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Jill Beard is a Library and Learning Support Manager at Bournemouth University, a service which includes libraries, learning technology, and academic skills development. She has written extensively over many years on a wide range of subjects and is currently co-editing a book on Digital Library Environments in Higher Education (Ashgate, 2010).

Describes how the British Library Co‐operation and Partnership Programme and a consortium led by Bournemouth University funded a research study to work with public libraries to enhance access to quality‐assured health information for the lay public. The study ran between July 2001 and March 2003. The resulting demonstrator product was Healthinfo4, a unique Web‐based resource developed and designed specifically for the lay public. Focuses on how the internal and external quality assurance and evaluation of the research study was achieved

To acquire academic literacy students need library buildings that take account of “what the student does”, changing learning styles and preparation for employment in a digital world. Equally as academic staff develop innovative e‐learning activities, library spaces need to accommodate new learning opportunities. This paper aims to consider how the design of library buildings contributes to a complex and evolving range of academic literacies and emerging pedagogical frameworks. The paper also seeks to consider the contribution these literacies make to the experience of students reading for a degree in an increasingly digital environment.

The paper draws on the experience at Bournemouth University, where a higher education academy‐funded project accelerated the introduction of new technologies into learning and teaching frameworks. A new library building, The Sir Michael Cobham Library, enabled the creation of learning spaces that are flexible and responsive to the changing needs of users.

Innovative spaces and evolving pedagogies demand different levels of academic literacy to enable students to succeed in physical and digital environments.

This reflective review adds new dimensions to the body of knowledge underpinning both the study of learning spaces and academic literacy.

The purpose of this paper is to survey the impact of electronic resources on the learning and teaching community of Bournemouth University.

Action research was used over a two‐year period, with the results from one academic school were compared the following year with the results from two other schools.

The findings in the paper show how the use of, and enthusiasm for, electronic resources is widespread amongst students and staff.

The paper demonstrates the effectiveness and value in using action research to assess service offerings.

A review of a five‐year project to design, implement, promote and evaluate a virtual enquiry desk in a new British University. The service specification, target audience and process of development are documented and discussed. The results of an evaluative survey of 30 users reveal that rather than distance or part‐time students, the majority of users are full‐time undergraduate students submitting questions within 15 miles of the University during core opening times. It is clear that the Library is still operating within a “hybrid” rather than purely electronic environment, and the implications of this for partner colleges are considered. The paper concludes with some pointers for the future of a service that is now firmly established as part of the subject advice service offered to Bournemouth University students 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

This chapter focuses on how social media tools can be used to enhance collaboration in higher education and the benefits and challenges that this can bring. We investigate how two social media tools, social bookmarking, and microblogging, can be utilized to foster collaboration and determine why this is important in contemporary higher education. Case studies of social media use at Bournemouth University show how social bookmarking and microblogging have already yielded benefits.The case studies are grounded in the challenges facing higher education in 2010. We explore how social media has been used in the context of a need to enhance academic excellence and drive efficiencies in the face of funding constraints and changing demographics.

The case studies illustrate, first, how social bookmarking has been used to foster group cohesion, reflective practice, and evaluative skills in students, as well as being used at an institutional level to drive professional and administrative efficiencies; and second, how microblogging has made a difference in promoting reflective learning, group cohesion, and professional awareness in students and how this style of social networking has contributed to enhancing academic and professional networks.

Whilst the tools, uses, and stakeholders vary, the case studies show how social media has enabled collaboration between, students, academics, librarians, learning technologists, and even professional groups beyond the institution. We conclude that, when used appropriately, social media can facilitate the collaboration that will be essential to overcome the challenges facing higher education.