New Coursework Proposal
When planning a new course, you should notify the library as soon as possible:
- Contact the Collection Development Manager for Melbourne, or your Campus Library Manager at all regional campuses, to discuss a new course while it is still in its planning stages, or to alert the Library to an existing course being offered at a new campus. Send them your completed New Coursework Program Concept
- When completed the New Coursework Program Proposal needs to be sent to the Collection Development Manager
- Once the Library has assessed the impact the new course will have on collections and services the University Librarian will reply with a letter outlining the impact of the new course on the Library - The Library assessment report
- The normal turnaround time for the Library to respond is 7 working days from receipt by the Collection Development Manage
- Attach the letter from the University Librarian as an appendix to the concept document and forward it to your relevant Faculty committee(s)
About the Library and new courses
The University aims to be an internationally acknowledged centre for teaching, training, scholarship and research and to prepare students for the challenges of work and society. The Library is aligned with these aims, and therefore seeks to ensure that students and staff of La Trobe University, wherever they are located, have access to information resources appropriate to their learning, teaching and/or research needs. This is accomplished through a mixture of physical collections and online access, complemented by document delivery and reciprocal arrangements with other libraries.The development of new undergraduate, professional and postgraduate courses, both locally and off shore, provides significant opportunities for the University, but can also have significant lead times and budget implications for the Library. It requires careful planning and proactive ordering to develop the collection, so that resources and services are in place when students enrol.
Library staff review all new course proposals, to:
- assess if the print and audiovisual collection is adequate at the relevant campus(es), and if any specific areas need to be targeted for collection development
- provide an appropriate mix of resources which complement the learning styles of students and the requirements of teaching staff
- determine if and when new journal subscriptions are required and plan to include these in the budgeting for the relevant year
- plan for the likely impact on electronic reserve, interlibrary loan and document delivery - both staffing and external charges
- determine if the electronic resources are available on the relevant campuses, or off campus, and have the appropriate licence and concurrent usage levels
- advise about Library opening hours, especially for summer or block mode delivery
- determine the information skills needs of the students in the course and how they are to be delivered
After this analysis, the University Librarian is able to respond officially via a letter; The Library Assessment Report. The University Librarian's letter should be attached to the proforma before it is forwarded to the relevant Faculty and University Committees.
Contact your Campus Library Manager or the Collection Development Manager, if you have any questions.
