Dear Alan and colleagues

Thank you for your enquiry.

Last Thursday's announcement about the establishment of the Research
Libraries Network (RLN) was made by HEFCE and the BL on behalf of a
consortium of fifteen sponsoring bodies and funders.

Precise priorities for the RLN will be determined by the funders, in
consultation with an advisory board (still to be established), and in the
light of the needs of researchers (new market research will be commissioned,
where appropriate).

It is obviously not possible for the BL to speak on behalf of all the other
funders of the RLN, but it can be confirmed that the RLN is not being
established exclusively to meet the needs of full-time researchers in higher
education. 

The important contribution made by independent researchers to the national
information base is recognised. They obviously form an important part of the
existing constituency of the BL and certain other library and information
providers.

The document you are preparing sounds of considerable potential interest to
the RLN. In the absence of a Director of the RLN (the post will be
advertised  shortly), you can feed in suggestions to the RLN via Jan
Wilkinson, who is the BL representative on the RLN funders' group -
[log in to unmask]

Best wishes.

Clive



Dr Clive Field, F.R.Hist.S.
Director of Scholarship and Collections
The British Library
96 Euston Road
London    NW1 2DB
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 7412 7530
Fax: +44 (0)20 7412 7093
email: [log in to unmask]



-----Original Message-----
From: Alan Pritchard [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 02 August 2004 16:04
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Announcement from The British Library


> £3 million national framework for UK research information announced
> 
> Research Libraries Network promises UK researchers 'joined-up' services

<fx: leaps on hobbyhorse>
Having looked at the information on this, although it talks about 'the 
information needs of researchers', it does seem exclusively concerned with 
corporate researchers, i.e. researchers who are active members of 
universities.

To what extent will this initiative help the information needs of the 
individual researcher who is (a) not attached to a university or college 
and (b) is at some distance from any institution. Not that being close to 
one would do him or her any goods at all.

I believe that many of the same pressures and opportunities that are 
changing work patterns (telecommuting, self-employment, more career 
changes) are also having an impact on research needs.

I am currently trying to finish off a document on 'academic exclusion that 
will raise a lot more questions about the problems of the independent 
researcher.

Will BL be looking at this problem? If not yourself to whom should 
enquiries on this be addressed.

<fx: gets thrown off hobbyhorse & lands with a thud>
Best wishes
Alan Pritchard MPhil FCLIP MBCS

ALCHEMY: a bibliography of English-language writings
2nd (Internet) edition at
http://www.cix.co.uk/~apritchard
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