Library Science, Digital transformation, Emerging technologies in libraries, Strategic planning and management, Open access
My career as an academic librarian commenced at The University of the West Indies (UWI), St Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago, in 1999, having previously been employed as a librarian/information specialist at the Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standards for eight years. I was promoted to the position of Senior Librarian in 2012 at The UWI, and then Campus Librarian from 2015 to the present. As Campus Librarian I carry the overall responsibility for the administration and advancement of The University of the West Indies St. Augustine Campus Libraries in alignment with the strategic direction of the University. I pay particular attention to ensuring that the library programmes and services offered are fit for purpose and contribute to the mission and reflect the priorities of The University of the West Indies. I have throughout my career at The UWI been focused to a great extent on creating an environment that fosters the libraries’ engagement with and support of the University’s research and scholarly communication, and teaching agendas using innovative and traditional methods of information and data organization, and overseeing the innovative advancement of library technology and furthering the creative use of emerging technologies within the Campus Library environment.
I graduated with the Masters in Library Studies from the UWI Mona Campus in 1991, and from that time my major focus as a librarian was looking at how best information technology could be applied to improving the delivery of library services and resources. At the UWI, my accomplishments have included: the implementation of a web server at the library and the design and development of the first web site of the campus libraries in 1999; establishing remote access to the library catalogue via the Internet in 2000; the deployment of the past examination papers database in 2001, the initiation of the digitization programme at the library in 2002 through a grant received from the Reed Foundation; the design and development of a web based interface for the federated searching of library subscribed e-resoures (e-ResourcesFinder) in 2003; the production of various iterations of information literacy tutorials/courses for integration in the campus learning management platforms TopClass, WebCT, and Moodle from 2000 to 2007; the establishment and launch of the UWI institutional repository (UWISpace) in 2008; the establishment of the Digital Library Services Centre (DLSC) located in The Alma Jordan Library in 2009. I have collaborated with academic departments guiding them in the production of open access online journals which were hosted on the library’s web site, the initial ones being History in Action and Tout Moun, and developed and managed the websites for a number of conferences arranged on the campus. The library as publisher within the open access environment was an objective that I furthered with the establishment of the Open Journal System on the St. Augustine Campus through which fifiteen UWI-produced journals are now hosted.
In 2011, I successfully led the development of the Campus Libraries strategic/operational plan for the then upcoming UWI Strategic planning period 2012-2017. In 2016, I was asked by the Pro-Vice Chancellor for Graduate Studies and Research to propose a solution for promoting the researcher expertise and research endeavours being undertaken across all UWI campuses. This led to my design of a platform which two of the IT Officers at the Alma Jordan Library were able to develop and deploy the beta version of, by 2018. This system has been branded UWIScholar. I am currently serving as the sponsor leading the digital transformation of the Knowledge Resources domain (Library and Archives) under the rubric of the UWI wide digital transformation project.
My research activities include digital transformation, risks to, and sustainability of, academic libraries, open access, open educational resources, AI prompt engineering, and data management. I have published works on the establishment of digital libraries, information commons, and open access policy formulation, and presented on digital transformation, scholarly communication, and frameworks for research data management in recent years. As early as 1996, I produced an e-book using html coding on implementing a quality management system in libraries. This book was distributed on diskettes gratis to various libraries in the United Kingdom when I resided in that country for two years. In 2006 I received an award for innovation in an academic library within the developing nations space from the Library Information Technology Association (LITA) an arm of the American Library Association (ALA). I have also received awards from ACURIL/OCLC for a number of initiatives I have led, including the founding and launch of the Caribbean Library Journal and the UWI Institutional Repository.
I was also certified as a Lead Auditor for ISO 9000 Quality Management Systems, and continue to rely on quality assurance principles for re-engineering library processes and consistently striving for continuous improvement in the library space.
[Public or Community Service]
Research Library and Museum Design Advice more..2015-2017
Contribution of > Public or Community Service
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[Public or Community Service]
Workshop on Digitisation more..2008
Contribution of > Public or Community Service
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[Education and Training]
BA Social Sciences and History more..Contribution of > Education and Training
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[Education and Training]
Masters in Library Sciences (MLS) more..Contribution of > Education and Training
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[Other Activity]
Digital Transformation of the UWI Knowledge Resources Domain more..Contribution of > Other Activity
COMPLETED
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Google+ more..https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=ugnyCq8AAAAJ
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Research Gate more..https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Frank_Soodeen