In February 2025 CoLRiC published its latest edition of CoLRiC Impact, the second issue for the 2024/2025 academic year.
The winner of CoLRiC’s Innovative Practice Award for 2024 was Leicester College Library for its Gameracy Programme in support of literacy and reading, numeracy and digital skills. Gameracy is a game-based programme for disengaged students that takes the stress out of learning. Leicester College Library’s implementation of tabletop games has boosted wellbeing and encouraged key social skills such as teamwork and strategising. Lucy Sears, Library Supervisor and Gameracy Co-ordinator at the College explains the impact of this ‘immersive experience’.
Charlie Parkinson, Library Learning Facilitator at Bradford College, provides fascinating insight into ‘creating a neuroinclusive library.’ To create an ‘inclusive, innovative and inspirational environment’, Charlie emphasises the necessity to consider ‘the challenges faced by neurodivergent staff to discover ways of improving working environments for all. How can we create a neuroinclusive environment and ensure equity for neurodivergent staff working in information services?’ Charlie’s article is the first in a two-part series exploring this crucial question.
Look out for the latest CoLRiC MediaWatch which is an especially compiled and edited overview of October to December 2024 news stories and developments from across the education and library sectors.
We also have lots of CoLRiC news to share with you, including the launch of a new management committee, with an invitation to you all to get involved in any capacity. Look out too for news about our new Quality Assurance Framework. Evidencing return on investment and helping to demonstrate the quality, value and impact of a library and learning resources service in support of the wider teaching, learning and student experience agenda is crucial in today’s environment. CoLRiC’s new Quality Assurance (QA) Framework comprises two self-assessment documents that are free to all member Colleges and will enable you to evaluate your library and learning resources service against a set of specific criteria so that you can reflect on your strengths, contemplate weaknesses, engage the College community and raise the visibility of the library to senior college management.
CILIP, the library and information association’s digital transformation Conference ‘Rewired’ took place in London in November 2024 and provided an inspiring opportunity for professionals from all sectors to converge on the capital to explore digital solutions to managing data, information and knowledge and experience creativity and innovation in digital technology. We hope this article will provide some insight into issues and concerns arising in other sectors beyond FE. Topics explored included data curation and AI. Addressing digital inequality and the ‘digital divide’ was also a key concern.
CoLRiC Impact is a members’ only publication. Email colric@colric.org.uk for further information.
As ever, huge thanks go to our valued sponsors for their excellent contributions to this issue.