:0px;" data-scroll-devices="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility"><div class="fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> </div><ul class="awb-menu__sub-ul awb-menu__sub-ul_main"><li id="menu-item-11444" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-has-children menu-item-11444 awb-menu__li awb-menu__sub-li" ><a href="https://strategy.rluk.ac.uk/" class="awb-menu__sub-a"><span>RLUK Strategy 2022-25</span><span class="awb-menu__open-nav-submenu-hover"></span></a><button type="button" aria-label="Open submenu of RLUK Strategy 2022-25" aria-expanded="false" class="awb-menu__open-nav-submenu_mobile awb-menu__open-nav-submenu_sub"></button><ul class="awb-menu__sub-ul awb-menu__sub-ul_grand"><li id="menu-item-11471" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-11471 awb-menu__li awb-menu__sub-li" ><a href="https://strategy.rluk.ac.uk/" class="awb-menu__sub-a"><span>RLUK Strategy 2022-25</span></a></li></ul></li><li id="menu-item-11099" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-post menu-item-has-children menu-item-11099 awb-menu__li awb-menu__sub-li" ><a href="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/libraries-archives-and-museums-enable-new-forms-of-remote-access-in-response-to-covid-19-pandemic/" class="awb-menu__sub-a"><span>VRRs and VTSs</span><span class="awb-menu__open-nav-submenu-hover"></span></a><button type="button" aria-label="Open submenu 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fusion-sep-none fusion-title-center fusion-title-text fusion-title-size-two" style="--awb-margin-bottom:0px;--awb-font-size:60px;"><h2 class="fusion-title-heading title-heading-center fusion-responsive-typography-calculated" style="margin:0;font-size:1em;--fontSize:60;line-height:1.33;">Research libraries make it happen: RLUK statement of support for the Technician Commitment</h2></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="background background-image" style="background-image: url(https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/grey-header-2.jpg);max-width:100%;height:400px;filter: progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.AlphaImageLoader(src='https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/grey-header-2.jpg', sizingMethod='scale');" data-imgwidth="1300"> </div> </li> <li class="slide-id-10672" data-mute="yes" data-loop="yes" data-autoplay="yes"> <div class="slide-content-container slide-content-center" style="display: none;"> <div class="slide-content" style=""> <div class="heading "> <div class="fusion-title-sc-wrapper" style=""> <div class="fusion-title title fusion-title-4 fusion-sep-none fusion-title-center fusion-title-text fusion-title-size-two" style="--awb-margin-bottom:0px;--awb-font-size:60px;"><h2 class="fusion-title-heading title-heading-center fusion-responsive-typography-calculated" style="margin:0;font-size:1em;--fontSize:60;line-height:1.33;">AHRC-RLUK Professional Practice Fellowship Scheme for academic and research libraries</h2></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="background background-image" style="background-image: url(https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/generic-bg.jpg);max-width:100%;height:400px;filter: progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.AlphaImageLoader(src='https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/generic-bg.jpg', sizingMethod='scale');" data-imgwidth="1300"> </div> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <main id="main" class="clearfix width-100"> <div class="fusion-row" style="max-width:100%;"> <section id="content" class="full-width"> <div id="post-11737" class="post-11737 page type-page status-publish has-post-thumbnail hentry"> <span class="entry-title rich-snippet-hidden">RLUK and the Technician Commitment</span><span class="vcard rich-snippet-hidden"><span class="fn"><a href="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/author/melanie-cheungrluk-ac-uk/" title="Posts by Melanie Cheung" rel="author">Melanie Cheung</a></span></span><span class="updated rich-snippet-hidden">2024-11-04T14:24:50+00:00</span> <div class="post-content"> <div class="fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-2 fusion-flex-container nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling" style="--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-padding-top:60px;--awb-background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0.08);--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;" ><div class="fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap" style="max-width:1144px;margin-left: calc(-4% / 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% / 2 );"><div class="fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-5 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column" style="--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;"><div class="fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column"><div class="fusion-text fusion-text-2" style="--awb-text-transform:none;"><p><img decoding="async" class="wp-image-11834 aligncenter" src="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/logos.png" alt="" width="833" height="98" srcset="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/logos-200x24.png 200w, https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/logos-300x35.png 300w, https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/logos-400x47.png 400w, https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/logos-600x71.png 600w, https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/logos-768x90.png 768w, https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/logos-800x94.png 800w, https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/logos-1024x121.png 1024w, https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/logos-1200x141.png 1200w, https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/logos.png 1300w" sizes="(max-width: 833px) 100vw, 833px" /></p> </div></div></div><div class="fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-6 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column" style="--awb-padding-top:30px;--awb-padding-right:30px;--awb-padding-bottom:30px;--awb-padding-left:30px;--awb-overflow:hidden;--awb-bg-color:var(--awb-color2);--awb-bg-color-hover:var(--awb-color2);--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-border-color:var(--awb-color4);--awb-border-top:2px;--awb-border-right:2px;--awb-border-bottom:2px;--awb-border-left:2px;--awb-border-style:solid;--awb-border-radius:20px 20px 20px 20px;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;"><div class="fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column"><div class="fusion-text fusion-text-3" style="--awb-text-transform:none;"><h1>The Technician Commitment: Technicians make it happen</h1> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><a href="https://www.technicians.org.uk/technician-commitment" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Technician Commitment</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is a university and research institution initiative which aims to ensure visibility, recognition, career development, and sustainability for technicians working in higher education and research in all disciplines. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Commitment celebrates the importance of technical expertise to the research process, the need for this to be recognised more widely, and for technical skills to be nurtured and sustained by individuals, institutions, and sectors. The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), as a constituent council of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), is a signatory of the Technician Commitment. In January 2021, UKRI published their </span><a href="https://www.ukri.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/UKRI-040221-TechnicianCommitmentActionPlan.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Technician Commitment Action Plan</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, which outlines the expectation that research and higher education institutions celebrate the value of their technically skilled people and nurture them in reaching their full potential. UKRI champions the application of the Technician Commitment to Research Technical Professionals (RTPs) working across all disciplines, including the arts and humanities, and the centrality of technical skills in enabling pioneering scholarly research.</span></p> </div></div></div><div class="fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-7 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column" style="--awb-padding-top:40px;--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;"><div class="fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column"><div class="fusion-text fusion-text-4" style="--awb-text-transform:none;"><h1>Research Libraries make it happen: The Technician Commitment applied</h1> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Libraries, archives, and information institutions hold great technical skills and expertise. While the term ‘technician’ may not easily translate to the rich set of professional identities we celebrate within the research library community, we can readily identify the many diverse skills represented in academic and research libraries essential to producing new knowledge through research, innovation, and experimentation. These range from research data managers to archivists, from software developers to conservators, from photographers to open access publishing professionals.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Research Libraries UK (RLUK) champions the contribution of academic and research libraries to the research process: as enablers, partners, and leaders. A recent </span><a href="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/ahrc-rluk-scoping-study/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">AHRC-RLUK scoping study</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> highlighted the immense contribution that research libraries make to scholarship as partners and leaders of research. The scoping study revealed the considerable expertise, including technical knowledge, contained within libraries and their contribution to a wide range of disciplines. Yet the scoping study also highlighted that the contribution of libraries is not always recognised and that there is a low level of awareness of the Technician Commitment amongst library staff and the ways in which it can apply to their work, working life, and careers.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This document provides a high-level overview of how the Technician Commitment can apply to research libraries and allied and composite professions, including those working within archives, special collections, and conservation. It celebrates the contribution that research libraries can make to scholarship as places of technical expertise and innovation, and is an invitation to RLUK members, and the wider academic library community, to engage with the contents of the Technician Commitment and the opportunities that it can bring.