Library Review

Michael Smethurst

1998 Library Review

doi: 10.1108/00242539810218735

The career of Henry Heaney is described from assistant librarian at Queen’s University Belfast to university librarian and keeper of the Hunterian Books and Manuscripts, University of Glasgow. His achievements as the first executive secretary of SCONUL are described as are those of his tenure at Glasgow University, with particular reference to buildings, automation and staffing. His role within Scottish university librarianship is examined, leading to an appreciation of his national and international activities. Special attention is paid to his work in various roles with the British Library. Finally, Henry Heaney’s character and characteristics are discussed.

Michael Anderson

1998 Library Review

doi: 10.1108/00242539810218762

The outcomes of the Follett Committee report are described and the question of access to research collections is discussed. The considerations of a national research strategy and the work of Professor Anderson’s committee are considered, and the importance of the Coopers and Lybrand study of levels and costs of use of higher education libraries by external researchers emphasised. The development of a strategy for research access is described including demonstrator projects and non‐formula funding for cataloguing, preservation and improved access to major humanities collections. The impact of electronic informations and wider developments is also discussed.

Toby Bainton

1998 Library Review

doi: 10.1108/00242539810218807

Reviews the functions and work of SCONUL and how these have changed in the light of the creation of new universities in 1992. While acknowledging the importance of teaching universities within the new overall UK higher education sector, concentrates on SCONUL’s work with and for research libraries: the trainee scheme, statistics gathering and scholarly communication are discussed. In particular, SCONUL’s lobbying function with respect to UK and EU copyright is highlighted.

Lynne J. Brindley

1998 Library Review

doi: 10.1108/00242539810218898

This paper traces the development of JISC strategy for, and provision of, networked information services through the 1990s. The account has been structured in “eras”, and although each lasted only a few years it was arguably equivalent to a long period of history in such a fast moving field. The early era of the Computer Board and the Information Systems Committee (precursors of JISC) was characterised by experimentation, risk‐taking, and learning by doing. With the establishment of JISC (Joint Information Systems Committee) in 1993 we entered a second era, of consolidation of policy, expansion of service provision through new datasets and databases, and increasing take‐up by users. The third era benefited from the wider context set by the Follett Report and, from 1995, saw a flowering of related projects and developments creating the “electronic library”. JISC’s new five‐year strategy launched late in 1996 heralded a fourth era, to be led by the Committee for Electronic Information (CEI) which has now set about widening the scope of nationally provided electronic collections even further, and has begun to tackle a wide range of management and policy issues relating to a much more mature range of services. The paper concludes with some consideration of the issues to be faced in the next phase of provision.

Reg Carr

1998 Library Review

doi: 10.1108/00242539810218906

The origins of CURL in the 1980s lay in its members’ need to share machine‐readable catalogue records ‐ an aim materially assisted by the establishment of JANET. Funding from the Wolfson Foundation and the University Grants Committee enabled the development of a consortial database of catalogue records, based in the University of Manchester from 1986. CURL became a limited company in 1992, with charitable status, and established itself as a reseller of records, through OCLC, addressing wider issues for research support through input to the Follett Review of academic libraries in 1993. The transformation of the CURL Database into a national OPAC followed from the award of national funding in 1994/5 and, with the Consortium’s membership growing to more than 20 by 1996/7, CURL has embarked on a systematic strategic plan designed to exploit its members’ extensive holdings of research materials for the benefit of the wider scholarly community.

Margaret M. Coutts

1998 Library Review

doi: 10.1108/00242539810218726

Against the historical background of the growth of research collections, the scale of developing electronic information is examined, along with its implications for established principles and practice in collection building and service delivery. Existing practices must extend and ultimately change to accommodate the different nature of electronic information. Aspects discussed include selection criteria, effective resource discovery, and the role of metadata and electronic search tools. New developments in resources sharing are indicated. Changes in the physical environment of research collections are discussed, along with the current uncertainties about disposal of hard copy in favour of electronic formats. The need for sound technical planning and support is noted, and the new demands on information specialists are identified. These relate particularly to services which offer advice, guidance and value‐added provision for the researcher. The article concludes that research collections are becoming hybrid resources, extending and enhancing provision for the research community.

Timothy Hobbs

1998 Library Review

doi: 10.1108/00242539810218915

Throughout his 20 years as university librarian and keeper of the Hunterian Books and Manuscripts, Henry Heaney has shown an abiding interest in the rich and varied collections contained in Glasgow University Library’s Department of Special Collections. The article traces the unprecedented growth in the collections themselves, and in readers’ use of them, which have taken place during Heaney’s librarianship. Tribute is paid both to the sustained efforts made by Special Collections staff in promoting the scholarly community’s awareness and use of the collections, and to Henry Heaney’s active encouragement. The impact of the Funding Councils’ Non‐Formula Funding,and of digitisation, is considered, and the conclusion is drawn that at his retirement, Henry Heaney is leaving the Department of Special Collections well placed, both in its new location and in its collections and services, to meet the opportunities and challenges of the digital age.

Derek Law

1998 Library Review

doi: 10.1108/00242539810218924

Progress towards achieving the concepts of Universal Bibliographic Control and Universal Access to Publications is outlined in relation to printed publications and discussed in the context of electronic information. The unique problems relating to consistent identification of electronic materials are indicated and various metadata projects for recording and searching electronic files are outlined. The problems of access to electronic materials are discussed and various relevant international projects considered.

Ian R.M. Mowat

1998 Library Review

doi: 10.1108/00242539810218933

Reviews the initiative arising from the Follett Committee providing non‐formula funding to support specialised research collections in the humanities. The method of application for and distribution of the funds within a first phase are reviewed and the criteria adopted, although never stated, are considered. The effects on retrospective cataloguing are described and the work of the Archives Sub Committee is considered. The nature of funding of projects for the second phase is discussed and an initial assessment is provided of the overall benefits from the programme.

Sean Phillips

1998 Library Review

doi: 10.1108/00242539810218979

The background for university libraries in Ireland is almost identical to that in other EU countries: rapid expansion in student numbers and materials price inflation not being matched by reciprocal funding. Among positive steps to combat this EU programmes are noted and co‐operative initiatives, notably the IRIS and ALCID projects are discussed. National developments are examined, including the activities of the Information Society Commission and moves towards a national library/information policy. The effects of the Universities Act 1997 are also considered. Future strategy is discussed, particularly the pressures for collaboration and distributed systems and their relevance specifically to research libraries considered.