UK to establish network of research libraries
The UK is to transform the way research information is collected, organised and preserved with a new Research Libraries Network (RLN). The RLN will bring together the UK's four higher education funding bodies (from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales), the British Library, the national libraries of Scotland and Wales, and eight members of Research Councils UK, and will address the information needs of researchers. 'The financial, technological and organisational demands on university and research libraries are huge,' states the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). '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 specific functions of the RLN will be: to shape collaboration between publicly funded research information providers and their users; to propose and coordinate actions to meet researchers' changing needs; and to act as a high level advocate for research information, both within the UK and internationally. Initial work is expected to focus on feasibility studies and market research, however, and the results of these initial enquiries will define the longer term programme more precisely. Chief Executive of the British Library, Lynne Brindley, referred to the initiative as '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,' she said. Chief Executive of the HEFCE, Sir Howard Newby, believes that the RLN will 'consolidate the UK's strong position in the international research market.' The European Commission recently began a study on the scientific publications sector with the aim of improving both access to and the exchange of published research information. The study will also propose ways in which the Commission can assist with the improvement of conditions.
Countries
United Kingdom