Digitised content in the UK research library and archives sector

A study of the current provision of digitised collections for researchers in the UK higher education sector was carried out through desk research, a Webbased questionnaire of research libraries and interviews. The study identified a great deal of digitised material in the sector and there has been considerable expenditure of UK public funds in the creation of digital material in the last ten years. However, funding of digitisation been piecemeal and uncoordinated. It is clear that there is a need for coordination, but no agreement on how it should be implemented. Any future national approach would have to be a co-ordinated and distributed, rather than centralised, one

Digitised content in the UK research library and archives sector

In August 2004, the JISC and CURL Digital Content Creation & Curation Task Force issued an invitation to tender for a study of the current provision of digitised collections for researchers in the UK higher education sector. The objectives of this study were to: 1) Produce a high level survey of digitised material, both already available and in the process of being created, held in UK research collections across all disciplines 2) Survey demand for digitised material and identify gaps in existing provision 3) Develop a mechanism for identifying future digitisation priorities 4) Review funding structures and opportunities and assess possible ways of funding priority areas 5) Recommend standards and formats for future digitisation projects 6) Provide an outline action plan for a national digitisation strategy for the UK research community. JISC and CURL commissioned a team of researchers from the Department of Information Science at Loughborough University to carry out this survey. The study was carried out between 1 November 2004 and 7 March 2005

Digitisation in UK libraries and archives: is a national strategy needed?

In August 2004, the Joint Information Systems Committee and the Consortium of Research Libraries Digital Content Creation & Curation Task Force issued an invitation to tender for a study of the current provision of digitised collections for researchers in the UK higher education sector. The objectives of this study included identifying what digitised content exists, user needs and demand, UK research library digitisation activities and plans, funding sources and models and standards. The work also included consideration of the need for a national strategy for digitisation and recommendations for action