Dr Sue Lithgow
Development Officer
BA, Dip Lib, PhD
Contact
Email: ssl@aber.ac.uk
Office: 217
Phone: +44 (0)1970 622158
Fax: +44 (0)1970 622190
Responsibilities
Production of Distance Learning material – includes editing and copyright clearance. Student support. Personal tutor. Learning Development Officer for MLIS programme. Plus some teaching and dissertation supervision.Teaching Areas
Undergraduate Teaching
Information and society, LIS to prisoners and disadvantaged groups, information deprivation; study skills.
Postgraduate Teaching
Information and society, LIS to prisoners and disadvantaged groups, information deprivation; study skills.
Research
Performance measurement and evaluation; quality assurance; research methods; library and information services to prisoners and disadvantaged groups; information needs and information seeking behaviour of prisoners.Biography
After graduating from Lampeter University in 1986, I joined the library and information profession more by accident than by design, when I took a 'temporary' job as a library assistant with the Isle of Wight Cultural Services Department. I 'temporarily' stayed for three years but in my final year a chance happening led to an additional role as the relief librarian at HM Prison Albany. Much to my surprise this chance happening has since shaped my career. I joined the Department of Information and Library Studies, University of Wales Aberystwyth in 1989 as a postgraduate student. In 1994 I completed a PhD thesis which was based on developing performance indicators for prison libraries in England and Wales. For the next two years, I was the holder of a Department for Education and Employment Postdoctoral Research Fellowship which enabled me to continue my research into prison library provision. Since 1997 I have been working as a Development Officer in the Open Learning Unit at Aberystwyth University.
My hobbies include squash, tennis, swimming cycling, walking and toddler taming – probably in reverse order!
Additional Interests
Professional Activities
Member of the LA
Associate Member of the Inst. of Information Scientists
Member of the Home Office Standing Committee for Prison Libraries
Member of the IFLA Standing Committee for the Section of Libraries Serving Disadvantaged Persons (Chair 1997-99)
Research Group
Education and Training
Consultancy
Workshops on Disadvantaged Persons (with IFLA)
UWA Open Learning Unit internal consultancies and workshops e.g.
OLU’s Extending Distance Learning (EDL) project, where consultancy is offered to other departments within the University.
Staff Development Programme (ILT accredited) - a range of workshops are offered in open, distance and E- learning for current and new staff. We also offer workshops for project staff, such as staff on the Knowledge Exploitation Funded (KEF) collaborative project between the OLU and School of Management and Business Studies developing web-based training materials for local businesses.
OLU projects contracting external writers to develop short professional programmes, including the Certificate in Rural Community Studies (ESF funded), Music Librarianship (Music Libraries Trust and International Association of Music Libraries funded), Rare Books Librarianship and Electronic Publishing.