The view from the top

1
The view from the top

• Clare Jenkins

2
Some context and background

• 7 years as Director of Library Services, Imperial
  College
• Research intensive, international profile, highly
  successful institution
• Discipline focused STM Business
• Journal expenditure takes 45 of total library
  budget and 91 of materials budget
• Multi-site operation (8 campuses, 13 libraries)
• Total downloads in 2006/7 3.295 million

3
My role

• Set vision and strategy
• Secure adequate resources to deliver the vision
• Lead innovation and change
• Demonstrate that library provides vfm

4
What influences the librarys content strategy?

• Institutional strategy and academic priorities
• Opportunities
• Technological developments
• Developments in digital publishing
• Constraints
• Funding
• Space
• Availability of relevant e-content

5
Digital content -gt strategic opportunities

• Imperials vision 2005-2015
• At least 95 desk-top delivery to academics
• Current journals at least 80 e-only by 2008
• Zero physical growth of collections by 2006 and
  incremental reduction thereafter
• Low use material stored off site, collaboratively
• Space occupied by printed collections will shrink
• Easy, seamless access to wide range of
  electronic/full text resources, with ability to
  cross-search multiple databases

6
Digital content -gt strategic opportunities

• Open access movement
• Institutional repositories
• Electronic theses

7
Benefits

• Increased use of collections
• Better usage data to demonstrate vfm and to argue
  case for funding
• Service enhancements
• Space savings

8
Problem areas

• Inflation costs of content outstrip our budgets
• Big deals skew collecting decisions
• Tussles over open access
• Additional costs to institution during period of
  transition
• E-book content still doesnt match UK needs
• Restrictive licences/policies inhibit our ability
  to innovate and enhance services
• Loss of engagement/contact with academic
  community

9
In conclusion

• Benefits of digital content have been enormous,
  and outweigh disadvantages
• Need more dialogue with publishing community so
  they understand our needs and constraints we face
  (and vice versa!)
• Service ethos paramount for libraries, but
• Paymasters expect those services to be efficient
  and effective, and to be operated within
  budgetary constraints