Joint Funding Council's Libraries Review Group: Report

(The Follett Report)


December 1993

A Report for
Higher Education Funding Council for England
Scottish Higher Education Funding Council
Higher Education Funding Council for Wales
Department of Education for Northern Ireland

Printed copies of this Report are available priced 5.00 pounds from:

External Relations Department
HEFCE, Northavon House, Coldharbour Lane, Bristol BS16 1QD
Telephone 0117 931 7436
Fax 0117 931 7463

The HTML version of the report is available as separate chapters .

Contents

1. Summary of Conclusions

2. Introduction and Working Methods
Membership of the Review
The Scope of the Review
The Contents of this Report
The Work of the Sub-Groups
The LISU Survey
Library Staffing Consultancy
Information Technology Working Papers
Language and Terminology
Teaching and Research Functions of Libraries

3. Background Factors
The Student Population
Investment in Libraries in Higher Education
Prices and Costs
Trends in Library Spending
The Organisation of Teaching and Learning
Research Information Technology
The Heterogeneity of the Sector
Copyright

4. The Management of the Library and Information Services in the Institution
Introduction
The Future of Information Provision
Strategic Planning
Levels of Library Spending within Institutions
Institutional Research Allocation Methods
Performance Indicators
Staff Management
Library Purchasing

5. Libraries and Teaching Provision
Introduction
The Importance of Library Services for Teaching
The Needs and Responsibilities of Teaching Staff
Current Funding Arrangements:
Teaching
Additional Needs and Additional Resources
Library Networking and Collaboration in Support of Teaching
Teaching Quality Assessment and Quality Audit

6. Libraries and the Researcher
Introduction
The Role of Libraries in Support of Research
Libraries, Information Provision and the Researcher
Availability of Library Support for Research
Recent Developments
Funding Arrangements
Future Information Provision in Support of Research
Specialised Research Collections for the Humanities
Legal Deposit Libraries
Library Provision for Researchers: a National and Regional Strategy

7. Information Technology
Introduction
Copyright
Information Technology and Libraries: Current Developments
Networking
Navigational Tools
Information Systems Strategies
Standards
Information Technology and Libraries: Future Developments
Introduction
Electronic Document and Article Delivery
Electronic Storage of Books and Journals
Electronic Journals
On-Demand Publishing and the Electronic Book
Databases and Datasets
Retrospective Conversion of Catalogues
Awareness and Training
Library Management Systems
New Directions in the Library Automation Industry
Gaps in Provision in Library Automation Systems
Library Systems and Campus Information Strategies

8. Summary of Specific Recommendations

Annex A
Membership of the Review Group and Sub-groups and Terms of Reference

Annex B
Glossary of Terms and Acronyms

Annex C
Performance Indicators

Annex D
Assessment of Space Costs

Please note that due to the faults in the electronic copy which we received, there may be letters missing from the text. We hope that these errors will not make your reading of this important report too troublesome.