INSTITUTES OF TECHNOLOGY & POLYTECHNICS SECTOR

Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITPs) are prescribed by government in the Education Act 1989  s162(4)(b)(ii) to deliver vocational, technical and professional education.  They were established by government to provide a broad range of educational opportunities. ITPs are involved in research, particularly applied, and this is closely linked to industry needs. 

Eastern Institute of Technology

There are 16 ITPS in New Zealand - spread across New Zealand from NorthTec in Whangarei to Southern Institute of Technology (SIT) in Invercargill. There were two mergers in 2016 - Aoraki Polytechnic and Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology merged to become Ara Institute of Canterbury; and Bay of Plenty Polytechnic and Waiariki Institute of Technology became Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology.

ITP learners are diverse: most students study from Levels 3 to 7 (certificates, diplomas and degrees) but there are many learners at Levels 1 and 2 and increasingly, ITPs are offering post graduate qualifications. Many ITP students are “first in family” in tertiary education, mature or second chance learners and often their prior learning experience has not been positive.  The proportion of ITP learners who are Māori or Pasifika is higher than in most New Zealand universities.

ITP libraries are part of the learner experience and many ITPs have libraries on several campuses due to the distributed nature of the sector. Library support is crucial for the many “first timers” to tertiary education and academic support is often part of what ITP libraries have to offer. Changing library structures and new technologies and e-formats have meant that the sector is rapidly evolving with many libraries now providing merged services with student support. This “one stop shop” concept for students is becoming more popular. 

CHALLENGS AND OPPORTUNITIES IN THE ITP SECTOR 

There are many challenges currently facing the Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITPs), however staff have learnt to make the most of these challenges and are often able to turn them into opportunities - leading to innovations and improvements in our service. 


CHALLENGES 

Staffing

•  Attracting suitably qualified staff is difficult, in particular, finding applicants with the IT qualifications who can manage  electronic resources,  websites, portals, and LMS (Library Management System). 
•  Attracting staff to the provinces has been an issue for many ITPs over the years.
•  Student expectation and demand for technology support, means that we need to have staff experienced and skillful in assisting students with a constantly changing array of technology. This involves not only attracting the right staff, but encouraging current staff to be proficient in a wide range of existing and new technologies.

Changing formats and teaching styles 

• The need to translate services in the online space to reach off-campus users. Library resources may not be recognised as such when accessed via another institutional format such as the learning management system and therefore the value of library resources is not fully realised.
• The move from print to electronic, and the cost thereof, is proving difficult for many ITP libraries.
• The need to offer a variety of study spaces set up for individual or collaborative options in order to best suit current teaching methods can place pressure on existing buildings and budgets.

Students

• Many ITPS are experiencing rapidly increasing numbers of International students who often require high levels of academic and pastoral support which ITP libraries do not always have the resources to support.
• Supporting students from Level 2 (including Trades Academy, Youth Guarantee and Maori Pacific Trades Training) to Level 9, as more ITPs offer postgraduate programmes, brings challenges in supporting a growing number of young students as well as the need for more advanced support at Masters level.
• We are noticing an increasing intensity in the pastoral care needs of students which librarians are not trained to address.

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Organisational Structure 

• Change within the sector – there have been a number of ITP mergers over the last few years and almost all of our libraries have recently experienced reviews which have resulted in restructures, loss of positions and a requirement to do more with less.
• Many ITPs now offer a converged services model – not just library, but other student services (such as learning support, disability, Maori, Pacific, International, Literacy and Numeracy) and Information Management (including copyright, records management, institutional repositories, PBRF administration). As this mixed model of service is different across almost all the ITPs, it can be difficult to compare/contrast services from one to another and measure or benchmark our services so as to learn from others.

Compliance 

Increasing compliance requirements (e.g. External Evaluation and Review, financial audits, Health and Safety, Copyright Data collection, Records audits, etc.) are placing a strain on staff time and budgets.

Budgets

Budgets are always a challenge as funding is often precarious and as referred to above the shift from print to online resources is costly.

OPPORTUNITIES 

As part of the tertiary sector, ITP libraries are usually smaller than university libraries, and generally have fewer staff. While this could be considered a challenge, it does provide us with a number of opportunities. 

• Our staff have the chance to learn more skills and gain experience across a range of library tasks. The opportunities to multi skill and upskill are attractive to many staff.
• Our small size often allows us to be more agile than large libraries with the ability to be innovative and experimental.
• Being small often eases the way for cross-campus connections with increased opportunities for working together and having input on a wider range of issues.
• Our converged service model offers the opportunity to provide holistic, wrap-around services to students and also gives us the chance to provide a consistency of service on and across campuses.
• Opportunities to reach greater student numbers with our online resources (24/7) and to create additional exposure to our online resources.
• There is a strong Community of Practice among the ITP Library Managers which encourages information sharing and collaboration. This creates a greater appetite for consortia opportunities and an altruistic approach towards the greater good of the sector.
• Budget constraints make us creative and collaborative in how we manage our resources.

 
Reference
Arlidge, J. (2014). Institute of Technology and Polytechnic libraries. In L. Stone (Ed.), Informing New Zealand/He puna whakamōhio mō Aotearoa (6th ed.). Retrieved from  http://informingnewzealand.wikispaces.com/Libraries+-+ITP

Last updated September 2017. ​










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