Using resources effectively

Using resources effectively is a behaviour which is all about being able to successfully identify and make the most productive use of all kinds of different resources, including: people, time, information, networks and budgets. The AUA offers its members access to a variety of useful resources, however, we firmly believe that the most important resources we can offer is the combined breadth of knowledge and wealth of experience of our members. Therefore, below you will find outlined three different formats which the AUA uses to communicate this valuable resource to our members, as well as how you yourself can contribute to ensuring that this communal knowledge continues to grow and stay relevant.

Our Good Practice Guides are a perfect example of the AUA’s longstanding commitment to supporting peer-led sharing of good practice across the sector. We have been publishing these guides since 1986 and they are all freely available for our members to view on our website. If you think that there is a gap in the topics covered in these guides, or you have some expertise that you would like to share in this format, please do get in touch, we are always looking for new additions to the series.

Perhaps you have a very specific query or challenge that you are trying to resolve. If this is the case, then you might like to try using one of our newest member resources: the AUA forums. The AUA member forums allow you to easily post questions and answers that your peers across the sector can see and interact with. They are a brilliant method of finding out how colleagues in different institutions may be approaching similar problems and they allow you to make valuable connections through no more effort than the click of a mouse.

If you are looking for an easy way to stay abreast of the latest developments in the sector, then the AUA blogs are the resource for you! Our blogs are written by our members, our trustees and our colleagues and they cover topics ranging from the latest study tour trips to adapting to working from home and everything in between. We regularly publish blogs so if you want to make sure you never miss out, you can sign up to our weekly round-up email, which gives you easy access to all the latest news in one place.

Using resources effectively is about making the best possible use of the resource that you have available to you. At the AUA we value the collective knowledge and experience of our members and encourage all our members to both access and contribute to this resource whenever they can. If you feel inspired to give some knowledge back to the community, be that in the form of a forum post or writing a Good Practice Guide, you can be sure your contribution will always be welcome! Find out more about how you can contribute here.