</span></p> </div></div></div></div></div><div class="fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-3 fusion-flex-container nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling" style="--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-padding-bottom:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;" ><div class="fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap" style="max-width:1144px;margin-left: calc(-4% / 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% / 2 );"><div class="fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-8 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column" style="--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;"><div class="fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column"><div class="fusion-content-boxes content-boxes columns row fusion-columns-1 fusion-columns-total-1 fusion-content-boxes-2 content-boxes-clean-horizontal content-left content-boxes-icon-on-side" style="--awb-backgroundcolor:var(--awb-color3);--awb-body-color:var(--awb-custom16);--awb-title-color:#096a9e;--awb-margin-bottom:0px;--awb-hover-accent-color:#8590aa;--awb-circle-hover-accent-color:#8590aa;--awb-item-margin-bottom:40px;" data-animationOffset="top-into-view"><div style="--awb-backgroundcolor:var(--awb-color3);--awb-content-padding-left:160px;border-color:#d6d6d6;" class="fusion-column content-box-column content-box-column content-box-column-1 col-lg-12 col-md-12 col-sm-12 fusion-content-box-hover content-box-column-last content-box-column-last-in-row"><div class="col content-box-wrapper content-wrapper-background link-area-link-icon icon-hover-animation-slide" data-animationOffset="top-into-view"><div class="heading heading-with-icon icon-left"><div aria-hidden="true" class="image"><img decoding="async" src="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Gary-crop-150x150.jpg" width="140" height="140" alt="" /></div><h1 class="content-box-heading fusion-responsive-typography-calculated" style="--h1_typography-font-size:25px;--fontSize:25;line-height:1.4;padding-left:160px;">SPOTLIGHT: Gary Brannan, Keeper of Archives and Special Collections, University of York</h1></div><div class="fusion-clearfix"></div><div class="content-container"> <h3>The Technician Commitment absolutely applies to my role. Many, on reading it, might feel they disagree with that – but when we look at what we do, we can’t deny we play a huge role in the research experience. Often we have been too modest in this, and the commitment’s role in visibility of archival professionals, and how our role is not as mere facilitators and box carriers, but valued partners in the research process.</h3> <div ><a class="fusion-button button-flat fusion-button-default-size button-custom fusion-button-default button-2 fusion-button-span-yes fusion-button-default-type fusion-has-button-gradient" style="--button_accent_color:#ffffff;--button_accent_hover_color:#ffffff;--button_border_hover_color:#ffffff;--button_gradient_top_color:#096a9e;--button_gradient_bottom_color:#4380bc;--button_gradient_top_color_hover:#58849e;--button_gradient_bottom_color_hover:#3276bc;" target="_self" href="#" data-toggle="modal" data-target=".fusion-modal.GB"><span class="fusion-button-text">Read more</span></a></div> </div></div></div><div class="fusion-clearfix"></div></div></div></div><div class="fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-9 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column" style="--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;"><div class="fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column"><div class="fusion-modal modal fade modal-1 GB" tabindex="-1" role="dialog" aria-labelledby="modal-heading-1" aria-hidden="true" style="--awb-border-color:#66acc4;--awb-background:var(--awb-color1);"><div class="modal-dialog modal-lg" role="document"><div class="modal-content fusion-modal-content"><div class="modal-header"><button class="close" type="button" data-dismiss="modal" aria-hidden="true" aria-label="Close">×</button><h3 class="modal-title" id="modal-heading-1" data-dismiss="modal" aria-hidden="true">PROFILE: Gary Brannan, University of York</h3></div><div class="modal-body fusion-clearfix"> <p><img decoding="async" class="size-thumbnail wp-image-11768 alignleft" src="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Gary-crop-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" srcset="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Gary-crop-66x66.jpg 66w, https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Gary-crop-150x150.jpg 150w, https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Gary-crop-400x400.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></p> <p>I am Keeper of Archives and Special Collections at the University of York, and I have responsibility for the Borthwick Institute for Archives; UoY Rare Books Library; UoY Art Collection and our partnership with York Minster Library. Largely this involves working with internal and external audiences; negotiating with depositors present and future; crafting funding bids and ensuring our resources are spent in the most efficient fashion; crating strategy and ensuring we have deep embedded links with colleagues in wider Library and Learning Services teams; and overall ensuring that I create and ethos, atmosphere and culture to ensure my teams can feel empowered to take the steps they need to take to make us a modern, progressive, active and relevant research source for all of our communities, wherever they may be in the world and whenever they may in time – now, or in the future.</p> <p><strong>What role do technical or specialist skills play within your role?</strong></p> <p>There are the usual skills needed for leadership – persuasion, negotiation, and budget acumen. But to work with archives and really make the best of them, there are lots of specialist skills – most obviously, palaeography (being able to read handwriting from the mid 11th century through to the present day, the latter often being the more challenging task); diplomatic – the technical structure and form of documents; a knowledge of historic languages and expressions, such as Latin and 16th century english; and of historic administrative process and procedure. Individual archives may require deep technical knowledge to fully understand – in our case, chocolate manufacture; optical mechanics; medical treatment and research; or theatrical staging. These are all key, opening out the content of archives to potential researchers and the key to unlocking the knowledge within. Then, there are technical skills of archive management – digitisation, knowledge of digital access standards, digital preservation, checksums, digital fixity, asset management, file transfer and more in a world where the digital needs to be kept to the same regard as the physical. We need skills in environmental management, in the effects of environmental conditions on paper and parchment; of working in cubic metres and linear feet. Every choice we make has a permanent impact on the archive – from selection, to preservation, to access.</p> <p><strong>How does the Technician Commitment apply to your role?</strong></p> <p><img decoding="async" class="size-thumbnail wp-image-11769 alignleft" src="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Frankie-Howerd-Collection-21-06-10-Gary-Brannan-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" srcset="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Frankie-Howerd-Collection-21-06-10-Gary-Brannan-66x66.jpg 66w, https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Frankie-Howerd-Collection-21-06-10-Gary-Brannan-150x150.jpg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" />The Technician Commitment absolutely applies to my role. Many, on reading it, might feel they disagree with that – but when we look at what we do, we can’t deny we play a huge role in the research experience. Often we have been too modest in this, and the commitment’s role in visibility of archival professionals, and how our role is not as mere facilitators and box carriers, but valued partners in the research process. This goes hand in hand with the need for recognition – I think everyone in archives has, at some point, had the experience of a researcher ‘discovering’ an item in an archive, without realising that it was there to be found because of our work. Sustainability is at the heart of of what we do – we are just parts of a chain, handing the responsibility to a future generation of record keepers and researchers. The development of complex online resources and of increased deposit of born-digital resources necessitates sustainable, reliable skillsets to ensure that contextual knowledge, as well as curatorial skills, are retained and handed through subsequent generations.</p> <p><strong>What would your rallying cry be for the profession?</strong></p> <p>It can only be a net good for us to be associated with the Technician Commitment. We are a foundational part of the research ecosystem, and allows us to take pride in our valuable contributions to human understanding, compelled by the human drive for curiosity. Championing the commitment will raise up and help us to advocate for the specialist skills we need to develop to keep research happening, will enable us to build fruitful links with other similar sectors, and give us confidence to engage in research at a foundational stage. Plus, the Technician Commitment broadens archives and special collection – and their research potential – out from our traditional sphere in the humanities to show how we can support research and discovery in the sciences Let’s celebrate what we do, let’s value and recognise our specialist skills, and let’s help to change the world.</p> </div><div class="modal-footer"><button class="fusion-button button-default button-medium button default medium" type="button" data-dismiss="modal">Close</button></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div id="eligibility" class="fusion-container-anchor"><div class="fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-4 nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling" style="--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-padding-top:50px;--awb-padding-bottom:30px;--awb-background-color:rgba(99,123,150,0.12);--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;" ><div class="fusion-builder-row fusion-row"><div class="fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-10 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-one-full fusion-column-first fusion-column-last" style="--awb-bg-size:cover;"><div class="fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-column-wrapper-legacy"><div class="fusion-text fusion-text-5" style="--awb-text-transform:none;"><h1>Library and archive staff help solve challenges</h1> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Technician Commitment recognises that technically skilled professionals exist and play an essential role in a wide variety of settings, including academic and research libraries, and these are critical components in the production, dissemination, and preservation of scholarly knowledge. In addition to their role as research partners and leaders, library staff bring essential expertise as Research Technical Professionals (RTPs) and provide technical skills and knowledge to the solving of research and innovation challenges.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Library and archive staff lead and support the development and application of complex research tools and techniques and enable the delivery of diverse digital content. They apply highly-specialised technical knowledge to the preservation, discovery, and curation of collections, both physical and digital, which underpin research and engagement across all disciplines. They create and maintain world-leading research infrastructure and have a central role in inspiring, nurturing, and developing existing scholars and the next generation of researchers. These roles are at the centre of what research libraries do. They also sit at the heart of the Technician Commitment.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Library and archive colleagues have considerable experience and expertise around key activities highlighted within the Technician Commitment. These include project development and delivery, the creation of tools and techniques to deliver learning, research and innovation, and the design, use and analysis of research techniques and methodologies.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Library and archive staff are at the forefront of pedagogical innovation, communicate complex subjects to diverse audiences, and have a central role in informing, and inspiring, future generations of researchers. Although the term ‘technician’ may not be much used within research libraries, the skills, expertise, and knowledge they contain are central to the Technician Commitment.