Managing the New Learning Agenda in a Converged Service Environment.

This paper describes the increasingly dynamic involvement of information professionals in the learning and teaching process in higher education. The converged service model at the University of Birmingham (United Kingdom) is described. Established in 1995, the converged service brought the university library, computing service, television service, learning accommodation, and printing service together into one organization. Split into five vertical divisions, it operates in the following way: (1) Public Services administers traditional library services, including lending, reference, and the publications program; (2) Information Computing and Support runs the centralized computing service, including the central mail service, campus network, licensing agreements, and computer development work; (3) Planning and Administration includes personnel and planning, buildings, and maintenance; (4) Collection Management covers acquisitions, cataloging, special collections, and the bindery; and (5) Learning & Research Support (LR and the Institute for Learning and Teaching (ILT) is being established to provide qualification in learning and teaching for higher education lecturers. (MES) ******************************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ******************************************************************************** Managing the New Learning Agenda in a Converged Service Environment PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY N. Fj allb rant TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)