| Description | Track 1 [01:27:38] [Session one: 25 January 2017] Andrew Green [AG] came to Swansea 1992 from Sheffield stayed until 1998. Held two jobs, one as librarian. Remembers Olive Busby the first librarian, there for 40 years. Remembers Professor of Philosophy Dewi Z. Phillips was scared of Busby. AG as fourth librarian. Second job University converge library with IT and media, became director of information services/library info services. Sub-librarian at Sheffield, middle management role. Nearly 40 when arrived at Swansea. Appointment committee gamble taking him, surprised to get the job, lucky. Wife from Carmarthen, keen to come back to Wales. AG first came to Wales went to Aberystwyth 1970s trainee job University library, post graduate qualification College Librarianship Wales in Aberystwyth. After that went to University College Cardiff lot of jobs. Swansea job appealed after living in Aberystwyth and Cardiff. [00:05:36] Swansea wasn't progressive, never heard much of Swansea library, knew it was quite conservative in a library sense. Mary Cooper librarian before AG. Reference to Leslie Holland. University not prominent but glad to have a really good job. Appointment process, conservative, straight interview- possibly external assessors. No tour of the place. First impressions of library old fashioned, electronic revolution at other universities, barely touched Swansea except electronic catalogue lib produced by a cooperative. Felt there was lots of work to do to catch up with other university libraries. SWALCAP cooperative include South Wales and Bristol, how to produce electronic catalogue which was progressive. [00:09:55] Olive Busby, Mary Cooper, Frank Harding the only three other librarians held positions for long time. Busby formidable, Harding injured during World War Two. Describes huge office and move out to make available PCs for students. Bought PCs for students, timetable for students to use, around 25 PCs not enough. No username, just public access. Description of Prince of Wales visit. Move library office staff to tower block to make public space. Library and librarian regarded as central post, job became degraded while AG was there. Importance of technology, convergence library and IT, electronic institution, librarian disappear from public view. Discussion of decline in authority figures. IT revolution. Student demand in IT, ration PC room book themselves in. [00:25:15] Describes pressure of increasing number of students, lack of financial resources, using external money especially with demand for IT. Re-organise staff and roles. Discuss AG’s role as outward facing meetings with departments. Customer service, some memory of surveys and improvements. Strategic plan, reference to Robin Williams. Difficulties of funding with converged library, IT and media. Finance biggest challenge throughout career. Library competing for resources with Engineering department. Tension from departments and cuts to journals etc. Progress with funding electronic resources. [00:37:37] Impression of students and use of library, no café facilities. Physical changes to the library concerning availability of space, no tremendous amount of change. Other department libraries, keen to close down due to expenses. Mentions the South Wales Miners’ Library. Discusses the Richard Burton Archives. [00:50:25] Opinion on resources at Singleton campus especially after spending on Bay Campus. Description of divide between town and university, relating to campus. Discusses decline in the city’s prosperity. Fears of this divide during the 1990s. Founding SWIG, encourage the city’s involvement in information age. [01:00:00] Description of relationships with other universities, AG visit to University of Knoxville Tennessee, Jim Lloyd from Knoxville came to work at Swansea. But not too many visitors like larger universities, but AG felt duty to put Swansea on the map. Discusses relationship with library staff, reference to Leslie Holland. Death of staff while working in the library. Remembers members of staff, reference to clashes with David Painting, and dress codes. Connections with heads of department, reference to Dewi Phillips. Describes how AG learnt Welsh. Discusses the senate meetings, reference to Phillips and Hywel Teifi Edwards. Discusses how his colleagues thought of AG, and relationship with his seniors, reference to Robin Williams, Brian Clarkson, Victor Carney- when he first arrived, introduced to by Mary Cooper. [01:14:22] Pleasant experience, but frustration toward the end. Feelings concerning lack of resources and little progress. Role as Librarian/Chief Executive at National Library came up. Stayed in Aberystwyth for 15 years, had a flat there but continued to live in Swansea, still living there now. Travelled a lot with his job, around Wales and London. Retired 2013. Discusses similarities between Swansea University Library and the National Library, trying to modernise. Apply skills from Swansea in Aberystwyth. Uses library more now than before, as a user. Discusses contact with former colleagues. Discusses changes to the library and lack of. Relieved printed collections still available, despite electronic media. [01:22:33] Connection with Welsh library community, WHELF cooperative, Swansea’s connection with other universities. Discusses projects with other universities. Strong connection with academic libraries at the National Library. [01:26:45] Comments on convergence between IT and libraries, challenging.
Track 2 [01:45] [Session One cont.: 25 January 2017] Discusses the merge of the library with IT Department.
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