---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------- Apologies for cross-posting ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------- SAPIENS Scottish Academic Periodicals: Implementing an Effective Networked Service ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------- The University of Strathclyde's Centre for Digital Library Research (CDLR), acting on behalf of the Scottish Confederation of University and Research Libraries (SCURL), has secured £98,990 from the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council's Strategic Change Grant, for a project to develop a centralised Scottish electronic journals service. SAPIENS (Scottish Academic Periodicals: Implementing an Effective Networked Service) will begin in June 2001 and run for two years. The project aims to assist smaller Scottish publishers whose journals are not yet available online, by providing server space, technical support, a high-profile gateway and various value-added services, and thus removing some of the barriers to entry into the electronic environment. More specifically, SAPIENS aims to: - examine the case for a centralised Scottish electronic journal service which might enable and encourage smaller publishers to make existing and new journals available in electronic form - design and build a demonstrator service, which will deliver current journals from a representative selection of publishers via a common gateway - develop and launch an operational service, together with a marketing strategy to ensure that it is self-sustaining within a year of the end of the project. The project is expected to have a significant and beneficial impact on the effectiveness of academic and cultural publishing in Scotland, on the cost-effectiveness with which Scottish university libraries can provide access to Scottish journals for students, teachers and researchers in their institutions, and on the dissemination of Scottish scholarship both within higher education and beyond. On awarding the grant Professor John Sizer, Chief Executive of the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC) said: "SHEFC's mission includes helping Scottish higher education generate and communicate knowledge and skills that will enrich society. "The Council believes that this exciting and innovative project has the potential to provide not only cost savings for the HE sector through an electronic service for Scottish journals, but also broader benefits to Scottish culture and society through a more secure and generally accessible Scottish academic and cultural publishing base." On hearing of the award, Ian Mowat, in his role as Chair of the Scottish Confederation of University and Research Libraries (SCURL), restated his support for the project: "SCURL is proud to back the SAPIENS project as part of its commitment to making information more readily available. This is the latest in a number of SCURL-supported projects which have enhanced the reputation of Scottish academic libraries internationally. "As a cross-sectoral body, involving national university and public libraries, SCURL has recently confirmed its aim to be inclusive in its approach to information provision. The SAPIENS project should make it easier for the community as a whole to access the wealth of scholarly material being produced in Scotland and, at the same time, should continue to ensure that Scottish developments in communication and information technology remain at the forefront of world development." Derek Law, Director of Information Strategy at the University of Strathclyde, welcomed the news of the award: "SAPIENS will make a significant contribution towards realising the vision of Digital Scotland, not only taking Scottish research out into the wider community, but also opening it up to the wider world. This is yet another ground-breaking Scottish project which brings home the reality of the emerging Information Society." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------- For further information about SAPIENS, please contact: Jane Barton, Project Manager Centre for Digital Library Research Andersonian Library University of Strathclyde 101 St James Road Glasgow G4 0NS Tel: 0141 548 2379 Email: [log in to unmask] Website: cdlr.strath.ac.uk ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------- For further information about the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC) you can visit their website at www.shefc.ac.uk. Further information about SCURL is available at scurl.ac.uk. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------