</span></p> </div><div class="fusion-clearfix"></div></div></div></div></div></div><div id="reqs" class="fusion-container-anchor"><div class="fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-5 nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling" style="--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-padding-top:50px;--awb-padding-bottom:30px;--awb-background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0.98);--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;" ><div class="fusion-builder-row fusion-row"><div class="fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-11 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-one-full fusion-column-first fusion-column-last" style="--awb-bg-size:cover;"><div class="fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-column-wrapper-legacy"><div class="fusion-text fusion-text-6" style="--awb-text-transform:none;"><h1>Showcasing technical expertise within research libraries</h1> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The application of the Technician Commitment is built around four key elements: visibility, recognition, career development, and sustainability. RLUK is committed to working with its members, the wider academic library community, and UKRI to communicate the importance and centrality of these four areas to the technical expertise contained within research libraries. </span></p> <h2><b>Visibility</b></h2> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Technician Commitment highlights the need to ensure that technical expertise is recognised across organisations and that the contribution made by individuals is visible, recognised and celebrated. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Colleagues working across research libraries have a high level of technical expertise. These include archivists, conservators, and colleagues working to support learning, digital scholarship, digitisation, and open access publishing. The range and variety of services and initiatives research library staff are involved in requires an increasing array of technical skills.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">RLUK’s 2019 report, </span><a href="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/RLUK-Digital-Scholarship-report-July-2019.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Digital Scholarship and the role of the research library</span></i></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, highlighted the valuable role that research library staff play across nineteen categories of digital scholarship activity, acting not only as the providers of diverse digital services, but as partners and pioneers of technically complex tools and techniques. This confirmed and expanded the findings of RLUK’s 2017 report, </span><a href="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Digital-Humanities-report-Jul-17.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">The role of Research Libraries in the creation, archiving, curation, and preservation of tools for the Digital Humanities</span></i></a><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">which presented the varied ways through which research libraries were taking a leading role to enable an increasingly diverse range of Digital Humanities projects. During the Covid-19 pandemic, research libraries utilised their technical expertise around online learning and content discovery, to develop a series of innovative services to enable remote and user responsive research and learning. These included the development of technically innovative services such as </span><a href="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/RLUK-VRR-and-VTS-report.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Virtual Reading Rooms and Teaching Spaces</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and managing new delivery methods for content.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">RLUK is committed to enhancing the visibility of the role that research libraries play in bringing their technical expertise to the research and innovation process.</span></p> <ul> <li><b>RLUK will</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> continue to publish case studies, illustrating the varied technical skills contained across our members and the contribution that research libraries make to the research process.</span></li> <li><b>RLUK will </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">continue to conduct wide ranging and original research into the ways in which libraries are home to diverse technical and specialist skills and the emerging opportunities to work collaboratively in this space, both nationally and internationally.</span></li> <li><b>RLUK will </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">continue to</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">convene its members around the core issues raised within the Technician Commitment, working with UKRI, AHRC, and key stakeholders, to further highlight and amplify the role of libraries as places of technical and specialist expertise, across a wide range of disciplines and professional practices.</span></li> </ul> </div><div class="fusion-clearfix"></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-6 fusion-flex-container nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling" style="--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-padding-bottom:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;" ><div class="fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap" style="max-width:1144px;margin-left: calc(-4% / 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% / 2 );"><div class="fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-12 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column" style="--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;"><div class="fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column"><div class="fusion-content-boxes content-boxes columns row fusion-columns-1 fusion-columns-total-1 fusion-content-boxes-3 content-boxes-clean-horizontal content-left content-boxes-icon-on-side" style="--awb-backgroundcolor:var(--awb-color3);--awb-body-color:var(--awb-custom16);--awb-title-color:#096a9e;--awb-margin-bottom:0px;--awb-hover-accent-color:#8590aa;--awb-circle-hover-accent-color:#8590aa;--awb-item-margin-bottom:40px;" data-animationOffset="top-into-view"><div style="--awb-backgroundcolor:var(--awb-color3);--awb-content-padding-left:160px;border-color:#d6d6d6;" class="fusion-column content-box-column content-box-column content-box-column-1 col-lg-12 col-md-12 col-sm-12 fusion-content-box-hover content-box-column-last content-box-column-last-in-row"><div class="col content-box-wrapper content-wrapper-background link-area-link-icon icon-hover-animation-slide" data-animationOffset="top-into-view"><div class="heading heading-with-icon icon-left"><div aria-hidden="true" class="image"><img decoding="async" src="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/JRL22010991-Elisabeth-Carr-150x150.jpg" width="140" height="140" alt="" /></div><h1 class="content-box-heading fusion-responsive-typography-calculated" style="--h1_typography-font-size:25px;--fontSize:25;line-height:1.4;padding-left:160px;">SPOTLIGHT: Elisabeth Carr, Collection Care Manager, University of Manchester Library</h1></div><div class="fusion-clearfix"></div><div class="content-container"> <h3><strong>The historical significance of library holdings and their future projection and relevance depend critically on new technical and specialist skills. Given my area of expertise, the protection of physical objects, I observe the constant need for ongoing training to increase technical skills. Information management is an invaluable channel and medium for the collection care team to acquire and to share knowledge.</strong></h3> <div ><a class="fusion-button button-flat fusion-button-default-size button-custom fusion-button-default button-3 fusion-button-span-yes fusion-button-default-type fusion-has-button-gradient" style="--button_accent_color:#ffffff;--button_accent_hover_color:#ffffff;--button_border_hover_color:#ffffff;--button_gradient_top_color:#096a9e;--button_gradient_bottom_color:#4380bc;--button_gradient_top_color_hover:#58849e;--button_gradient_bottom_color_hover:#3276bc;" target="_self" href="#" data-toggle="modal" data-target=".fusion-modal.EC"><span class="fusion-button-text">Read more</span></a></div> </div></div></div><div class="fusion-clearfix"></div></div></div></div><div class="fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-13 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column" style="--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;"><div class="fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column"><div class="fusion-modal modal fade modal-2 EC" tabindex="-1" role="dialog" aria-labelledby="modal-heading-2" aria-hidden="true" style="--awb-border-color:#66acc4;--awb-background:var(--awb-color1);"><div class="modal-dialog modal-lg" role="document"><div class="modal-content fusion-modal-content"><div class="modal-header"><button class="close" type="button" data-dismiss="modal" aria-hidden="true" aria-label="Close">×</button><h3 class="modal-title" id="modal-heading-2" data-dismiss="modal" aria-hidden="true">PROFILE: Elisabeth Carr, University of Manchester</h3></div><div class="modal-body fusion-clearfix"> <p><img decoding="async" class="size-thumbnail wp-image-11781 alignleft" src="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/JRL22010991-Elisabeth-Carr-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" srcset="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/JRL22010991-Elisabeth-Carr-66x66.jpg 66w, https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/JRL22010991-Elisabeth-Carr-150x150.jpg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" />Given my longstanding passion for art conservation, I came to my role as Collection Care Manager at the University of Manchester Library in a straightforward fashion, graduating with BA and MA degrees in paper and book conservation from the ESCRBCC in Barcelona (Spain) and RCA/V&A joint course in London respectively. After participation in a variety of conservation projects and nine years as paper conservator in the Royal Museums Greenwich, I joined the University of Manchester Library as Collection Care Team leader in 2017 and was appointed Collection Care Manager in 2020. The mission of my work is to ensure the safety and preservation of the invaluable objects that make up our collections. All aspects of this mission are exciting to me, from becoming acquainted with an item and its condition to finding the best technical solutions for its treatment and conservation.</p> <p><strong>What role do technical or specialist skills play within your role?</strong></p> <p>Conservation relies heavily on specialist and technical skills as well as on more general investigation into an object and its context. Context is critical even before handling an object, as there could be, for example, religious restrictions to observe. Assessing the chemical and physical condition of the object and the degree of deterioration is the next step, through physical inspection of appearance, and by smell and touch. Often, greater technical skill is required, such as observation under the microscope or testing with non-destructive techniques. Further assessment is made depending on the intended use for an object, as handling for research purposes, display for public viewing, or travel requirements (i.e., designing cradles, enclosures or frames). Technological progress, both in diagnostics and implementation of treatment methodologies, represent exciting opportunities. Staying on top of these constant changes requires regular updating of knowledge and need of interdisciplinarity.</p> <p>Work in conservation involves a balance between good manual dexterity, an interest in history and culture, attention to ethics, working knowledge and familiarity of chemistry, biology, physics, materials science, and engineering. A conservator is always driven by the determination to find the best solution for the long-term preservation of a given item. Collaboration with curators, technical experts in imaging and analytics, and building care specialists is critical to optimal treatment and preservation strategies, not to mention how fruitful and exciting is the cross collaboration with other professionals.</p> <p><strong>How does the Technician Commitment apply to your role?