Richard Scarry’s What do people do all day was my favourite book as a child and I’ve given it to many other children as presents. I thought I would give you an indication of what an academic does. It’s nice when people thing that I get lots of holidays (true to an extent) and that my job revolves around the students being present (it doesn’t). As Head of Department, the students’ presence makes little material difference to what I do, other than having teaching. It may come as a surprise that I only do about eighty hours of face-to-face teaching a year in classrooms. I do, however, do double that online to our distance learning students through our Virtual Campus. More than two-thirds of my Department’s student are distance learners, spread across the globe. My main teaching is Managing Library Services and I’ve just finished marking the distance learners’ assignments. My main role as Head of Department is running the department and managing the staff team. This involves annual planning, budgets, staff workload and timetabling, curriculum development, staff appraisals and the daily ‘fire-fighting’ of issues. It also means being the Department representative on a number of committees such as our Faculty Senior Management Group and the Quality Enhancement Committee. I also represent the Faculty on some committees of the University such as the Academic Regulations Committee or the Visiting Professors Appointment Committee. Every year there are working parties which I’m asked to join looking at specific issues. This year these include the Professorial Roles Review working party and the Cultural Regeneration working group. A chunk of my time is taken up supervising my Masters and PhD students who are scattered across the world too and are investigating a bewildering array of topics. When I can, I do bits of my own research. This is centred around library history or historical bibliography, local studies librarianship (basically how libraries serve the local history field) and increasingly this includes the use of digital technology. My other big area of research is public library management and quality and last year I conducted two large projects for the Scottish Library and Information Council (on behalf of the government) to review and revise the quality standards used for Scottish Public Libraries (this received regular mention in the press in locally because of Moray Council’s recent deliberations over libraries). The new Quality Framework will be
Gordon Chapel is, of course, that it is upstairs; but this inevitably presents enormous difficulties in terms of access for those less able. The notion of installing a lift has been a long-cherished goal and we see it as essential. Should planning permission be granted, a major fund-raising campaign (involving grant applications to various bodies) will begin. The extension will, of course, be entirely in keeping with the style of the building and suitable for a Grade A listed building. On another front, we have finally had the new clear stained-glass window installed at the back of the church (over the main door). This was a false window until we moved the organ during our renovation work a couple of years ago. We now have excellent levels of light at the back of the church as well as a lovely view down Duke Street to the Square and the Bellie Kirk. View from the new window (on a gye dreich Sunday morning in January) looking down Duke Street to the Bellie Kirk. By coincidence, one of the grandsons of Mr & Mrs Macaulay who lived in the White House on the right works in the same Faculty as I do. PHR Friends’ Prize Draw winners The winners of the Friends of Gordon Chapel Prize Draw for December were as follows: £100 Mrs Sally-Rose Gordon Lennox £75 Master Oliver Souter £50 Mr James Sugden £25 Mrs Lorna Logan Congratulations to the winners. New Vestry