The Reveal Project aims to create a national database of the accessible resources available from organisations such as National Library for the Blind (NLB), Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB), Calibre and approximately 250 other service providers, and to provide independent access for users and intermediaries through the Web.
There is currently no single place which is accessible to everyone and which provides information about the availability of resources in accessible formats. It is vital that visually impaired people, and those who provide services to them, are able to quickly and easily find out what materials is available in the format most appropriate to them. Reveal will provide a single point of access to this information via the Internet.
Reveal will have an accessible web interface that will offer all users the opportunity to:
The first stage of Reveal will be launched on 16 September 2003.
The database structure is in place and work is being done on the design of the web site and online search function.
The data from the National Library for the Blind and the Royal National Institute of the Blind (NUCAF database) has been merged and work is being carried out to remove duplicate records and improve the quality and consistency of the data. Records from Calibre are also currently being checked. There are now 109,199 records (titles) on the Reveal database (including some duplicates).
Records from other key participating organisations are now being imported.
The ability to link to other databases and search them at the same time as Reveal, and for them to search Reveal at the same time as their own databases will be implemented this year.
A system and procedures for inter-library-loan requests is being developed.
Reveal is jointly managed by staff from NLB and RNIB who form a Joint Mangement Group, which also includes a representative from Resource. A Reveal manager, reporting directly to the Joint Management Group, has been appointed and will be in post at the beginning of July.
A Reveal Policy Advisory group will be established in the summer of 2003 and will be responsible for the future direction of Reveal.
Reveal has so far been funded by DCMS and Resource, The British Library, Lloyds TSB, the Ellerman Foundation and including contributions of staff time, resources and expenditure by NLB and RNIB.
The next issue of this bulletin will be available in August 2003.
Please forward this bulletin to anybody you feel may be interested.
If you have any questions about Reveal please contact us at the address below.
Carol Pollitt
Chair, Reveal Joint Management Group
C/O National Library for the Blind, Far Cromwell Road, Bredbury, Stockport SK6
2SG
Tel: 0161 355 2020
Email: carol.pollitt@nlbuk.org
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Last updated on 15-July-2003
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