</strong></p> <p>Conservation treatments aim to be invisible, as they exist to serve the object, somewhat like the editor of a literary masterpiece. The goal of a conservator is to enable the visibility of the object and of the University of Manchester collections and library system. Additionally in my role, I work to support the visibility of the Collection Care team and our activities through informal education, volunteer opportunities, engagement, and outreach such as talks and blog posts, and displays where the public can observe our activity. Recognition goes hand in hand with visibility and with our many collaborations throughout the University and with colleagues at other institutions. Within my team, technical proficiency, and access to training for novel instruments and techniques is key for career development. The growing awareness of the need for sustainability has also led to unexpected benefits.</p> <p>The choices of materials and adoption of flexible designs requires a commitment to circular economy to make sensible use of materials and technology (i.e., the endeavour to make mounts for exhibitions reusable and / or recyclable and save energy).</p> <p><strong>What would your rallying cry be for the profession?</strong></p> <p>My rallying cry for the profession of conservator would be finding novel technical solutions to carry our past into the future. Research libraries are a treasure and dynamic resource, which are further enhanced and expanded upon by the information management community. The historical significance of library holdings and the safeguarding of their future are keys. Given my area of expertise, the protection of physical objects, I observe the constant need for ongoing training to increase technical skills. Information management is an invaluable channel and medium for the collection care team to acquire and to share knowledge.</p> </div><div class="modal-footer"><button class="fusion-button button-default button-medium button default medium" type="button" data-dismiss="modal">Close</button></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-7 fusion-flex-container nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling" style="--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-padding-bottom:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;" ><div class="fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap" style="max-width:1144px;margin-left: calc(-4% / 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% / 2 );"><div class="fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-14 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column" style="--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;"><div class="fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column"><div class="fusion-modal modal fade modal-3 CK" tabindex="-1" role="dialog" aria-labelledby="modal-heading-3" aria-hidden="true" style="--awb-border-color:#66acc4;--awb-background:var(--awb-color1);"><div class="modal-dialog modal-lg" role="document"><div class="modal-content fusion-modal-content"><div class="modal-header"><button class="close" type="button" data-dismiss="modal" aria-hidden="true" aria-label="Close">×</button><h3 class="modal-title" id="modal-heading-3" data-dismiss="modal" aria-hidden="true">PROFILE: Claire Knowles, University of Leeds</h3></div><div class="modal-body fusion-clearfix"> <p><img decoding="async" class="alignleft wp-image-11844 size-thumbnail" src="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Claire-Portrait-Balcony-3-Claire-Knowles-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" srcset="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Claire-Portrait-Balcony-3-Claire-Knowles-66x66.jpg 66w, https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Claire-Portrait-Balcony-3-Claire-Knowles-150x150.jpg 150w, https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Claire-Portrait-Balcony-3-Claire-Knowles-200x198.jpg 200w, https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Claire-Portrait-Balcony-3-Claire-Knowles-300x297.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" />I am the Associate Director: Research and Digital Futures at the University of Leeds Libraries. I am a member of the Library Executive Team, reporting into the University Librarian. My remit in the Library has two broad areas: firstly, support for researchers including open research, open access publishing, research data management and archiving, research metrics, literature searching; secondly, the library’s systems, IT infrastructure, liaison with IT, our digital transformation and digital futures programme. I have an undergraduate degree in History and a masters degree in Information Systems. I then worked as web developer for five years in e-commerce and mobile gaming before joining the University of Edinburgh, Library and University Collections as a developer on their open access repositories in 2005. I enjoy the variety of my role, no two days are ever the same; the collaborative nature of working in libraries; the opportunities to work with others across the institution and externally; and the amazing stories that are in our collections and research outputs.</p> <p><strong>What role do technical or specialist skills play within your role?</strong></p> <p>Technical and specialist skills are key to my role and those of my team. Without digital and technical staff we would not be able to run our library systems, repositories and ingestion processes. Metadata skills are critical to describe our research outputs and collections, enabling them to be discovered and re-used. Research data management and data governance knowledge are vital to the service and training we provide. Skills in research intelligence such as bibliometrics and literature searching enable the library to support the University’s strategic aims. Data analytics provide insights into our user journeys, research outputs, and collections. These are enhanced by data visualisations that aid understand of trends and analytical information. I am fortunate to work with an amazing Special Collections and Galleries team that enable our collections to be shared in person and online. There skills include: public engagement, conservation, appraisal, curation, interpretation, photography, and metadata creation. My role as the digital lead is to support the use of ‘research ready’ collections they have curated in an online environment where research is undergoing a <a href="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/digital-shift/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">digital shift</a>.</p> <p><strong>How does the Technician Commitment apply to your role?</strong></p> <p>The University of Leeds has committed to “recognise the value of everyone involved in delivering research” through its research culture statement. I consider it part of my role as a research support service lead to raise awareness of all contributions to research through the adoption of the Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT) and advocacy for staff to create ORCiDs author identifiers and profiles. As a library leader and member of library community groups it is my role to advocate for libraries and library staff in the institution and wider research community, and ensure that they are part of the conversation. I have benefited from opportunities to develop my career through communities of practice, leadership development, training, mentoring, and conferences. It is my role to ensure that my team have opportunities to do the same. It is the role of all library leaders to plan for the future and the sustainability of our libraries. This requires creating opportunities for all staff to develop, share, and practice new skills. We need to build time into schedules and projects to enable staff to develop skills as well as invest in staff development.</p> <p><strong>What would your rallying cry be for the profession?</strong></p> <p>The benefits include greater visibility of the vital role of libraries play in our existing research eco-system and the wide range of skills and expertise with our community. I hope we also see an increase in the confidence of library staff to partner and lead research projects. Library staff do make a significant contribution to research and an increase in partnerships with libraries will be beneficial to all members of the collaboration. The libraries as labs movement highlights the role of libraries as spaces for innovation in our physical buildings through events such as hack-a-thons, workshops, editathons, and bringing together researchers across disciplines and purpose-built physical spaces such as maker-spaces and digital scholarship centres. The library is also a digital destination where discoveries are made and digital scholarship tools enable new research questions to be addressed across collections.</p> <p>The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) showcases the benefits of technical staff within libraries. This community has developed an open standard that enables collections to breakout of their institutional silo. As a co-chair of the IIIF Outreach Group has been great to see this community grow and develop its many different interest groups. Through shared standards libraries can work together to harness technologies to research our collections and discovery more about the world we live in.</p> </div><div class="modal-footer"><button class="fusion-button button-default button-medium button default medium" type="button" data-dismiss="modal">Close</button></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-15 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column" style="--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;"><div class="fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column"><div class="fusion-content-boxes content-boxes columns row fusion-columns-1 fusion-columns-total-1 fusion-content-boxes-4 content-boxes-clean-horizontal content-left content-boxes-icon-on-side" style="--awb-backgroundcolor:var(--awb-color3);--awb-body-color:var(--awb-custom16);--awb-title-color:#096a9e;--awb-margin-bottom:0px;--awb-hover-accent-color:#8590aa;--awb-circle-hover-accent-color:#8590aa;--awb-item-margin-bottom:40px;" data-animationOffset="top-into-view"><div style="--awb-backgroundcolor:var(--awb-color3);--awb-content-padding-left:160px;border-color:#d6d6d6;" class="fusion-column content-box-column content-box-column content-box-column-1 col-lg-12 col-md-12 col-sm-12 fusion-content-box-hover content-box-column-last content-box-column-last-in-row"><div class="col content-box-wrapper content-wrapper-background link-area-link-icon icon-hover-animation-slide" data-animationOffset="top-into-view"><div class="heading heading-with-icon icon-left"><div aria-hidden="true" class="image"><img decoding="async" src="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Claire-Portrait-Balcony-3-Claire-Knowles-200x198.jpg" width="140" height="138.6" alt="" /></div><h1 class="content-box-heading fusion-responsive-typography-calculated" style="--h1_typography-font-size:25px;--fontSize:25;line-height:1.4;padding-left:160px;">SPOTLIGHT: Claire Knowles, Associate Director: Research and Digital Futures, University of Leeds</h1></div><div class="fusion-clearfix"></div><div class="content-container"> <h3>Technical and specialist skills are key to my role and those of my team. Without digital and technical staff we would not be able to run our library systems, repositories and ingestion processes.