Ravensbourne College of Design and

Communication

LRC user guide…

LRC
SERVICE LEVEL
AGREEMENT

Table of contents
Introduction 2

Stock Circulation Service 4

Borrowing limits and borrower types 4
Borrowing periods and renewals 5
Reservation 5
Overdue procedures and charges 6
LRC Collection and Maintenance Service 9
Print Collection (Books and journals) 9
Audiovisual Collection 11
Electronic Resources Collections 14
Inter-library loans and referrals service 16
Reprographics 18
Student Support and Enquiry Services 20
Services for students with disabilities 22

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1. Introduction

1.1 What are Service level agreements?

A Service Level Agreement (SLA) is a quality assurance mechanism that enables
services to be measured, monitored and improved accordingly. The SLA enables us to
measure our performance, and allows LRC users to check that services are running to
this standard, should there be any need to complain.

1.2 How do I know that services are running to the standards set?
There are basic checks in place – for example we publish a timescale for certain
services. In addition, LRC staff will maintain logs of service that can be checked to
ensure standards are being achieved. At the end of each academic year the LRC annual
critical appraisal will publish statistics of performance.

1.3 Will the LRC always meet the standards?

Learning Resource Services are complex and the fulfilment of them is dependent on a
number of variables, some of which are beyond our immediate control – for example,
the loan of a book from another library, supply of goods from a bookseller and so on. As
such, we cannot guarantee performance where external agencies are used.

The fulfilment of the standards is of a contractual nature between end user and the LRC
staff. We rely upon accurate and timely information being provided to us. We cannot for
example ensure timely availability of Course reading lists if they are provided to us one
week prior to the start of the academic year. Accordingly, the SLA will determine the
base-line conditions under which we can perform effectively.

SLA are governed by resource issues, and ALL agreements will be underwritten by the
following clauses:

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• Service delivery is subject to operating within current staffing levels, and thus
affected by staff absence, or vacant posts

• SLA is subject to LRC budgetary constraints and operates under the current
financial year resource envelope

• SLA cannot guarantee performance where external agencies or third parties

are used

1.4 What should I do if I am dissatisfied with an LRC service or resource?

Firstly, report your concerns to a member of LRC staff. LRC staff will look into the issue
and check against the Service Level Agreements. If you have justifiable grounds for
complaint, the Head of Service will contact you to agree how to remedy the situation.

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2. Circulation of LRC stock

Aims of service
• To provide at least one circulation point for the issuing and return of materials
during opening times in line with restrictions put into place to allow the fair
distribution of resources
• To provide back-up services in case of system failure but occasionally service
points may have to be closed

Responsibilities of LRC staff and LRC users

2.1 Borrowing limits and borrower types

LRC staff will:

• Issue items up to a limit of twenty for students and staff including two audio-visual
items
• Issue ERASMUS students up to five items
• Allow borrowing by alumni by pre-arrangement, provided proof of address and
telephone number are given in advance. Allow borrowing for part-time and
distance learning students from another institution if it is a member of the UK
Libraries Plus scheme
• Issue up to two back issues of journals excluding the current issue and indicated
reference copies which are kept behind the issue desk
• Only issue materials onto your card with your consent in person and check the ID
of all users before issuing

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In order to meet these standards we expect LRC users to:

• Show your college ID card before materials can be issued to you

• Inform the LRC if your card is lost or has been stolen

2.2 Borrowing periods and renewals

LRC staff will:

• Issue books for 4 weeks, excluding short loans and project collection, and extend
this time to cover vacations
• Issue journals, project collection loans and audio-visual materials overnight, and
allow renewal for one extra day if the item has not already gone overdue, by
telephone, email, or in person. Staff can also renew overnight loans once by
using the iPAC. If the item is already overdue, it will have to be present to be
renewed
• Renew books twice without the item being present (as long as it has not been
reserved) by telephone, email (lrc@rave.ac.uk), on the iPAC, or in person
• Manually issue reference materials from behind the issue desk until the end of
the working day

In order to meet these standards we expect LRC users to:

• Contact the LRC in person, by phone or by email if you have any queries about
your loans or wish to renew them
• Inform the LRC if you are likely to be absent from the college for any length or
time, for example on work placement, and arrange for your loans to be renewed
to cover this period

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• Inform LRC staff if you are taking reference materials from behind the issue desk
and provide details of your name and course. These materials should be returned
the same day

