Transcript eLib: UK National Electronic Libraries Programme

eLib: UK National Electronic
Libraries Programme
Peter Stubley University of Sheffield Library
In the beginning: Follett
Follett Report: Joint Funding Councils’
Libraries Review Group, 1993:
ICT research and development programme
£15 million over 3 years
FIGIT: Follett Implementation Group on
Information Technology
+ buildings programme (£30m?); special
collections & archives (£50M?); Arts &
Humanities Data Service (£1.5M)
eLib phases 1 & 2
Electronic publishing (17 projects)
Access to network resources (10 projects)
Document delivery (5 projects)
Training and awareness (7 projects)
Digitisation (5 projects)
Supporting studies (3 projects)
Customised publishing(12 projects)
eLib phase 3
Hybrid libraries (5 projects)
Large scale resource discovery (4 Clumps
projects)
Digital preservation (1 project)
Development of phase 1 & 2 projects into
services (18 projects) plus two new projects:
HERON, EPRESS
eLib is not all
Other initiatives supported by the Funding
Councils in UKHE, e.g.:
Information Strategies
COPAC: CURL OPAC
DNER: Distributed National Electronic Resource
NESLI: National Electronic Site Licence
Initiative
SuperJANET
Management of eLib
JISC: Joint Information Systems Committee
Management of eLib
JISC: Joint Information Systems Committee
CEI: Committee on Electronic Information
Management of eLib
JISC: Joint Information Systems Committee
CEI: Committee on Electronic Information
eLib Programme Office
Management of projects
Tavistock Institute (1997):
‘The management of projects was generally
under-estimated and many have been caught
by surprise by the difficulties of engendering a
whole team approach.’
Management of projects
Recruitment is responsibility of individual
projects
Project management training provided by eLib
Project plans to be approved, including
milestones, deliverables, risk assessment
Reporting structure: Annual Reports a
condition
Other electronic library programmes
US Digital Libraries Initiative
2 phases + ‘International Digital Libraries’
Other electronic library programmes
US Digital Libraries Initiative
2 phases + ‘International Digital Libraries’
EU Telematics for Libraries
Third and Fourth Framework Programmes
FPV: User friendly information society
By contrast:
‘the eLib Programme characterised itself right
from the start as “development” rather than
research’
‘the emphasis has been very much on “action
research” and the Programme has encouraged
projects to experiment with a variety of
approaches whilst accepting that these meet
with varying degrees of success’
Impact of eLib
‘Enriched baseline’
large existing investment in ICT in UKHE
long-standing discussions in the community
existing national services e.g. BIDS ISI
‘Enriched baseline’
Michalko:
Only 2% of the world is online: 85% in N.
America and Europe. What we’re talking about
here is important to us but largely irrelevant to the
overwhelming majority of the world.
‘Enriched baseline’
Michalko:
Only 2% of the world is online: 85% in N.
America and Europe. ...The average US consumer
spends enough on communications and
information technology – that is, books, cable
television, home video, recorded music,
newspapers, magazines and online and internet
access services – to support someone in the
bottom 20% of the world income distribution for
eight months out of a year.
Impact of eLib (II)
Reactions:
‘As a practitioner I do feel a little removed from the
eLib projects, however I do feel that the projects
have helped greatly in effecting cultural change.’
‘…the explosion of information, publicity, etc. about
eLib and the sheer number of people involved,
even if peripherally, has been one of the most
important elements…’
Impact of eLib (III)
Evaluation and dissemination:
Evaluation strategy from Tavistock Institute
eLib dissemination via:
press releases, programme packs, website,
mailing lists, concertation days, workshops,
conferences
Integration is the key
Independent
Applications
Independent
Applications/
Unified
presentation
Unified service/
Flexible
presentation
Aug 2000: eLib will be dead, long live:
DNER: Distributed National Electronic
Resource
RDNC: Resource Discovery Network Centre
Middleware
Joint NSF/JISC International Digital Libraries
RSLP: Research Support Libraries Programme
In summary
‘Nothing in this programme represents the last
word … but it represents several more steps
forward, sideways and backwards in our
understanding of these issues’
‘We arrive at the future day by day…’
Chris Rusbridge
The acronymic legacy
Agora
CINE
CAIRNS
JILT
EEVL
EDDIS
CAIN
Malibu
SOSIG
MIDRIB
OMNI
RIDING
SEREN
FIDDO
CEDARS
ERIMS
LAMDA
Phoenix