</h3> <div ><a class="fusion-button button-flat fusion-button-default-size button-custom fusion-button-default button-4 fusion-button-span-yes fusion-button-default-type fusion-has-button-gradient" style="--button_accent_color:#ffffff;--button_accent_hover_color:#ffffff;--button_border_hover_color:#ffffff;--button_gradient_top_color:#096a9e;--button_gradient_bottom_color:#4380bc;--button_gradient_top_color_hover:#58849e;--button_gradient_bottom_color_hover:#3276bc;" target="_self" href="#" data-toggle="modal" data-target=".fusion-modal.CK"><span class="fusion-button-text">Read more</span></a></div> </div></div></div><div class="fusion-clearfix"></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-8 fusion-flex-container nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling" style="--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;" ><div class="fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap" style="max-width:1144px;margin-left: calc(-4% / 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% / 2 );"><div class="fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-16 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column" style="--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;"><div class="fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column"><div class="fusion-text fusion-text-7" style="--awb-text-transform:none;"><h2>Recognition</h2> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Technician Commitment cites the need for technical professionals to receive recognition for their contribution to the research process. RLUK is working to promote the recognition of library staff in their role as enablers, partners, and leaders of exemplary research. This follows the publication of a </span><a href="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/rluk-publishes-report-on-the-role-of-research-libraries-in-the-production-of-scholarly-research/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">joint RLUK-AHRC scoping study</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (June 2021) that highlighted that library staff are not always acknowledged for their contribution to the research process and that there is a need for greater recognition.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Research libraries are constantly transforming their role for their users, within their institutions, and as integral elements of the information and research landscapes. The role of research libraries as laboratories for the arts, humanities, and social sciences has recently been emphasised, as has their role as physical and virtual places for experimentation. These roles depend on the position of research libraries at the interface between multiple communities, disciplines, and professional practices, as well as their ability to act as both conduits and catalysts for collaboration.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Recent initiatives, such as the </span><a href="https://hidden-ref.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hidden REF campaign</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (of which RLUK is a supporter), have sought to demonstrate the considerable contribution made by research and technical professionals, who are often not cited within final publications or research outputs, to the research process. RLUK’s 2019 report </span><a href="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Evidencing-impact-and-value-of-special-collections.pdf." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Evidencing the Impact and Value of Special Collections</span></i></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> highlighted the diversification of the skills sets contained amongst colleagues working within archive and special collections, their involvement in a growing set of research and engagement initiatives, and the need for the better evidencing and communicating of this involvement. </span></p> <ul> <li><b>RLUK is committed</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to supporting the enhanced recognition of research library staff as technical experts across a wide range of disciplines and professional practices. </span></li> <li><b>Under its strategy</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Transforming the Library</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">, RLUK will initiate a series of initiatives to better measure and demonstrate the role of the research library.</span></li> <li><b>RLUK will</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> work with the AHRC, and other like minded partners, to continue to highlight the contribution of library staff to the research process, whether as partners, leaders, or research support professionals, through blogs, case studies, and publications.</span></li> </ul> </div></div></div></div></div><div class="fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-9 fusion-flex-container nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling" style="--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-padding-bottom:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;" ><div class="fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap" style="max-width:1144px;margin-left: calc(-4% / 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% / 2 );"><div class="fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-17 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column" style="--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;"><div class="fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column"><div class="fusion-content-boxes content-boxes columns row fusion-columns-1 fusion-columns-total-1 fusion-content-boxes-5 content-boxes-clean-horizontal content-left content-boxes-icon-on-side" style="--awb-backgroundcolor:var(--awb-color3);--awb-body-color:var(--awb-custom16);--awb-title-color:#096a9e;--awb-margin-bottom:0px;--awb-hover-accent-color:#8590aa;--awb-circle-hover-accent-color:#8590aa;--awb-item-margin-bottom:40px;" data-animationOffset="top-into-view"><div style="--awb-backgroundcolor:var(--awb-color3);--awb-content-padding-left:160px;border-color:#d6d6d6;" class="fusion-column content-box-column content-box-column content-box-column-1 col-lg-12 col-md-12 col-sm-12 fusion-content-box-hover content-box-column-last content-box-column-last-in-row"><div class="col content-box-wrapper content-wrapper-background link-area-link-icon icon-hover-animation-slide" data-animationOffset="top-into-view"><div class="heading heading-with-icon icon-left"><div aria-hidden="true" class="image"><img decoding="async" src="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/0143806d-Dominic-Tate-241x300.jpg" width="140" height="174.27" alt="" /></div><h1 class="content-box-heading fusion-responsive-typography-calculated" style="--h1_typography-font-size:25px;--fontSize:25;line-height:1.4;padding-left:160px;">SPOTLIGHT: Dominic Tate, Head of Library Research Support, University of Edinburgh</h1></div><div class="fusion-clearfix"></div><div class="content-container"> <h3>Librarians are ourselves counted amongst professional services and it’s important to us that all staff who play a role in supporting researchers get recognition and credit for the work they do. In the past, professional services colleagues have in the past not had the same opportunities for career advancement – there has previously not been an established career pathway, and so I’m excited to see more of a commitment to career development for technicians.</h3> <div ><a class="fusion-button button-flat fusion-button-default-size button-custom fusion-button-default button-5 fusion-button-span-yes fusion-button-default-type fusion-has-button-gradient" style="--button_accent_color:#ffffff;--button_accent_hover_color:#ffffff;--button_border_hover_color:#ffffff;--button_gradient_top_color:#096a9e;--button_gradient_bottom_color:#4380bc;--button_gradient_top_color_hover:#58849e;--button_gradient_bottom_color_hover:#3276bc;" target="_self" href="#" data-toggle="modal" data-target=".fusion-modal.DT"><span class="fusion-button-text">Read more</span></a></div> </div></div></div><div class="fusion-clearfix"></div></div></div></div><div class="fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-18 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column" style="--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;"><div class="fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column"><div class="fusion-modal modal fade modal-4 DT" tabindex="-1" role="dialog" aria-labelledby="modal-heading-4" aria-hidden="true" style="--awb-border-color:#66acc4;--awb-background:var(--awb-color1);"><div class="modal-dialog modal-lg" role="document"><div class="modal-content fusion-modal-content"><div class="modal-header"><button class="close" type="button" data-dismiss="modal" aria-hidden="true" aria-label="Close">×</button><h3 class="modal-title" id="modal-heading-4" data-dismiss="modal" aria-hidden="true">PROFILE: Dominic Tate, University of Edinburgh</h3></div><div class="modal-body fusion-clearfix"> <p><img decoding="async" class="wp-image-11783 size-thumbnail alignleft" src="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/0143806d-Dominic-Tate-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" srcset="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/0143806d-Dominic-Tate-66x66.jpg 66w, https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/0143806d-Dominic-Tate-150x150.jpg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></p> <p>I am the Head of the University of Edinburgh Library’s Research Support Team. My team provides help and support for staff and students in all matters relating to scholarly communications and research publication, including open access, bibliometrics, copyright and research data management. We also run the University’s research information systems.</p> <p>I’ve always been involved in Open Access and have held scholarly communications and repository management roles at Royal Holloway, University of London and the University of Nottingham. Before I worked in libraries, I started my career working for a commercial Open Access publisher.</p> <p><strong>What role do technical or specialist skills play within your role?</strong></p> <p>There are a range of technical and specialist skills within my role and for all of those in library research support. We need quite specific knowledge and skills around publication and publication processes, metadata for a range of research outputs, research data management (in particular data management planning and long-term data archiving).</p> <p>We also have to have a broader understanding of how different information hangs together, as well as a sound understanding of how research works in the UK. In order to provide support to research staff and students, we need to understand the research lifecycle and and where interventions are necessary. As well as these specific skills, we need good change- and project-management abilities. Ours is a rapidly-evolving area of work and we need to bring researchers along with us, and to do this we need to understand their motivations and incentives.</p> <p><strong>How does the Technician Commitment apply to your role?</strong></p> <p>As well as working with researchers and students, we work very closely with a range of research support professionals right across the University. Their support has been absolutely critical to the University’s successful implementation of various Open Access publications and Research Data Management policies. Librarians are ourselves counted amongst professional services and it’s important to us that all staff who play a role in supporting researchers get recognition and credit for the work they do. In the past, professional services colleagues have in the past not had the same opportunities for career advancement – there has previously not been an established career pathway, and so I’m excited to see more of a commitment to career development for technicians.</p> <p>Over the course of my career I’ve often heard people refer to “academics” and “non-academics” when trying to define different categories of staff within HEIs. I’ve never like the term “non-academic” – it’s never a positive experience to be defined by what you are not. I hope the Technician Commitment will be useful in raising the visibility of professional services staff and the wide and varied expertise we bring to the research endeavour.</p> <p><strong>What would your rallying cry be for the profession?</strong></p> <p>Librarians have always been advocates. We are currently advocating for change in scholarly communications and RDM, and we are providing leadership in Open Science and facilitating change. To do this we work with a very wide range of colleagues from all sorts of disciplines: IT, legal services, finance, HR, research support, administrative etc. We also have a strong commitment to our own professional development. We can act as champions for the Technician Commitment both within our own profession and with all those professional services with whom we work on a daily basis.