2.3 Reservations

LRC staff will:

• Allow you to reserve any books (not overnight loans) that are on loan either in
person, by telephone or by using the iPAC, up to a maximum of six books
• Manage an automated email system to notify you when reserved books have
arrived, or if the reservation is cancelled
• Keep reserved items at the LRC Counter for you for one week, after which time it
will either return to the open shelves, or kept for the next person who has
reserved it

In order to meet these standards we expect LRC users to:

• Return any items you have on loan that have been reserved, on or before the due
date

2.4 Overdue procedures and charges

LRC staff will:

• Send out automated emails every working day to inform you about overdue
materials, although this may not be possible in the result of any system failure
• Produce printed invoices asking for payment or a replacement copy for items that
are very overdue. These will normally be circulated to your department, but can

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also be collected from the LRC, and will be required in order to make payment at
the finance office. The minimum replacement charge for books is £20. Your loans
will be suspended until the material is returned or payment made
• Charge you for any proven damage to books or journals, whether they are issued
to you or not
• Make note of any correspondence received from other departments about
student absence or sickness, and suspend overdue notices and invoices if
necessary.

In order to meet these standards we expect LRC users to:

• Return or renew materials on or before the day they are due

• Regularly check your email so that you are aware of any notices that the LRC
may be trying to send you, bearing in mind that these messages are automated
• Let the LRC know if you have any queries about your loans, or any problems
returning or renewing them
• Pay any outstanding fines/replacement charges to the Finance office using the
printed invoice, and provide the LRC with the receipt from this invoice before your
record can be cleared

2.5 General

LRC staff will:

• Provide a manual back-up system for issuing should the library system fail
• Provide a book bin to return materials when the college is open but the LRC is
shut
• Shelve all returned materials within two working days in term-time. Recently
returned materials will be marked as ‘Shelving trolley’ on the LRC catalogue

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In order to meet these standards we expect LRC users to:

• Allow sufficient time for material to be issued and returned before the LRC closes
• Be responsible for any materials issued onto your card, and not leave them
unattended or lend them to others. If the item is not returned, you may be liable
for a replacement cost
• Make sure materials are issued to you before you leave the LRC and return to the
issue desk if the security alarm sounds

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3. LRC Collection Development and

Maintenance

3.1 Print Collection

Aims of service

• The timely and cost-effective supply of books and journals to support course
requirements and individual research needs

Responsibilities of service

LRC staff will:

• Receive annual publications, such as handbooks and directories between 4-6

weeks after publication (dependent on supplier performance)
• Remove all superseded annual publications from the shelves as soon as the new
edition is received
• Make available for loan all new annual publications and reference works within 4
weeks of being received from the supplier
• Order book purchases within one week of being requested by members of staff,
or students. They will be kept behind the LRC desk for the person who requested
them for one week, after which time they will be put on the open shelves
• Order new and forthcoming publications throughout the year from the catalogues
of leading specialist publishing houses and supplier’s electronic alerting system.
• Maintain a collection of publisher’s catalogues at the LRC Counter for reference
by, or lending to academic staff

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• Inform individuals requesting a book for purchase via e-mail, within five working
days of the title arriving, and within one working day to confirm whether the
material will be purchased
• Undertake an annual stock audit during the summer vacation to remove outdated
material, and prepare lists of new orders
• Publish a new acquisitions list on the LRC website on a monthly basis
• Assess LRC journal subscriptions on an annual basis in April / May of each year.
Lists of journal subscription will be circulated to all staff during this review process
for recommendations of new subscriptions / subscription cancellations
• Review journal archive policies annually and with the addition of each new title
• Make new issues of journals available on the shelves within one working day of
being received
• Chase missing issues with the journal subscriptions agent on a monthly basis

Responsibilities of users

In order to meet these standards we expect LRC users to:

• Check the online LRC Catalogue (accessible from the LRC website) prior to
submitting a purchase request to verify that sufficient copies of the text are not
already in stock or on order
• Consult the LRC stock purchase requests: Guidelines for College staff when
ordering reading list materials
• Request book purchases using the Interlibrary Loan / Book Buying Request
form (available from the LRC counter or the LRC website at
http://www.rave.ac.uk/intranet/lrc/lrc_web_site/illrequestform.doc)
• Provide as much information as possible about the book or journal being
requested
• Submit purchase requests well in advance. Depending on the item required, it
can take anything from one week to two months for an item to be supplied,

