Full%20Disclosure

1
Full Disclosure

• UKOLN National Council
• University of Bath on Archives
• Bath, BA2 7AY
• http//www.ukoln.ac.uk/

UKOLN is funded by the Library and Information
Commission and the Joint Information Systems
Committee of the Higher Education Funding
Councils, as well as by project funding from the
JISC and the European Union. UKOLN also receives
support from the University of Bath where it is
based.
2
Hidden from view

• How many records and finding aids need
  conversion?
• Making the Most of Our Libraries
• around 50 million records
• Archives On-Line
• some 2 million pages of finding aids

3
The Hidden Treasure

• The national intellectual and cultural record
• Resides in many locations and formats
• Many collections are unique
• If uncatalogued - lower usage
• Effective discovery needs full disclosure
• Full disclosure requires conversion

4
The Landscape

• Opportunities in national learning and cultural
  heritage initiatives
• Some existing funding opportunities
• Gaps in funding bodies knowledge of national
  priorities for different sectors
• Existing effort is fragmented

5
Why a National Programme?

• Existing initiatives would benefit from
  coordinated overview
• National priorities to ensure most effective use
  of funding
• Applicants would benefit from better knowledge of
  funding opportunities
• Promotion of partnerships collaborations
• Promotion of standards

6
Addressing the Challenge

• The challenge is considerable
• The task will remain if nothing is done
• Users will remain disadvantaged
• Many institutions need assistance
• Finance
• Project management
• Technical
• Current funding is not enough

7
The Way Forward

• A strategic approach is needed that
• Coordinates existing and future effort
• Is based on prioritised needs
• Promotes the national benefits that will result
  from it
• Seeks financial support
• Is a national all-sector initiative for both
  libraries and archives

8
The Wish List

• The ideal is a top-down initiative that
• Has government recognition
• Has its own funding
• Covers both archives and libraries
• Covers all sectors

9
But .

• The ideal approach will take time
• We cannot afford to miss current funding
  opportunities
• The task is too urgent to delay
• We have to make a start now

10
Strand 1 - Projects

• Multi-institutional
• EngSTC, CERL Hand Press
• Individual
• Around 40 identified at present
• Size varies
• General/whole stock
• Specific topics

11
Strand 2 - Funding

• Major funders
• RSLP (NFF), HLF and NOF
• Other funders
• Institutions, appeals, foundations, EU
• Limitations - by sector or parameters (Some
  institutions are outside all current initiatives)

12
Twining the Strands

• Start NOW
• Start with bottom-up approach
• Coordinate existing effort
• Lever future resources
• This needs
• a national programme
• a coordinating focus

13
A National Programme

• Session 2
• Overall timescale
• Division into phases
• Targets within each phase
• Coordinating focus

14
Co-ordination and Funding

• Session 3
• Coordination Focus
• - Where? Who? How?
• Funding
• - Existing
• - Potential

15
Thought for Today

• Canal records are located in 15 different
  repositories
• At one library, users are faced with 8 catalogues
  in 5 different manual forms, in addition to the
  online catalogue
• To retrospectively convert one college library,
  fitting in with other tasks, will take sole,
  part-time librarian 20 years