</p> </div><div class="modal-footer"><button class="fusion-button button-default button-medium button default medium" type="button" data-dismiss="modal">Close</button></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-10 fusion-flex-container nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling" style="--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;" ><div class="fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap" style="max-width:1144px;margin-left: calc(-4% / 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% / 2 );"><div class="fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-19 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column" style="--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;"><div class="fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column"><div class="fusion-text fusion-text-8" style="--awb-text-transform:none;"><h2>Career Development</h2> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Technician Commitment highlights the importance of career development opportunities for technical staff and the need for clear and documented career pathways. Research libraries offer many diverse opportunities for career development and the continuous development of technical skills and expertise. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">RLUK’s </span><a href="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/digital-shift-manifesto/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Digital Shift Manifesto</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (May 2020) cites the need to continually support the development of technical and specialist skills amongst existing staff working across research libraries, whereas RLUK’s research into </span><a href="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Covid19-and-the-digital-shift-in-action-report-FINAL.pdf." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Covid-19 and the digital shift in action</span></i></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> highlighted the benefits of having a strong baseline of digital skills across institutions. The requirements of open access publishing, and open scholarship more broadly, require new technical infrastructures to enable the discovery, dissemination, and distribution of research outputs and materials. The need to invest in specialist and technical skill goes beyond digital skills, with the complex preservation requirements of diverse collections, and the curatorial need to present these to a wide variety of audiences, requiring the continued development of highly specialist, valuable, and technical skills.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In delivering these requirements, there are many collaborative opportunities between institutions, disciplines, and professional practices. Cross-institutional initiatives, such as the </span><a href="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/prof-practice-fellowships/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">AHRC-RLUK Professional Practice Fellowships</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, the </span><a href="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/professional-fellowships/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">RLUK-TNA Professional Fellowship scheme</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and the </span><a href="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/rluk-ahrc-rep/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">RLUK-AHRC Research Engagement Programme</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> all support colleagues to develop their skills and expertise through a programme of collaborative knowledge exchange. Cross sector and international collaborative initiatives, such as the creation of a </span><a href="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/building-a-transatlantic-digital-scholarship-skills-exchange-for-research-libraries/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">transatlantic data and digital scholarship skills</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> exchange between RLUK and the Council of Library and Information Resources (CLIR), underline the shared challenges faced by research libraries in maintaining and developing their technical skills. Such initiatives also demonstrate the collective opportunities to collaborate in developing and sharing skills between institutions. RLUK’s forthcoming Digital Shift workforce development strategy will bring together these initiatives within a coherent strategic framework, and provide opportunities for RLUK members to assess and benchmark their digital skills baseline.</span></p> <ul> <li><b>RLUK will</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> continue to</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">support the career development of colleagues within its member libraries, and the wider academic library community, through its events, skills exchange, and fellowship programmes.</span></li> <li><b>RLUK will </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">support its members undertake skills audits to identify areas of comparative skills needs between institutions and to enable benchmarking. </span></li> <li><b>RLUK will</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> work with AHRC, UKRI, and other like minded stakeholders to promote the importance of technical skills acquisition amongst research library professionals.</span></li> </ul> </div></div></div></div></div><div class="fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-11 fusion-flex-container nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling" style="--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;" ><div class="fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap" style="max-width:1144px;margin-left: calc(-4% / 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% / 2 );"><div class="fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-20 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column" style="--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;"><div class="fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column"></div></div></div></div><div class="fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-12 fusion-flex-container nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling" style="--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-padding-bottom:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;" ><div class="fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap" style="max-width:1144px;margin-left: calc(-4% / 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% / 2 );"><div class="fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-21 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column" style="--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;"><div class="fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column"><div class="fusion-content-boxes content-boxes columns row fusion-columns-1 fusion-columns-total-1 fusion-content-boxes-6 content-boxes-clean-horizontal content-left content-boxes-icon-on-side" style="--awb-backgroundcolor:var(--awb-color3);--awb-body-color:var(--awb-custom16);--awb-title-color:#096a9e;--awb-margin-bottom:0px;--awb-hover-accent-color:#8590aa;--awb-circle-hover-accent-color:#8590aa;--awb-item-margin-bottom:40px;" data-animationOffset="top-into-view"><div style="--awb-backgroundcolor:var(--awb-color3);--awb-content-padding-left:160px;border-color:#d6d6d6;" class="fusion-column content-box-column content-box-column content-box-column-1 col-lg-12 col-md-12 col-sm-12 fusion-content-box-hover content-box-column-last content-box-column-last-in-row"><div class="col content-box-wrapper content-wrapper-background link-area-link-icon icon-hover-animation-slide" data-animationOffset="top-into-view"><div class="heading heading-with-icon icon-left"><div aria-hidden="true" class="image"><img decoding="async" src="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/TK-1-Tony-King-crop-257x300.jpg" width="140" height="163.42" alt="" /></div><h1 class="content-box-heading fusion-responsive-typography-calculated" style="--h1_typography-font-size:25px;--fontSize:25;line-height:1.4;padding-left:160px;">SPOTLIGHT: Tony King, Senior Manager, Conservation and Collections Care, Durham University</h1></div><div class="fusion-clearfix"></div><div class="content-container"> <h3>By embracing the Technician Commitment, organisations show their commitment towards providing high-quality professional expertise in areas perhaps traditionally overlooked. Access to these technical skills opens up the potential of collections by facilitating interactions in all sorts of new and innovative ways.</h3> <div ><a class="fusion-button button-flat fusion-button-default-size button-custom fusion-button-default button-6 fusion-button-span-yes fusion-button-default-type fusion-has-button-gradient" style="--button_accent_color:#ffffff;--button_accent_hover_color:#ffffff;--button_border_hover_color:#ffffff;--button_gradient_top_color:#096a9e;--button_gradient_bottom_color:#4380bc;--button_gradient_top_color_hover:#58849e;--button_gradient_bottom_color_hover:#3276bc;" target="_self" href="#" data-toggle="modal" data-target=".fusion-modal.TK"><span class="fusion-button-text">Read more</span></a></div> </div></div></div><div class="fusion-clearfix"></div></div></div></div><div class="fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-22 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column" style="--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;"><div class="fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column"><div class="fusion-modal modal fade modal-5 TK" tabindex="-1" role="dialog" aria-labelledby="modal-heading-5" aria-hidden="true" style="--awb-border-color:#66acc4;--awb-background:var(--awb-color1);"><div class="modal-dialog modal-lg" role="document"><div class="modal-content fusion-modal-content"><div class="modal-header"><button class="close" type="button" data-dismiss="modal" aria-hidden="true" aria-label="Close">×</button><h3 class="modal-title" id="modal-heading-5" data-dismiss="modal" aria-hidden="true">PROFILE: Tony King, Durham University</h3></div><div class="modal-body fusion-clearfix"> <p><img decoding="async" class="wp-image-11785 size-thumbnail alignleft" src="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/TK-1-Tony-King-crop-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" srcset="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/TK-1-Tony-King-crop-66x66.jpg 66w, https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/TK-1-Tony-King-crop-150x150.jpg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></p> <p>As Senior Manager for Conservation and Collections Care I lead the work of the Team that cares for Durham University’s Library and Museum collections. These diverse, international collections span thousands of years of history and the Conservation Team is responsible for ensuring their preservation and accessibility for researchers. My specialism is in the conservation of archive and library materials, and I have held positions in local authority archive services prior to joining Durham University in 2020.</p> <p>Continuing professional development is crucial in the field of conservation and after graduating with an MA in Conservation I completed the Archives and Records Association Certificate in Archive Conservation. Recently I have achieved Accredited status under the Institute of Conservation’s Professional Accreditation scheme. A particularly rewarding aspect of my work is in enabling access for today’s researchers, but also considering the needs of future generations who will engage with collection items perhaps using innovative analytical techniques.</p> <p><strong>What role do technical or specialist skills play within your role?</strong></p> <p>I am fortunate to work alongside many specialists within the wider Library and Collections Team and interdisciplinary collaboration is crucial for devising conservation strategies for collections. Archivists, Librarians, Curators and Digitisers all form part of the decision making process. Within the Conservation Team there are colleagues who specialise in particular material types and have in-depth technical knowledge of how these collection items were made, how they degrade and what can be done to protect or repair them.