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catalogued, processed and made available for loan in the LRC. The cost of
ordering books for immediate delivery is prohibitively expensive and therefore
must be limited to 10% of annual stock requests
• Provide us with a current email address where you can be contacted regarding
requests
• Not expect the LRC to purchase any material from you in retrospect. ALL
purchases must be agreed in advance
• Be aware that the end of the financial year (July) may prohibit ordering of material
until new budgets are received in August

3.2 Audiovisual Collection

Aims of Service

• To provide a dedicated facility in the LRC for the viewing of off-air video
recordings, commercially available videotapes and DVDs. The Audiovisual Room
in the LRC also contains video dubbing and video printing facilities, as well as a
DVD recorder that students may use to transfer copyright cleared material

Responsibilities of service

LRC staff will ensure that:

• Off-air video recordings will usually be accessioned and searchable on the LRC
catalogue within 24 hours of transmission

• Requests made for off-air material (in person or by e-mail) will be processed
within 24 hours. Process involves posting to Artdeslib (art librarians bulletin
board). If no response received within 5 days, a request can be made to BUFVC
(British Universities Film and Video Council) on the condition that we have not

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used our allocation of 12 recordings per annum. The requester will be notified by
e-mail if and when the programme is received and accessioned

• Requests for commercially available DVDs and video titles will be sourced and
details passed on to the budget holder (Head of LRC) usually within 5 working
days. Availability of commercially available material is out of the control of the
LRC, and so time taken to purchase requested items may vary. Again, the
requester will be notified if and when the material becomes available

N.B. A/V material requested must be of an educational nature. If material is

difficult to source, on occasion the LRC will reimburse students the cost of
viewing or purchasing of material (e.g. viewing of 16mm film stock at BFI film
library). Please see the Media Services Officer if you need to take advantage of
this service

• Off-air video collection to be weeded annually to ensure relevance to ever

changing course requirements

• LRC users will be given basic one to one training on request in the use of
dubbing equipment and video printer. Printed User Guides will be available from
the LRC issue desk for this equipment, and on show adjacent to relevant
equipment in the A/V Playback Room

• Playback equipment to be repaired/replaced as soon as is reasonably possible

depending on budgetary constraints, turnaround time for repairs, and availability
of equivalent replacement equipment

• Broadcasting student production videos will be stored in LRC

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Users’ responsibilities

In order to meet these standards we expect LRC users to:

• Leave equipment and A/V material in the state in which they found it

• Inform LRC staff of broken / malfunctioning equipment / A/V materials

• Provide sufficient notification for requests of project and lecture support materials
(Staff)

• Comply with terms and conditions of the College’s off-air ERA (Educational
Recording Agency) licence. Off-air recordings may be copied as long as they:

• Are for educational purposes only (e.g.. for criticism and review)
• Are not separated from their original soundtracks
• Are not used for the promotional, administrative or commercial purposes of
the educational establishment
• Are not shown in performance before a private or public audience whether
or not it has made a payment to see the performance

For more information on full terms and conditions of the ERA licensing
scheme please go to http://www.era.org.uk/

• Commercially purchased videos and/or DVDs may not be copied

• When depositing videotapes for addition to student production archive,

Broadcasting staff/students must fill out a School of Broadcasting Archive form to
allow programme details to be included in the searchable LRC catalogue. Please
see Media Services Officer for a downloadable and printable version of the form
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3.3 Electronic Resources Collection

Aims of service

• To select and provide access to electronic resources (databases, electronic

journals and associated web services) relevant to areas of study offered by the
College
• To familiarise students and staff with LRC electronic resources, helping students
to develop research skills and promoting independent learning

Responsibilities of service

LRC staff will:

• Provide campus-wide access to all electronic resources in compliance with

licensing agreements
• Manage registration and password procedures to support off-campus access to
electronic resources where available, including ATHENS access
• Provide guidance and advice on the most appropriate LRC resources to use to
answer your information needs throughout LRC opening hours
• Provide small group demonstrations of electronic research resources, within at
least two working weeks from date of request
• Produce LRC user guides for all LRC electronic resources and make these
guides available on the LRC website and in printed format
• Update LRC user guides with every new release of LRC electronic resources
• Publicise all newly purchased electronic resources and provide LRC user guides
as soon as is practicable
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• Organise trials of new electronic resources, circulate trial information to staff and
students via email as soon as is practicable, and monitor user feedback
• Provide access to new electronic resources within four weeks of purchase order,
subject to vendor response
• Investigate faults with electronic information resources within one day of
notification. Please note: In the case of faults requiring action from service
providers, the LRC cannot provide guaranteed response times for third parties
• Inform staff and students via email of any planned system downtime of more than
24 hours as advised by ATHENS or service providers

