JISC

In a data-rich future, senior academic librarians believe that managing and promoting e-Resources and e-Content will be their main challenges. These are the conclusions of a newly published JISC survey of 300 key library and Learning Resource Centre (LRC) staff across 284 HE and FE institutions. The findings complement those of SCONUL’s recent Top Concerns 2008 research.   

The shift away from print to a dependence on e-Resources raises questions such as how to manage the volume of material, how users can access it and how libraries and LRCs can provide or promote such resources. It also highlights financial issues such as potential funding sources for the increasing amounts of new technology, electronic materials and subscriptions likely to be needed by the learning institutions of the future.  Balancing limited budgets against growing demands for a huge variety of content.' 
Head Librarian, HE

JISC’s Attitudinal Survey, conducted by the JISC Monitoring Unit at the University of Kent, covered content, licensing, digitisation and communication issues. 

Key findings include:

• Keeping abreast of and incorporating new technologies, pressure on space, information skills and literacy and access management are key challenges facing academic libraries
• The digitisation of in-house resources is going on, but few institutions have an overall digitisation strategy
• 25% of HE libraries were involved in the inter-institution procurement of collections during the last year, with 12% digitising collections collaboratively
• Around one third agreed that academic libraries/LRCs could use social networking opportunities to engage students with their services but most were unsure especially in HE

   
 Read the full report