**Apologies for cross-posting**
The British Library Research and Innovation Centre has published
two new reports:
-------------------------------------------
Information needs of rural users: an update
-------------------------------------------
Rural communities have changed in recent years including
alterations in employment and living patterns, transport and
other local facilities, age and wealth distributions. At the same
time, the growth of information and communication technologies,
and the World Wide Web in particular have made it easy to
disseminate information. There has also been a growth in the
concept of community information networks. These developments and
changes indicate a need to reappraise the needs of people living
in rural areas. This report reviews and updates our understanding
of the information needs and access of individuals and groups
living, working, and being educated in rural areas of the United
Kingdom. It looks at the published literature in the past 15
years, utilising statistical and electronic information, and
surveys public libraries and the main organisations concerned
with rural society. To supplement this information, some
small-scale case studies in rural villages were carried out. It
summarises the difficulties that people in rural areas face
when needing information, and looks at ways in which access could
be made easier through both conventional and technological means.
----------------------------------------------------------------
A strategic policy framework for creating and preserving digital
collections: a report to the Digital Archiving Working Group
----------------------------------------------------------------
The report addresses the critical issue of developing a strategic
policy framework for the creation and long-term preservation of
those digital resources which will form our future cultural and
intellectual heritage. It provides a high-level presentation of
the framework identifying how policies need to addressed, the key
stages in the life cycle of a digital resource, the
inter-relationships and dependencies between each stage, and how
these are influenced by the legal and business environment within
which the digital resource is created, used and ultimately
preserved. Case studies demonstrate how issues identified in the
framework have been addressed by organisations in different
business environments. A summary of best practice and standards
in implementing the framework is also included. This report is
also available on the Internet at:
http://ahds.ac.uk/manage/framework.htm
Further details, including ordering information, are available
from the Centre's web pages: www.bl.uk/services/ric/.
*******************************
Simon Matty
Information Officer
Research and Innovation Centre
The British Library
2 Sheraton Street
London W1V 4BH
tel: 0171 412 7054
fax: 0171 412 7251
email: [log in to unmask]
*******************************
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|