Destination innovation : library data and student support

The Western Sydney University Library may hold the key to the next chapter of service innovation, through a process of data-driven quality support to students across a range of services. Utilising a hub-and-spoke model, the Library supports schools through strong relationships and has the capacity to leverage its resources to deliver quality learning outcomes for students. This service is now being enhanced and expanded through further literacy to further strengthen and compliment the University's goal of student retention and progression. The Library's guiding service principle is 'no wrong door'. A student can access any of the services that the Library offers through any pathway. In 2016 the Library created a new Academic Literacies team, which has provided a unique opportunity to expand the existing information literacy support to include support for other critical academic literacies. Most importantly, the Library collects data from all points across its services. By aggregating data from across Library services, Library staff are now finding interesting trends and are able to identify specific units that may need particular literacy support. Equipped with current student and unit level data, Library staff are now able to engage with Schools more meaningfully and are working to embed content directly into units. This is enabling the Library to deliver targeted and effective outcomes to all students enrolled in these units, not only those individual students who have sought help. The Library's methods of data collection and analysis offer insights into student needs and behaviour that have wider implications across the University.