The Janus Project

1
The Janus Project

• Alex Byrne
• Northern Territory University

2
Janus Collaborative Information Centres

• To develop a sustainable business model for a
  pilot Janus Centre which is intended to be the
  first in a network of collaborative information
  centres

3
Context

• Burgeoning volume of publication
• Proliferation of media
• Declining purchasing power
• Rapidly diminishing proportion captured by
  individual research libraries
• Vastly enhanced access and delivery capabilities

4
Goals

• Secure rapid access and delivery
• Seek comprehensive access and delivery
• Get a better return on investment

5
Technically Feasible

• Call centre technologies
• Consortial initiatives
• International initiatives
• Emerging standards

• Internet/WWW
• Electronic publication
• Gateways and portals
• JEDDS/LIDDAS

6
Issues

• Intellectual Property
• ownership
• licensing/reuse/royalties
• rights management
• Scholarly Practice
• recognition and rewards
• changing practices
• service expectations

• Universities
• what is pre-competitive?
• ownership vs service
• status and image
• Libraries
• autonomy
• ownership vs service
• commitment to collaboration

7
Key Stakeholders

• Researchers
• Research Institutions/AVCC
• Research Agencies
• DETYA
• Research Libraries

8
A Janus Centre

• Each in a specific discipline
• to provide integrated access to research
  information, and
• to support national collaborative purchasing
• Accessible via a national access point.

9
The Janus Team

• Steering Group
• Reference Groups Agriculture, Chemistry,
  Philosophy
• Consultants Simsion Bowles
• Project Manager Sue Henczel, CAVAL
• Evaluator David Phillips

10
The Steering Group

• Paul Clark (chair) - VU/AVCC
• Marian Bate - UNSW/CAUL/Chemistry
• David Bennett - Academy of the Humanities/NAF
• Maxine Brodie - SLNSW/CASL
• Alex Byrne - NTU/CAUL
• Diane Costello - CAUL

• Helen Hayes - MU/CAUL/Agriculture
• Warren Horton/Jan Fullarton - NLA
• David McCann - DETYA
• Peter Nicholson - DETYA
• Christine Page-Hanify - UNSW/CAUDIT
• Janine Schmidt - QU/CAUL/Philosophy

11
Project Summary

• To develop a sustainable business model for a
  pilot Janus Centre
• Phase 1 - to draft a business plan, confirm its
  objectives, expected outcomes, and financial and
  technical feasibility in relation to three
  disciplines (chemistry, agriculture and
  philosophy)

12
Project Summary

• To develop a sustainable business model for a
  pilot Janus Centre
• Phase 2 - pilot up to three Janus Centres in
  selected fields and develop a fully costed
  business plan

13
Project Design

14
Challenges

• Getting the data to build a business case
• Defining the business model
• Securing commitment from stakeholders
• Developing a sustainable business plan

15
Phase 1 Review

• Much information gathered
• Many concepts and issues identified
• Business framework and slate of projects
  suggested, but
• Draft business plan not achieved
• Consequently .
• Phase 2 had to be reconsidered

16
Suggested Projects - out of scope

• Design, build and implement a subject gateway
• Review and refine information dissemination
  services
• Create an advanced call centre capability
• Establish a purchasing and negotiation capability
• Establish facilities for storage/archiving of
  items

17
Suggested Projects - in scope

• Agree a collection framework for each discipline
• Provide comprehensive and powerful search
  facilities
• Develop flexibility in configuration and location
  of collections
• Implement a process for gathering business
  intelligence

18
Phase 2 Reviewed

• Four stage process to deliver a business model
  for the Janus Collaborative Information Centre
• Highlighting those areas which will deliver
  financial savings, improved infrastructure and
  improved service capacity

19
Phase 2 Key Questions

• Will it work?
• What will it offer me (or my constituents)?
• What will it require of me (or my constituents?
• Will it offer sufficient tangible and achievable
  advantages to participate?

20
Phase 2 Scope

• Key business components
• Acquisition through collaborative purchasing
• Information access through gateway/portal
• Information distribution, electronic and physical
• Information location and storage

21
Phase 2 Deliverables

• Stage 1 - Baseline Business System (Aug)
• Stage 2 - Framework Business Model (Oct)
• Stage 3 - Testing the Business Model (Nov)
• Stage 4 - Pilot Business Model (Feb)
• Stage 5 - Final Report (Mar)

22
Outcomes

• Testing of new ways of doing business, building
  on the technical and service innovation achieved
  over the last 5 years
• Focussed commitment of stakeholders including
  service providers and clients
• A viable and sustainable way to reposition
  Australian research information services at the
  beginning of a new century