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Supporting research in the Arts and Humanities: JISC reviews its services
Following the decision by the AHRC (Arts and Humanities Research Council) to cease funding the AHDS (Arts and Humanities Data Service) from March 31st 2008, JISC has decided that it is unable to fund the service alone and that therefore its own funding of the service will, in its current form, cease on the same date.
In its 11 years of existence the AHDS has established itself as a centre of expertise and excellence in the creation, curation and preservation of digital resources and has been responsible for a considerable engagement of the Arts and Humanities community with ICT and a significant increase in that community’s knowledge and use of digital resources. Its contribution to the development of technical standards, its outreach to sectors beyond higher education, such as cultural heritage, arts, museum and archive organisations and its support for the development of a national e-infrastructure and repository system have been among its many significant achievements.
In the light of these achievements and the consequent risks to the continued development of the Arts ands Humanities community’s engagement with ICT, JISC is exploring with the AHDS, partner organisations and the wider community alternative approaches to maintaining its strong support for that community beyond March 2008.
JISC has a long history of support for Arts and Humanities research, beginning with the founding of the AHDS in 1996 and continuing withits collaboration with the AHRC over the ICT Methods Network, the Arts and Humanities e-Science initiative (with the AHRC and EPSRC), its contribution to the wider e-Science Initiative, and in particular the Research Grants and Studentships Scheme and the Arts and Humanities e-Science Support Centre (AHESSC). JISC’s Support of Research committee has also funded the Aria project and a related Projects and Methods database which have now been merged into an integrated resource, the ICT Guides.
At its meeting yesterday, the JISC Board reaffirmed its strong commitment to continuing this engagement but in the light of wider developments reluctantly acknowledged that the AHDS as currently constituted would not be part of its service provision beyond next year.
Chair of JISC, Professor Sir Ron Cooke, paid tribute to the AHDS, saying: “The AHDS has achieved a great deal in the last 11 years and we would like to thank its staff for their skill, dedication and hard work over these years. One of the AHDS’s many achievements has been establishing capacity and expertise within the Arts and Humanities community. JISC will continue to support that community in its engagement with ICT in order to meet the many challenges of the future.”