</p> <p>My own area of specialist knowledge is archive and library materials which includes documents on paper, parchment as well as books and it is my technical understanding of these materials and the processes developed to preserve them that enable me to take responsibility for their care. One example of this is the preservation of certain types of early photographic materials. With the necessary technical knowledge, I can identify the early stages of irreversible chemical deterioration that will eventually destroy the photograph. By selecting an appropriate form of packaging and storage at low temperature, the expected lifespan of that photograph will be increased by many decades.</p> <p>I facilitate the research activities of academics by approving the use of analytical techniques on original collection items and providing specialist support for researchers.</p> <p><strong>How does the Technician Commitment apply to your role?</strong></p> <p><img decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-11786 alignleft" src="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Conservation-of-Wallpaper-Tony-King-214x300.jpg" alt="" width="214" height="300" srcset="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Conservation-of-Wallpaper-Tony-King-200x280.jpg 200w, https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Conservation-of-Wallpaper-Tony-King-214x300.jpg 214w, https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Conservation-of-Wallpaper-Tony-King-400x560.jpg 400w, https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Conservation-of-Wallpaper-Tony-King-600x840.jpg 600w, https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Conservation-of-Wallpaper-Tony-King.jpg 628w" sizes="(max-width: 214px) 100vw, 214px" />Conservation has made tremendous advances in recent decades, emerging as a profession in its own right, bringing a unique set of skills and technical knowledge to research and academic libraries. Traditionally Conservators worked behind the scenes as repairers of documents and binders of books. Respected for their craft skills but ultimately their role was not regarded as being on the same level as others in the sector. Conservators are now respected as skilled professionals, carrying out their own high-quality research while also facilitating the work of academic colleagues. Sometimes we are the specialists supporting the work of others and often we are supported by Technicians with specialist knowledge we do not have.</p> <p>The four themes of the Technician Commitment champion the key areas for Conservation. External recognition through qualifications and accreditation by professional bodies means employers acknowledge the level of expertise present in their Teams and allows parallels to be drawn between technical roles in different fields. Recognising the required level of specialist knowledge necessary for our roles is vital in the recruitment of new staff and in supporting their development. It has not always been easy to recruit new staff with the right level of expertise and I would hope to see this improve as more organisations commit to support and celebrate technical roles.</p> <p>I am always eager to see our collections used in research and by raising awareness of the presence of these technical skills I hope more researchers will learn of the opportunities to pursue new avenues. These collaborations are of tremendous benefit to my work as greater understanding of our collections directly feeds into better care for them.</p> <p><strong>What would your rallying cry be for the profession?</strong></p> <p>While I would not describe myself as a Technician, my colleagues and I are technical specialists whose work is vital to collections based research. Without a thriving conservation profession, vulnerable collections items will deteriorate and access to them wil be lost. By embracing the Technician Commitment, organisations show their commitment towards providing high-quality professional expertise in areas perhaps traditionally overlooked. Access to these technical skills opens up the potential of collections by facilitating interactions in all sorts of new and innovative ways.</p> <p>Championing the existence of these skills within research libraries promotes them as centres of specialist expertise, strengthening reputations and promoting confidence in depositors and partners. The greatest benefits are derived from a diverse staff of specialists supported by a public commitment to celebrate their work.</p> </div><div class="modal-footer"><button class="fusion-button button-default button-medium button default medium" type="button" data-dismiss="modal">Close</button></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-13 fusion-flex-container nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling" style="--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;" ><div class="fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap" style="max-width:1144px;margin-left: calc(-4% / 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% / 2 );"><div class="fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-23 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column" style="--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;"><div class="fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column"><div class="fusion-text fusion-text-9" style="--awb-text-transform:none;"><h2>Sustainability</h2> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Technician Commitment highlights the need to sustain technical skills across organisations and that these are fully utilised. Research libraries need to continue to attract a wide variety of complex skills and expertise to ensure they can continue to enable, partner in, and lead pioneering research, learning, and innovation. This will involve attracting, and retaining, new talent into the sector whilst continuing to invest in the development of existing staff.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Research libraries operate within a shifting, international, technical skills landscape. An analysis of job descriptions undertaken in 2019/20 revealed the continuing diversification of technical and digital competencies across the research library community and that these feature prominently in job advertisements.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Research suggests that these roles can sometimes be hard to fill and, in a highly competitive job market where technical expertise is at a premium, research libraries can sometimes struggle to attract and retain specialist technical talent.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As a result, research libraries often utilise a mixed-economy of technical skills and expertise to support increasingly complex processes and techniques. They work closely with their academic partners, members of the postgraduate community, and third parties to access technical and specialist expertise around specific processes or techniques. They have developed internship and traineeship schemes, secondment programmes, and fellowship and scholarship opportunities as a means of diversifying the technical and specialist skills available to the library and to benefit from the expertise of a wider array of specialists.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This mixed economy has been seen to bring both benefits and disadvantages. It avoids the concentration of certain specialist technical skills within one or two roles, diversifying the pool on which the library can draw, but often means that its access to certain technical skills is transitory, associated with an individual project or programme. As the skills foundation of research libraries expands and shifts, new opportunities for collaborative skills sharing and acquisition will only become more important.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The RLUK <a href="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/digital-workforce-strategy/">Digital Workforce development strategy</a> (March 2022) presents a series of ways in which academic and research libraries can continue to develop and expand their technical skills base. Developed by members of RLUK’s Associate Directors’ Network (ADN), the strategy cites the importance of investing in existing staff skills, the identification of emerging skills needs, and the need for a workforce development framework to support the sustainable acquisition and retention of digital skills across research libraries.</span></p> <ul> <li><b>RLUK will </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">continue to work with its national and international partners in exploring the changing skills needs of the research library community and the collaborative ways in which these can be met.</span></li> <li><b>RLUK will </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">produce and signpost resources for its members to use to identify their current and emerging skills needs, and to enable benchmarking between institutions.</span></li> </ul> </div></div></div></div></div><div class="fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-14 fusion-flex-container nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling" style="--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-padding-bottom:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;" ><div class="fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap" style="max-width:1144px;margin-left: calc(-4% / 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% / 2 );"><div class="fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-24 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column" style="--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;"><div class="fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column"><div class="fusion-content-boxes content-boxes columns row fusion-columns-1 fusion-columns-total-1 fusion-content-boxes-7 content-boxes-clean-horizontal content-left content-boxes-icon-on-side" style="--awb-backgroundcolor:var(--awb-color3);--awb-body-color:var(--awb-custom16);--awb-title-color:#096a9e;--awb-margin-bottom:0px;--awb-hover-accent-color:#8590aa;--awb-circle-hover-accent-color:#8590aa;--awb-item-margin-bottom:40px;" data-animationOffset="top-into-view"><div style="--awb-backgroundcolor:var(--awb-color3);--awb-content-padding-left:160px;border-color:#d6d6d6;" class="fusion-column content-box-column content-box-column content-box-column-1 col-lg-12 col-md-12 col-sm-12 fusion-content-box-hover content-box-column-last content-box-column-last-in-row"><div class="col content-box-wrapper content-wrapper-background link-area-link-icon icon-hover-animation-slide" data-animationOffset="top-into-view"><div class="heading heading-with-icon icon-left"><div aria-hidden="true" class="image"><img decoding="async" src="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Susan-Halfpenny-01-Susan-Halfpenny-214x300.jpg" width="140" height="196.26" alt="" /></div><h1 class="content-box-heading fusion-responsive-typography-calculated" style="--h1_typography-font-size:25px;--fontSize:25;line-height:1.4;padding-left:160px;">SPOTLIGHT: Susan Halfpenny, Head of Research and Learning Information Services, University of Aberdeen</h1></div><div class="fusion-clearfix"></div><div class="content-container"> <h3>The Technicians Commitment acknowledges the essential work that professional and technical staff undertake to enable teaching, learning and research. The trend in many higher education institutions, in response to the pandemic, to reduce support staff numbers makes it even more imperative that we articulate and recognise the value and specialist skills technical and professional staff provide.