July Round-Up - Projects Happening Across Apps

To ensure the University Library General Collections meet the needs of current and future users, a de-duplication project has begun as part of the ‘Collections 2025’ programme. Targeting the General Collections found across all Library sites, items have been selected based on the previous findings of a large data-gathering exercise.    

The aim is to remove low-use multiple print items as libraries continue to maximise online access to content where possible. The assessment of print book usage and resulting de-duplication projects are an integral part of General Collections management in academic libraries to ensure existing collections remain relevant. 

This will allow the collections to grow in response to users needs and to support the effective use and development of library spaces. Project timescales and processes are currently being agreed, with further information to follow as plans progress. 

A project has been launched to determine the status of all applications hosted using Django, identifying those which need to be upgraded to the newest version.  

As the Django framework houses web applications written in Python, the team also expect to identify applications that need Python upgrades too. The team has begun consultation and will release updates on their work later in the year. 

The 4Risk risk management system is used across the University in colleges and professional support groups to record objectives, identify risks, implement controls, track progress and produce reports in line with the Scottish Code of Good HE Governance.

The 4Risk vendor RSM UK have announced that support for the current version will cease in December 2023, therefore this project is aiming to roll out this new update to the University in September 2023.   

The implementation of this project is to ensure that the existing application version is migrated to the latest version (V2), and that all application documentation, both system and end user, is updated. Enhanced communication and a training roadshow are included in the scope to ensure that users are aware of the changes. 

Communication and Marketing (CAM) in collaboration with Student Recruitment and Admission (SRA) are looking to develop a more holistic view to support a more targeted approach to Student recruitment. 

In particular, they will examine the possibility of integrating tools such as DotDigital (for outbound e-mail marketing) and Gecko Engage (for Webforms) with the Dynamics CRM platform.  

This would allow us to provide recruiters with actionable information to optimise and evaluate our marketing efforts, to support lead management and improve targeted recruitment initiatives, and to provide a better prospective student experience.  

The project will look to identify golden copy data, data flows between systems, business processes for managing the data, and implementing each integration.