JISC

Massive record of the nineteenth century made available free to FE and HE institutions in the UK 

October 27 2006. A new online resource which is vital to an understanding of the UK and its history has been made available free of charge to further and higher education institutions in the UK. An agreement between JISC and ProQuest Information and Learning, announced today, makes the House of Commons Parliamentary Papers 1800 – 1901, comprising nearly 6,000 volumes and over 4 million pages, available in perpetuity to those communities.

The abolition of the slave trade, the growth of the railways, massive economic and industrial growth, voting reform, and war and conquest abroad are just some of the themes that defined the nineteenth century and are reflected in the online resource. Containing nineteenth-century Bills, House papers, Command papers, treaties, statistical data including census data, committee reports and much more, the resource encompasses all area‘This is clearly a resource which many people in many different disciplines will find immensely valuable.'s of social, political, economic and foreign policy, showing how issues were explored and legislation formed. 

Many contributors to the papers were found outside the official world, providing evidence or supplying memoranda to committees and commissions, among them Matthew Arnold, John Stuart Mill, Michael Faraday, Charles Babbage, Guglielmo Marconi, John Maynard Keynes and Sir William Beveridge, alongside thousands of others.  

The resource would, without the JISC agreement, cost institutions around £35,000 each and enthusiasm expressed by academics and researchers around the country during the consultation for the agreement was unprecedented. 

One of those who responded to the consultation was Colin Brooks, Director of the HE Academy Subject Centre for History, Classics and Archaeology at the University of Glasgow, who said: ‘This resource will transform student understanding of the legislative process and will also incidentally improve understanding of our contemporary political system. Offering students such easy access to a wealth of new perspectives is an excellent step forward. The type of availability that the JISC agreement has made possible will I think transform use, quantitatively and qualitatively.’

David House, Chair of JISC Collections, which negotiated the agreement, said: ‘This is clearly a resource which many people in many different disciplines will find immensely valuable. JISC Collections is delighted to have worked with ProQuest to provide such a significant and indeed unique resource.’

For further information, please go to: House of Commons Parliamentary Papers 1801-1900   

Or contact: Philip Pothen (JISC).

Notes for editors  

1. JISC – the Joint Information Systems Committee – is a joint committee of the UK further and higher education funding bodies and is responsible for supporting the innovative use of information and communication technology (ICT) to support learning, teaching, and research.  It is best known for providing the JANET network, a range of support, content and advisory services, and a portfolio of high-quality resources. See information about JISC, its services and programmes or contact Philip Pothen.
2. ProQuest Information and Learning – ProQuest Information and Learning is a world leader in collecting, organizing, and publishing information for researchers, faculty, and students in libraries and schools. It is widely known for its strength in business and economics, general reference, genealogy, humanities, social sciences, and STM content.  The company develops premium databases comprising periodicals, newspapers, dissertations, out-of-print books, and other scholarly information from more than 9,000 publishers worldwide.  Users access the information through the ProQuest® Web-based online information system, Chadwyck-Healey® electronic and microform resources, UMI® microform and print reference products, eLibrary® and SIRS® educational resources, and Serials Solutions e-resource access and management  solutions.  ProQuest® Smart Search was named "Best Specialist Search Product" by the International Information Industry Awards in late 2005.  For more information about ProQuest Information and Learning, visit www.il.proquest.com.  
3. The House of Commons Parliamentary Papers, from ProQuest Information and Learning, is a digital archive offering quick and easy access to the vast and complex UK legislative record from the 19th Century. Seamless subject browsing and precision search capabilities offer students unparalleled access to the most detailed historical primary source for Britain, its colonies, and the wider world.