</h3> <div ><a class="fusion-button button-flat fusion-button-default-size button-custom fusion-button-default button-7 fusion-button-span-yes fusion-button-default-type fusion-has-button-gradient" style="--button_accent_color:#ffffff;--button_accent_hover_color:#ffffff;--button_border_hover_color:#ffffff;--button_gradient_top_color:#096a9e;--button_gradient_bottom_color:#4380bc;--button_gradient_top_color_hover:#58849e;--button_gradient_bottom_color_hover:#3276bc;" target="_self" href="#" data-toggle="modal" data-target=".fusion-modal.SH"><span class="fusion-button-text">Read more</span></a></div> </div></div></div><div class="fusion-clearfix"></div></div></div></div><div class="fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-25 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column" style="--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;"><div class="fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column"><div class="fusion-modal modal fade modal-6 SH" tabindex="-1" role="dialog" aria-labelledby="modal-heading-6" aria-hidden="true" style="--awb-border-color:#66acc4;--awb-background:var(--awb-color1);"><div class="modal-dialog modal-lg" role="document"><div class="modal-content fusion-modal-content"><div class="modal-header"><button class="close" type="button" data-dismiss="modal" aria-hidden="true" aria-label="Close">×</button><h3 class="modal-title" id="modal-heading-6" data-dismiss="modal" aria-hidden="true">PROFILE: Susan Halfpenny, University of Aberdeen</h3></div><div class="modal-body fusion-clearfix"> <p><img decoding="async" class="size-thumbnail wp-image-11787 alignleft" src="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Susan-Halfpenny-01-Susan-Halfpenny-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" srcset="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Susan-Halfpenny-01-Susan-Halfpenny-66x66.jpg 66w, https://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Susan-Halfpenny-01-Susan-Halfpenny-150x150.jpg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></p> <p>My current role is Head of Research and Learning Information Services at the University of Aberdeen. In practice this means I have strategic leadership responsibilities for Information Consultancy, Cataloguing and Metadata, Medical Library Services and Scholarly Communications. This is a new role which brings together teams with engagement, education, consultancy and technical responsibilities to support the realisation of Aberdeen 2040 vision. Prior to starting this role I worked in a range of liaison, scholarship and application support roles at the University of York. I have dedicated lots of time in my professional life to exploring digital literacies and how digital technologies can transform teaching, research and administrative processes. I am passionate about tackling digital inequalities through advocacy, open access, education and inclusive practice and believe everyone should have the opportunity to develop the critical digital skills that are required to actively participate in the increasingly digital society.</p> <p><strong>What role do technical or specialist skills play within your role?</strong></p> <p>The application and development of technical skills and expertise have been imperative throughout my professional career. They are essential in informing the design and implementation of services and forging meaningful partnerships to support teaching, learning and research activities. My previous role as Head of Digital Scholarship and Innovation at the University of York, required knowledge and application of universal design principles, infrastructure, digital scholarship and digital literacies.</p> <p>Like many library and information professionals, I share my technical knowledge to develop digital capabilities across my organisation, through the delivery of workshops and the creation of open educational resources. Delivery of successful digital literacy teaching requires understanding of academic practice and research methods; it involves application of pedagogical methods and specialist knowledge of computational methods. Beyond my teaching responsibilities, I apply my understanding of digital technologies and methods to provide consultancy services to support staff and students undertaking research and delivering teaching. This involves providing contextual advice on qualitative data analysis, literature searching, copyright and information management. As part of my responsibilities I have collaborated with researchers on the creation of grants proposals, articulating technical and systems requirements, successful applications have resulted in research partnerships to develop digital humanities platforms.</p> <p><strong>How does the Technician Commitment apply to your role?</strong></p> <p>The Technicians Commitment aligns with a number of challenges the library and information profession have been discussing with regards to the ‘digital shift’ and digital scholarship. This includes the need to invest further in professional development, the creation of new routes into the profession, and increased demand for knowledge sharing. I have started to tackle some of these in my professional capacity by developing training opportunities and fostering a culture of digital curiosity: enabling digital creativity and innovation and building digital capabilities.</p> <p>I feel the Technician Commitment applies directly to the work that myself and my teams undertake to enable computational analysis of our collections through the creation of metadata, development of digital information systems and the delivery of training. It strives to secure recognition for the contributions myself and fellow technical staff have undertaken in achieving the research objective; making these more visible both within and beyond the university. It also acknowledges that we need to build technical capacity and further develop specialist skills and expertise; libraries contribute to the achievement of this objective by providing access to information and in their role as educators.</p> <p><strong>What would your rallying cry be for the profession?</strong></p> <p>The Technicians Commitment acknowledges the essential work that professional and technical staff undertake to enable teaching, learning and research. The trend in many higher education institutions, in response to the pandemic, to reduce support staff numbers makes it even more imperative that we articulate and recognise the value and specialist skills technical and professional staff provide. Often the skills and expertise that library and information professionals provide are overshadowed by our spaces and collections.</p> <p>The Technicians Commitment enables us to tackle this issue and gain greater recognition as educators and research partners. It provides us with the opportunity to celebrate the unique skills and knowledge of library and information professionals; to openly acknowledge the work we undertake to support scholarly publications, develop staff and students digital capabilities and enable exploration and analysis of our collections.</p> </div><div class="modal-footer"><button class="fusion-button button-default button-medium button default medium" type="button" data-dismiss="modal">Close</button></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-15 fusion-flex-container nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling" style="--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;" ><div class="fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap" style="max-width:1144px;margin-left: calc(-4% / 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% / 2 );"><div class="fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-26 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column" style="--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;"><div class="fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column"><div class="fusion-text fusion-text-10" style="--awb-text-transform:none;"><h1>Summary</h1> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Research libraries contain diverse technical and specialist skills which enable research, innovation, learning, and experimentation. As a result, RLUK endorses the principles and contents of the Technician Commitment and will champion its application to the research library community.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">RLUK encourages its member libraries to engage with the Technician Commitment and to apply its contents to their own institution. RLUK will continue to convene its members around the key issues raised within the commitment and will advocate for the development, recognition, and elevation of those colleagues who make an essential contribution to the production of scholarly knowledge, innovation, and learning as Research Technical Professionals. </span></p> <p><strong>Showcase your skills:</strong> Would you like to showcase the importance of technical or specialist skills within your role and how the Technician Commitment can apply to your institution? Please email <a href="mailto:programmes@rluk.ac.uk">programmes@rluk.ac.uk</a> to submit a Professional Profile.</p> </div></div></div></div></div> </div> </div> </section> </div>  </main>  <div class="fusion-footer"> <footer class="fusion-footer-widget-area fusion-widget-area"> <div class="fusion-row"> <div class="fusion-columns fusion-columns-4 fusion-widget-area"> <div class="fusion-column col-lg-3 col-md-3 col-sm-3"> <section id="text-3" class="fusion-footer-widget-column widget widget_text"><h4 class="widget-title">Registered address</h4> <div class="textwidget"><p>RLUK<br /> Room 257<br /> Senate House<br /> Malet Street<br /> London<br /> WC1E 7HU</p> </div> <div style="clear:both;"></div></section> </div> <div class="fusion-column col-lg-3 col-md-3 col-sm-3"> <section id="text-4" class="fusion-footer-widget-column widget widget_text"> <div class="textwidget"></div> <div style="clear:both;"></div></section><section id="custom_html-3" class="widget_text fusion-footer-widget-column widget widget_custom_html"><div class="textwidget custom-html-widget"><a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons Licence" style="border-width:0" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-sa/4.0/88x31.png" /></a><br />Our work is licensed under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License</a>.</div><div style="clear:both;"></div></section><section id="text-11" class="fusion-footer-widget-column widget widget_text" style="border-style: solid;border-color:transparent;border-width:0px;"> <div class="textwidget"><p><a href="https://www.rluk.ac.uk/accessibility/">Accessibility statement</a></p> </div> <div style="clear:both;"></div></section> </div> <div class="fusion-column col-lg-3 col-md-3 col-sm-3"> </div> <div class="fusion-column fusion-column-last col-lg-3 col-md-3 col-sm-3"> </div> <div class="fusion-clearfix"></div> </div>  </div>  </footer>  </div>  </div>  </div>  <a class="fusion-one-page-text-link fusion-page-load-link" tabindex="-1" href="#" aria-hidden="true">Page load link</a> <div class="avada-footer-scripts"> <script type="text/javascript">var fusionNavIsCollapsed=function(e){var t,n;window.innerWidth<=e.getAttribute("data-breakpoint")?(e.classList.add("collapse-enabled"),e.classList.remove("awb-menu_desktop"),e.classList.contains("expanded")||window.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent("fusion-mobile-menu-collapsed",{detail:{nav:e}})),(n=e.querySelectorAll(".menu-item-has-children.expanded")).length&&n.forEach(function(e){e.querySelector(".awb-menu__open-nav-submenu_mobile").setAttribute("aria-expanded","false")})):(null!==e.querySelector(".menu-item-has-children.expanded .awb-menu__open-nav-submenu_click")&&e.querySelector(".menu-item-has-children.expanded .awb-menu__open-nav-submenu_click").click(),e.classList.remove("collapse-enabled"),e.classList.add("awb-menu_desktop"),null!==e.querySelector(".awb-menu__main-ul")&&e.querySelector(".awb-menu__main-ul").removeAttribute("style")),e.classList.add("no-wrapper-transition"),clearTimeout(t),t=setTimeout(()=>{e.classList.remove("no-wrapper-transition")},400),e.classList.remove("loading")},fusionRunNavIsCollapsed=function(){var e,t=document.querySelectorAll(".awb-menu");for(e=0;e<t.length;e++)fusionNavIsCollapsed(t[e])};function avadaGetScrollBarWidth(){var e,t,n,l=document.createElement("p");return l.style.width="100%",l.style.height="200px",(e=document.createElement("div")).style.position="absolute",e.style.top="0px",e.style.left="0px",e.style.visibility="hidden",e.style.width="200px",e.style.height="150px",e.style.overflow="hidden",e.appendChild(l),document.body.appendChild(e),t=l.offsetWidth,e.style.overflow="scroll",t==(n=l.offsetWidth)&&(n=e.clientWidth),document.body.removeChild(e),jQuery("html").hasClass("awb-scroll")&&10<t-n?10:t-n}fusionRunNavIsCollapsed(),window.addEventListener("fusion-resize-horizontal",fusionRunNavIsCollapsed);</script> <script> window.RS_MODULES = window.RS_MODULES || {}; 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