VADS user needs workshop 1998 report
A report of the results of the VADS User Needs Workshop
28 - 29 April 1998, Edinburgh
Last updated: 20 July 1998
Authors: Catherine Grout and Janine Rymer
 | 1.1 Background |  |
| 1.2 Aims and Objectives | |
| 1.3 Pre-Workshop Briefing Papers | |
| 1.4 Workshop Plan | |
| 1.4.1 Structure | |
| 1.4.2 Day One | |
| 1.4.3 Day Two | |
This section provides a summary of the main events of the workshop, it also describes how the original schedule evolved in response to the discussion during the course of the workshop.
Funded by the JISC Committee for Awareness, Liaison and Training (CALT) the Visual Arts Data Service User Needs Workshop was held in Edinburgh on 28th and 29th April 1998. It formed part of a series of workshops by the Arts and Humanities Data Service, and together with the additional workshops from the other Service Providers, will a form part of a case study to identify the information, support and training needs of end users of digital resources and to make recommendations to JISC for future strategy at a UK-wide level
Aims:
Objectives:
By the end of the workshop delegates will have:
| Identified the possibilities and problems which the visual arts community encounters in the access of digital resources |
| Identified the problems which inhibit data creators |
| Redrafted the user support landscape and made recommendations about how support needs could be better met by the groups in question |
| Made positive recommendations for the prioritisation and improvement of VADS services |
From these activities, VADS will draft a report which will be circulated among the delegates, and members of the AHDS who have been involved in the workshop series, for comment before being finalised.
Three weeks before the workshop delegates were sent a registration pack which included:
| VADS User Needs Survey Report Summary: to provide a context and set of preliminary conclusions and insights concerning the creation and use of digital resources and the role of VADS which could then be subjected to further analysis. |
| National Expert Workshop Executive Summary: to also add contextual information about the workshop series as a whole. |
This was presented to all participants in the workshop pack and was intended to provide some initial structure to the event, rather than an inflexible agenda. The option to change the structure of the workshop in response to the direction of the discussion was seen as vital to ensure the best use of the time available. During the workshop, we had to employ this strategy, as we compressed the second day to ensure that all the items proposed for that day were covered. One of the problems that we encountered was that it was difficult to condense everything into such a short time. Given the broad nature of the questions we were required to cover and the varying levels of experience in the group, and indeed their varying levels of acquaintance with our work, a longer event would probably have been more appropriate to elicit a measured response from our audience.
The workshop was divided into four distinct sections (data use, data creation, the user support landscape and the role of VADS), and within each section there were three main activities:
1. A presentation to introduce the subject of that particular session and to raise awareness of the issues concerned2. A breakout session where the delegates were divided into four groups of six to discuss questions and scenarios related to the previous presentations3. The reporting back session for each breakout
1.4.2 Day One12:00-12:30 | Registration |
12:30-13:30 | Lunch |
13:30-14:00 | Opening Plenary - Report on the findings of the National Expert Workshop; Overview of role of VADS; explanation of aims of VADS User Workshop (Sarah Porter and Catherine Grout) |
14:00-15:10
| Session 1: Data Use Introduction - Looked at how Data is being used in the visual arts community, with presentations of HW Wilson's Art Abstracts and Virtual Reality and Computer Aided Design Data Use Breakout Groups (parallel sessions)
Four groups discussed the following issues:
Issue 1 (two groups) - the use of conventional resources available in digital form
Issue 2 (two groups) - the impact of new techniques which are transforming creative environments, CAD, VR multimedia, etc. Reporting back, Discussion |
15:35-15:50 | Tea |
15:50-17:30 | Session 2 Data Creation
Introduction to Data Creation in the visual arts
Data Creation overview (Catherine Grout) with presentation on COLDIP (Alice Barnaby) and SCRAN (Bruce Royan) Data Creation Breakout Groups(parallel sessions)
Four groups discussed the issues and problems of data creation, each referring to a different hypothetical data creation initiative and reported back End of Day One Plenary
Reporting; discussion and Day One Conclusions |
19:30 | Workshop Dinner
After Dinner Whisky Tasting courtesy of SCRAN |
9:45-10:00 | Opening Plenary
Summary of findings of Day One; targets set for day two
(Catherine Grout) |
10:00-10:45 | Session 3 - The Visual Arts User Support Landscape and the Role of VADS
The SCRAN User Needs methodology (SQUARE)
(Sandy Buchanan)
Breakout Group 3: Examining the User Support Landscape - Four groups looked at the Support Landscape and how it can be developed |
10:45-11:05 | Coffee |
11:05-12:00 | VADS Services and VADS User Survey
(Janine Rymer and Catherine Grout)
Breakout Group 4 - Examining the role of VADS - discussed the current role of VADS and how this can be improved |
12:00-12:45 | Closing Plenary
Reporting process which lead to workshop recommendations and strategic plan |
12:45 | Lunch |
