> -----Original Message-----
> From: Nigel Lees [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: 21 March 2001 10:36
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Is there a librarian in the house?
>
> I am the Librarian at the Royal Society of Chemistry (which is a member of
> ALPSP) and I would like to make contact with fellow librarians in the UK
> whose parent organisations are also members of ALPSP. Hence this email.
>
> If you are a librarian please read on. If you are not then could I ask
> you
> to forward this message to the librarian or the person responsible for the
> library in your organisation. You may also feel this message is relevant
> to
> you, in which case please do comment!
>
> My main concern for membership-based libraries or libraries belonging to
> the
> learned and professional (L & P) sector is to find a collective voice on a
> national scale. My feeling is that L & P libraries are largely
> under-represented when it comes to negotiations with publishers, the
> British
> Library or government. Obviously there are exceptions where an L & P
> library does get involved but, in general, the problems that L & P
> libraries
> face are not readily addressed. The academic and public library
> communities
> are represented, and have a strong voice, but not so the specialist
> society
> or institute library. My view is that the RSC as a publisher has a
> national
> voice through ALPSP and other organisations but the RSC Library does not.
> I
> have been in informal contact with a number of other initiatives in the
> medical and engineering sectors who have either achieved some form of
> collaboration or are starting to pull something together. This email
> really
> addresses the broader picture.
>
> My main question is:
>
> Do you think there is enough interest to form either a subset of ALPSP
> (where many of our parent organisations belong anyway) or perhaps an
> entirely new independent group? There are many other major libraries out
> there belonging to organisations that are not members of ALPSP who may
> also
> wish to have representation.
>
> Could you send your comments direct me at [log in to unmask]
> <mailto:[log in to unmask]> in the first instance and not to list members. I
> will collate all comments and suggestions and circulate them. I will also
> liaise with ALPSP to see what their view is.
>
> Other concerns for L & P libraries:
>
> 1) The delivery of electronic journals and databases to our members. Will
> the costs be prohibitive given the geographic distribution of our users?
> Is
> it desirable anyway?
>
> 2) The formation of buying consortia (for periodicals and databases) in
> order to control costs. Some L & P libraries have already had some
> success
> here. Perhaps we could all learn from their experiences.
>
> 3) The role that many of us carry out as part of the national archive or
> holding a particular subject-based archive, in my case chemistry. How do
> we
> continue to do this electronically in the same way as we have done in
> print?
> Will publishers carry out this role (they haven't done so before - but
> times
> are changing)? Or is this a role that should be left to the British
> Library?
> Could we help out here?
>
> Looking forward to hearing from you.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
> --
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
> --
> ---------
> Nigel Lees
> Manager, Library & Archival Services
> Royal Society of Chemistry
> Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BA, UK
>
> Phone: +44 (0)20 7437 8656
> Fax: +44 (0)20 7287 9798
> Email: [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
> Web: www.rsc.org/library <http://www.rsc.org/library> and
> www.chemsoc.org
> <http://www.chemsoc.org>
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