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Higher Education Funding Council for England, British Library

29 July 2004

£3 million national framework for UK research information announced

Research Libraries Network promises UK researchers 'joined-up' services

A new national initiative - the Research Libraries Network (RLN) - announced today, is set to transform the way research information is collected, organised, preserved and accessed across the UK. The RLN will bring together the UK's four higher education funding bodies, the British Library, the National Libraries of Scotland and Wales and the eight members of Research Councils UK to develop the UK's first national framework aimed at addressing the information needs of researchers.

The financial, technological and organisational demands on university and research libraries are huge. They include the transition to electronic publishing, the increasing volume and cost of information, new models for publishing and disseminating research (such as Open Archives), researchers' changing patterns of behaviour, massive growth in the volume of publicly-funded research, and government initiatives to foster innovation and technology transfer.

The RLN aims to provide the unified and focused strategic leadership needed to address these demands. Set up following the recommendations of the Research Support Libraries Group (RSLG), and endorsed by the House of Commons Select Committee on Education and Skills, the RLN will:

  • provide strategic leadership for collaboration between publicly-funded research information providers and their users - to develop effective, efficient and integrated information resources and services to support UK research
  • co-ordinate action to propose and specify solutions to meet researchers' changing needs - building on the earlier studies into UK researchers' needs carried out by the RSLG
  • act as a high-level advocate for research information, across the UK and internationally.

The RLN will be set up in autumn 2004, initially for three years up to the end of July 2007. It will be led by an executive unit, with a budget of up to £3 million, which will be based at the British Library and take strategic guidance from an advisory board. Key positions in the executive unit and on the advisory board will shortly be advertised nationally.

Initially the RLN's work is likely to include feasibility studies and market research to shape the longer-term programme. Early emphasis is likely to be on improved knowledge of and access to existing resources (for example, by developing search tools and 'union catalogues' which give a single point of access to a number of different collections). Future potential workstreams include collaborative work on developing and preserving digital archives, maximising access for professional researchers to key collections, and working towards collaborative development of collections to ensure access to the widest possible range of research materials.

Lynne Brindley, Chief Executive of the British Library, said:

'The creation of the RLN is important and timely. It will enable us to scale up our collaborative work with the UK's key research bodies, to understand the needs of all researchers, to develop the widest possible national print and digital collections, and to improve access to key resources. It provides a real opportunity to create a UK research information system which is unparalleled in its support of research and knowledge transfer.'

Sir Howard Newby, Chief Executive of HEFCE, said:

'The Research Libraries Network will provide a unique service to UK researchers by actively promoting dialogue and collaboration between research information providers and users at all levels. This world-first initiative will consolidate the UK's strong position in the international research market, building on well established traditions of joint working and progressive thinking.'

Geoffrey Crossick, spokesman for Research Councils UK and Chief Executive of the Arts and Humanities Research Board added:

'Research information resources are of critical importance to research activity in this country, as much for science and engineering as for the social sciences and the arts and humanities. A UK-wide strategy for their development is needed, and that is why the Research Councils have made a collective commitment, through Research Councils UK, to the new Research Libraries Network.'

Notes

1.   The RLN executive unit will be accountable to the funders of the RLN, namely: The Higher Education Funding Council for England; the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales, the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council, and the Department for Employment and Learning in Northern Ireland, The British Library, the National Library of Scotland, the National Library of Wales and the eight members of Research Councils UK. (The UK Research Councils are: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, Economic and Social Research Council, Medical Research Council, Natural Environment Research Council, Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council and the Arts and Humanities Research Board.)

