About Us | Information Services | Queen's University Belfast

Ian Purdy

Information Services Acting Head of Directorate

Welcome to the Information Service Website. I am responsible for all the IT and Library Services within Queen’s.

Information Services provides the digital campus and Library Resources to support teaching, research and innovation for all the University's students, staff and visitors. Our primary objective is to provide the highest quality user-facing services and associated enabling functions.

The team is based in the McClay Library and is organised into four main areas

Library Services
IT Systems and Services
Learning and Teaching Support
Administration Support

Prior to joining Queen’s, I have been working with a number of large enterprises in the private and public sectors to help them transform their businesses, driving growth, improved customer satisfaction and cost reduction. I have experience of working with global corporates such as BT, Fujitsu and Civica, Red Hat and more recently in a small cyber-security start-up company called Ampliphae.

David Robinson

Learning & Teaching Support

The Learning and Teaching Support Division provides a diverse range of Services to the University including:

Queen's Online Enterprise Portal, providing access to core Business Services (document management, collaboration, reporting, paper-free meetings etc.).
Support for the Learning and Teaching environments used across the University (VLE, Questionmark, TurningPoint etc.).
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) for student recruitment and business users.
Content Management System (CMS) for the creation, editing and publishing of enterprise websites.
Media Production (including digital and video production, webinars etc.) for teaching, research, promotion and administration.
Centrally Booked Teaching Room design and support, together with the support of video conferencing facilities.
ICT Related Training Courses and Consultancy delivering staff training in a wide range of applications.
Access to Language Courses (generic and tailored), in person and online.

Email Mr David Robinson

Jane O'Neill

Library Services

Library Services is responsible for the delivery of a range of services from the McClay Library and several other locations across the campus.

Library staff also provide induction, subject support and user training to all of the Library’s user groups.

Special Collections provides access to books, maps, photographs and manuscripts from the twelfth century on which are considered of lasting research value.

The Division is also responsible for delivery of contract-based Library services to HSC personnel and to the Agri-Food & Biosciences Institute.

Email Jane O'Neill

David Smyth

Administration Support

Administration Support is responsible for the delivery of the support and development service for the University’s key business systems. Working in close collaboration with colleagues in Professional Services and other areas of the University, we ensure the underlying IT systems that help deliver essential business functions are in place and operating to the required standards. The Division also manages the provision of the University’s central High Performance Computing system and the University SmartCard.

Email Mr David Smyth

David Nelson

IT Systems & Services

ITS&S is responsible for the delivery of all core infrastructure including the two Data Centres, Networking (LAN and WAN), Server (inc Virtualisation) support, Security, and Business Continuity Services. We also deliver desktop computing support to both staff and students, including support of over 1,400 SCC machines.

Email David Nelson

Tony Cullen

Digital Transformation

Digital and Information Services are working closely with University leaders and their teams, along with our business partners, to introduce the changes needed to help us leverage emerging digital technologies. We aim to equip our academic, research and professional services staff with the technology and capabilities they need to achieve global impact and to modernise the student journey. This requires innovative, secure and connected systems and processes that are simple to use but will enrich the digital experience for all users.

Some of the solutions that are already delivering value include the digitisation of Exceptional Circumstances processes, a new system for Clearing enquiries and an AI Chatbot to automate responses to frequently asked questions. Various other projects are currently underway, including the development of a new Applicant Management System for direct applications to courses and a Strategic Engagement Platform for handling student service requests.

However, digital transformation is not just about developing new systems and apps. It will require reimagining how we do things at Queen's and a cultural shift in how we work together and engage with our students and the wider community.

Please visit the Digital Transformation website for more information on the Digital Transformation team.

Email Mr Tony Cullen