Responsibilities of users

In order to meet these standards we expect LRC users to:

• Attend all induction sessions, or research sessions organized for you

• Be prepared to use LRC user guides to help you use resources effectively
• Allow two working weeks to obtain an appointment for a small group
demonstration of a resource
• Make use of scheduled enquiry desk sessions to request informal individual
demonstrations of resources
• Be responsible for Electronic Resources’ usernames and passwords provided to
you by LRC staff
• Provide proof that you are a registered student at the College should this be
required by LRC staff
• Report any faults with the resource to a member of LRC staff, making careful note
of any on-screen error message

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4. Inter-library loans and referrals

service

Aims of service

• To provide a service using contacts and networks outside of the College to obtain
information for you that is not held by the College
• To provide information about other libraries and outside sources of information for
students and staff
• To purchase rather than borrow resources requested through interlibrary loans if
they are relevant to course subject areas
• To absorb the cost of the inter-library loan service rather than passing it on to the
end user

Responsibilities of LRC service

LRC staff will:

• Always give users the option of requesting the material through inter-library loan
or purchase if it cannot be found through a catalogue/database search

• Begin processing the same day for requests received before midday

• Sort requests within at least one working day into purchase or loan categories

• Contact you by e-mail with any queries we have regarding your request within
three working days

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• Contact you by e-mail when the information you require is ready for you to collect
from the LRC

• Under certain circumstances, (e.g. absence form College through illness, work
placement, jury service etc.), we can post information to your contact address as
long as regulations relating to copyright declarations are observed

• On occasions where the information cannot be borrowed or purchased for you,

inform you where to visit in order to consult the information and provide
information about co-operative schemes for visiting other libraries

• Advise you of alternatives within two weeks, on the rare occasion when we
cannot track the exact information you require

• Communicate approximate waiting times to you as soon as we receive this

information ourselves. It is impossible, however to set timescales to these
standards, since borrowing material from other sources is beyond our control and
at the discretion of the other library

Users’ responsibilities

In order to meet these standards we expect LRC users to:

• Plan your research in advance and provide as much notice as possible for your
information requirements

• Keep in contact with LRC staff with regard to your request/s (at present, we can
provide you with progress updates only on request)

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• Provide us with a current email address and regularly check your email for any
messages or requests for further information

• Check that the material is not already available in the LRC before submitting a
request

• Limit your inter-library loan requests so that no more than five are in process for
you at any time, to allow for administration and for reasonable time to read any
books before they need to be returned

• Be aware that materials from other libraries may be subject to different loan
periods than those for LRC books and they should be returned on demand. If
materials are not returned on demand your Inter-Library loans will be suspended
until the material is returned or payment made

5. Reprographics
Reprographics are the services provided to the college relating to photocopying, printing
and related presentation work. These are provided in conjunction with ICT.

Aim of service

• To provide advice on reprographics and oversee maintenance of reprographics

equipment during core hours (9-5) in term time

Responsibilities of LRC service

LRC staff will:

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• Provide self-service black & white and colour photocopy services

• Provide a coin operated machine for topping up photocopy credits
• Offer machines for laminating, wire and plastic binding, advice on these within
core hours and printed instructions where available
• Provide black/white and colour printers for student use
• Display information about the price of photocopying and printing
• Refer printing problems to the IT department (ICT) within one working day
• Refer photocopy faults that cannot be resolved to an engineer within one working
day, and place dated out of order notices on copiers that are not working
• Give advice concerning which materials to use and not use in copiers, according
to manufacturers guidelines, and display this next to the copiers
• Display information and provide a user guide on basic copying procedures
• Display information about copyright restrictions
• Check paper levels for copiers and printers in the college on a daily basis, and
refill from LRC or ICT supplies
• Give advice on photocopying within core hours (9-5)

Users’ responsibilities

In order to meet these standards we expect LRC users to:

