What is Access and

Who are the Researchers?

JIBS User Group MeetingWALK-IN USERS - TIME FOR A STEP CHANGE?

University of Birmingham20 May 2008

Sally Curry RIN CCM Programme Adviser

RIN

Who are the ‘Researchers’?

What is ‘Access’?

Big steps forward

Further steps still needed

Research Information Network

RIN: set up in 2005 by 4 UK HE funding bodies, 8 Research Councils and 3 National Libraries. Funding now extended to 2011

Role: to develop the evidence base, provide authoritative advice and guidance and support change where it is needed to ensure best access to research information and data

Range: all disciplines, subjects and information sources, formats - and all interested parties

RIN activities

Search and discovery

Use of information services

Scholarly communications

Digital content and e-research

Collaboration between libraries

www.rin.ac.uk

What and who is the library for?

To support the mission and objectives of the institution

To support learning and research by the institution’s staff and students

To contribute to the national, strategic approach to research?

To the knowledge economy, lifelong learning & encouraging participation in tertiary education?

To work with local businesses and schools and the local FE college - Community engagement?

Who are the Researchers?

Academics and PhDs from the home institutionAcademics and PhDs from other institutions linked through collaborative research: HEIs, businesses, NHS/health organisations Researchers from other universities to use special collections or other unique materialsHealth and social workersPhDs and students on local work placement or living locally‘Pro-ams’: local community usersLocal school students

What is ‘Access’?

1. Access to information about resources

Its all online nowadays

About 50% of research collections have no online catalogues

‘If its not online it does not exist’

Issues of interoperability or inter-searchability have not been solved

Need for intelligent search skills

Problem of ‘good enough’ research model

What ‘Access’ can libraries offer?

2. Access to the information itself:Hard copy, e-journals and e-books

For the HEI’s own researchers?

For research groups? inter-university university-business university-health

For community researchers?

Barriers to e-resources

1. e-material licensing: registered students and staff of the HEI only

2. Technical issues: providing facilities for appropriate access for visiting researchers is time consuming and often not seen as a priority

3. Staff time: identifying material which can be made available for Walk in users (WiU) is time consuming and – ‘Is it our role anyway?’

Big steps forward

LicensingJISC model licence now includes Walk in User Access & improved definitionsJISC has provided online info on which resources can be made available to WiUs

http://www.jisccollections.ac.uk/model_licence/coll_walk_in_user_access.aspx

Big steps forward

LicensingJISC model licence now includes Walk in User access & improved definitionsJISC has provided online info on which resources can be made available to WiUs Eduserv has done likewise

http://www.eduserv.org.uk/chest/agreements/software/walk_in_users

Big steps forward

LicensingJISC model licence now includes Walk in User access & improved definitionsJISC has provided online info on which resources can be made available to WiUs Eduserv has done likewiseJISC’s Additional Authorised User Initiative

Big steps forward

Technical

HAERVI – Toolkit of workable technical solutions

http://www.ucisa.ac.uk/publications/~/media/DFB765A2EF5E46FA90939F28F9C6ED1A.ashx

Big steps forward

Technical

Federated Access and Shibboleth - improved access management system providing resource sharing opportunities for research groups

WAM25

RLUK/COPAC - research into more integrated search service + links to how to access the material

National licensing initiatives: IReL and SHEDL

Further steps still needed

1. Awareness amongst users of the resources available to them. Some libraries promote this well

Further steps still needed

2. Awareness amongst front line library staff about:

The collections the library holdsThe library’s policy towards visitorsThe access to resources that is available to visitorsThe welcome/assistance they can give visitors, whether from the academic sector or from the local community

Further steps still needed

3. Providing IT access and access to online resources for Walk in Users2002/3: UKComputing+ undertook research into provision of access for WiUs with 6 universities2006/7: UKLibraries+ website listed 18 HE libraries as offering IT access for WiUs2007: the number had almost doubled……to 35That’s 35 out of 131 HEIs in the UK

We have the tools We have made good progress but

Further steps still needed!

HEIs providing Walk in User Access2007

Anglia Ruskin University Birmingham University De Montfort UniversityImperial College, University of LondonKingston University Lancaster University Leeds Metropolitan University Liverpool Hope University London School of Economics and Political ScienceLondon South BankNational University of Ireland, GalwayNewcastle University Open UniversityOxford UniversityRoehampton University Sheffield Hallam

The TateThe University of NorthamptonTrinity College CarmarthenUniversity College, London University of Bolton University of Derby University of Durham University of Exeter University of Hertfordshire University of Huddersfield University of Liverpool University of Northumbria University of Nottingham University of Reading University of Sunderland University of Surrey University of Sussex University of Wales SwanseaUniversity of Wolverhampton

References

RIN: www.rin.ac.ukPublic Access to Licensed Journals in Academic Libraries: www.rin.ac.uk/public-accessResearchers’ use of academic libraries: www.rin.ac.uk/researchers-use-of-librariesUncovering Hidden Resources: extending the coverage of online catalogues: www.rin.ac.uk/catalogue-coverageJISC Model Licence etc:www.jisccollections.ac.uk/model_licence/coll_walk_in_user_access.aspxEDUSERV: www.eduserv.org.uk/chest/agreements/software/walk_in_usersHAERVI: www.ucisa.ac.uk/publications/~/media/DFB765A2EF5E46FA90939F28F9C6ED1A.ashxSussex Visitors Guide: www.sussex.ac.uk/library/SHEDL Report: www.scurl.ac.ukIReL: www.ul.ie/~library/irel/irelnews.htm