2.   Background to the formation of RLN. The Research Support Libraries Group (RSLG), chaired by Sir Brian Follett, was established in 2001 by the four UK higher education funding bodies, the British Library and the National Libraries of Scotland and Wales. The RSLG was asked to 'make recommendations for a UK-wide strategic framework and mechanisms for promoting collaboration in the development and provision of library collections, their long-term management, and services to support research'. Its full report, published in 2003, is available at: www.rslg.ac.uk/final/final.pdf [Adobe PDF 259K]

3.   The House of Commons Education and Skills Committee report 'Library resources for higher education', published in 2002, welcomed the role of the RSLG in the development of an appropriate strategy, and expressed concern that previous studies of library provision for higher education did not result in the implementation of a national strategy. 'If we do nothing, the risks are that the body of material available in the UK will become less well matched to researcher needs, and that we shall increasingly be forced to rely on other countries or on purely commercial vendors for our research information resources.'

4.   Prior to the RSLG report, two other reports addressed many of the same issues. The Follett Report (1994) focused on the impact on HE libraries of the twin pressures of rising student numbers and IT. The recommendations of the Follett Report led to a number of special initiatives to support higher education libraries including: the Joint Information Systems Committee e-Lib programme to develop the electronic information environment; the first national licensing scheme for electronic journals; and capital grants (totalling £45 million) to a number of higher education institutions to expand their library buildings, with particular emphasis on accommodating more readers.

5.   The Anderson Report (1996) followed on from the Follett Report and the British Library/HE Taskforce (1999-2001). The report focused on a national and regional strategy for library provision for researchers. The Research Support Libraries Programme (RSLP), funded by the four higher education funding bodies, was developed to implement key proposals from the Anderson Report.

6.   The Research Support Libraries Programme (RSLP) was designed specifically to support and improve library provision for research in higher education, with a strong focus on promoting collaboration between the providers. The programme ended in the summer of 2002 having distributed grants of almost £30 million over four years.

7.   The joint British Library/HE Taskforce was set up to identify areas for future collaboration between the British Library and higher education. Building on a history of earlier collaborative discussion, the Task Force aimed for specific initiatives for mutual benefit, in line with the British Library's increasing strategic emphasis on collaboration to deliver its objectives.

8.   Recent collaborative initiatives include INSPIRE (Information Sharing Partners In Resources for Education). Established in 2002 by SCONUL (the Society of College, National and University Libraries), the Society of Chief Librarians for public library authorities in England and Wales (SCL) and the British Library, the INSPIRE taskforce was established to develop ways to improve access and referral between higher education, public and national library services.

9.   The four UK HE funding bodies are responsible for distributing public money to support excellent research, teaching and learning, and related activities in higher education.

10.   The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and one of the world's greatest libraries. Its collection of 150 million items covers every age of written civilisation, every written language and every aspect of human thought. Users, including researchers in HE and business, have access to the Library's collection via the Reading Rooms and global document supply services, which provide over 15,000 documents per day to 20,000 customers in 111 countries. All the UK's HE institutions use the Library's Document Supply Service - saving the sector an estimated £30-£40 million per year. Information on the Library's collection and services is available on the British Library web-site.

11.   The National Library of Scotland is Scotland's largest library, and one of the leading research libraries in Europe. It serves both as a general research library and as the world's leading repository for the printed and manuscript record of Scotland's history and culture. It houses more than eight million printed items, over 250,000 electronic titles, and has been a legal deposit library since 1710. For further information see the National Library of Scotland web-site.

12.   The National Library of Wales is one of the foremost cultural institutions in Wales, and is a pre-eminent source of recorded knowledge and information. It acts as the memory of the nation, storing and giving access to recorded knowledge, in all forms, about Wales. It is a body of international standing, and contributes to a worldwide network of knowledge providers. Information about the National Library of Wales can be found on its web-site.

13.   Research Councils UK is a strategic partnership set up to champion research supported by the seven UK Research Councils and the Arts and Humanities Research Board. Through RCUK, the Research Councils are working together to create a common framework for research, training and knowledge transfer. In doing this RCUK will work alongside the Office of Science and Technology to support the UK's best academic researchers and deliver the best investment for society. For further information see the RCUK web-site.