• Observe copyright conditions relating to photocopying

• Use only suitable materials in photocopiers, as recommended by the Media
Services Assistant, or displayed next to the copiers
• Report any copier problems (including paper jams) to the Media Services
Assistant, and printer problems to the ICT Help Desk, or to LRC issue desk in
their absence

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• Ensure that you arrange print, photocopy or bind work well in advance of
deadlines to take into account equipment failure

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6. Student support and enquiry

services

Aims of services

• To create a supportive and encouraging environment in which students can

develop research skills and use the resources on offer with confidence
• To guide and assist LRC users through the provision of general information and
referral to specific sources of information. This is mainly a self-access collection,
however a responsive enquiry service will be available to support the appropriate
use of the collection
• To provide formal teaching sessions organized with Course Leaders to introduce
key resources available for research
• To provide informal support through enquiry services

Responsibilities of LRC service

The LRC will:

• Provide one member of staff at the main enquiry point during full term-time
opening hours, and at the upper floor desk between 10-11 and 2-3
• Staff enquiry points with experienced and fully trained information assistants
• Aim to answer your query at point of contact. In cases where more time is
required, we will establish when you may expect a response from the information
service team. This will normally be LESS than one working week
• Aim to provide information from LRC resources, or obtain it for you from other
sources

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• Communicate with you via e-mail or personal visits to the LRC only. We are
unable to offer a telephone service
• Offer additional support to students undertaking dissertations at undergraduate
level as timetabled by academic staff
• Publish relevant information through the LRC website as required – for example
research and resource guides for specific courses. Project resource guides can
be produced upon request from Course staff, providing we are given 2 working
weeks notice

Users’ responsibilities

In order to meet these standards we expect LRC users to:

• Perform an initial search using the LRC catalogue, and be prepared to use other
resources as appropriate
• Be prepared to clarify your exact information needs
• Be prepared to be referred to another member of staff, and in certain cases to
another information provider internally, or externally to the College
• Be prepared to wait for the information in cases where the material has to be
borrowed from another library. We advise you to begin research well in advance
of project deadlines
• Participate fully in organized sessions and undertake practical work set
• Allow one working day should you request a demonstration of a resource
• Communicate any difficulty you may have using a resource, or following a guide
to the member of staff at the enquiry point
• Communicate any ideas you may have for resource improvements via e-mail
LRC@rave.ac.uk

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7. Services for students with

disabilities

Aims of services

• To work towards providing a service that can be accessed by all students

• To improve services for students with disabilities through reasonable adjustments
wherever relevant

Responsibilities of LRC service

LRC staff will:

Access
• Provide physical access to the ground floor via a wheelchair ramp and to the
upper floor by lift.

• Arrange for students with disabilities to hold a key to the lift if they need to use it
on a regular basis

• Ensure rooms within the LRC are laid out to enable wheelchair access. If at any
time students experience difficulty gaining access to a room they should report
this to any member of LRC staff

Fetching service
• LRC staff can be asked at any time to fetch inaccessible materials, or provide “at
shelf” assistance. During very busy periods students may have to wait a short
time until a member of staff is free. However, they should not wait more than 10
minutes for this service
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Loans policy
• Extend loan periods for books (up to 6 weeks) if students’ particular learning
requirements demand this. The Student Welfare Officer, or Personal tutors can
organise this

Accessibility of Information
• Produce information and guides in large print. We can also provide this
information on different coloured paper on request

• Make all of the information guides available on the LRC website as MSWord
documents that can be modified and printed out according to students’ particular
requirements

• Produce web materials according to accessibility guidelines. We welcome

students’ feedback on its usability and accessibility

Individual support
• Arrange for students to speak to a member of LRC staff in a quiet area
• Arrange additional support on a one to one basis - we may not always be able to
provide this service immediately, and will schedule a suitable appointment time

Learning Support
• Provide a location for some of the learning support sessions that are organized
for students as a result of educational psychologist’s reports. If students’ have
difficulty accessing the tutorial rooms in the LRC, please inform the Student
Welfare Officer who will try to arrange an alternative venue

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Further information and advice
If you are concerned about any aspect of the LRC services or facilities, or need further
advice and guidance please contact:

Stephen Bowman
Head of Student Information Services
Email: s.bowman@rave.ac.uk
Telephone: 0208 2894919

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