fyi

David Dawson
Senior ICT Adviser
Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries
16 Queen Anne's Gate, London SW1H 9AA
email: [log in to unmask]  tel: 020 7273 1415 

www.resource.gov.uk                             www.peoplesnetwork.gov.uk

Join the People's Network mailing list at www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/peoplesnetwork.html
Join the ResourceNews mailing list at www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/resourcenews.html



> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mike Heyworth [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Wednesday, April 03, 2002 11:56 AM

> Subject: HEIRNET project - Users and their use of HEIRs - consultants
> needed
> 
> 
> 
> please circulate this to anyone who might be interested ...
> 
> 
> HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT INFORMATION RESOURCES NETWORK
> 
> HEIRNET - www.britarch.ac.uk/HEIRNET
> 
> 
> USERS AND THEIR USE OF HEIRS
> 
> 1 Purpose
> 
> The purpose of the consultancy is to provide an initial guide to and
> analysis of patterns of use and user profiles for a range of current
> Historic Environment Information Resources (HEIRs), and to 
> draw up a summary
> project design for a UK-wide project to provide a more 
> detailed assessment
> of the user needs and the outcomes of developing access to HEIRs.
> 
> The output from the consultancy will inform discussions by 
> the Historic
> Environment Information Resources Network (HEIRNET) and 
> future development
> work across the UK.
> 
> The consultancy is being funded by members of HEIRNET: 
> English Heritage,
> Re:source, the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical 
> Monuments of
> Wales, Historic Scotland, the Association of Local Government 
> Archaeological
> Officers and the Standing Committee of Archaeological Unit 
> Managers. Project
> management will be through the Council for British 
> Archaeology (CBA), guided
> by HEIRNET members.
> 
> 2 Brief
> 
> There is an urgent need to evaluate the current and potential 
> range of users
> of HEIRs and analyse patterns of use of services. This is to 
> enable user
> needs to be taken fully into consideration in the development and
> presentation of HEIRs in the future.
> 
> This project will comprise of an analysis of current user 
> services based on
> existing quantitative and qualitative market research into usage and
> statistics for services delivered across the Internet collected by a
> representative sample of HEIRs.  The project will look across 
> the range
> HEIRs and their user services spanning both the sector and the UK:
> 
> *     3 NMRs
> *     2-3 SMRs/HERs
> *     Archaeology Data Service catalogue (http://ads.ahds.ac.uk)
> *     CBA web site (www.britarch.ac.uk)
> *     Portable Antiquities Scheme web site & database 
> (www.finds.org.uk)
> *     Scottish Cultural Resources Access Network (www.scran.ac.uk)
> *     Internet Archaeology (http://intarch.ac.uk/)
> *     1 museum
> *     1 archive
> *     1-2 others (to be identified)
> 
> The end result of this project will be a detailed report, 
> with an executive
> summary, which focuses on existing users and the services 
> offered by an
> identified sample of HEIRs in the UK set in its wider 
> context.  The report
> should consider the identification of groups of users, user 
> feedback, the
> outcomes of access projects and differences in patterns of 
> usage across the
> sector, particularly where indicative of potential for 
> developing the user
> base. 
>  
> The project will also make recommendations for future user evaluation
> studies, including a methodology for recording of user 
> statistics by HEIRs
> and for evaluating user feedback to current and potential 
> services, with an
> outline project design for a more detailed project to look at 
> user needs,
> the development and presentation of HEIRs and the social and economic
> outcomes of access projects.
> 
> 3 Deliverables
>  
> In consultation with HEIRNET, the consultant will produce a 
> report, in hard
> copy and digital form. The report will include an analysis of 
> usage and user
> profiles for a sample of key UK HEIRs, as set out in the 
> brief, together
> with an outline project design for a larger project designed to assess
> issues relating to users in the development and presentation 
> of HEIRs across
> the UK.
> 
> The report should be supplied in a digital form that can 
> easily be made
> available on the Internet. Links to sites and web pages 
> referred to in the
> text should be included in the report.
> 
> 4 Contacts
> 
> Day to day liaison will be provided by Dr Mike Heyworth at 
> the CBA (HEIRNET
> Secretary).
> 
> The consultant will report to HEIRNET for progress monitoring 
> and feedback.
> 
> 5 Duration
> 
> Work will commence as soon as possible and ideally the report 
> should be
> completed by summer 2002, though the end date is open to negotiation.
> 
> 6 Fee
> 
> This project is a fixed price tender with UKP 9,000 inc VAT available.
> 
> 7 Guidance
> 
> It is anticipated that the consultant will need to visit key 
> organisations
> and meet relevant staff, as well as conducting discussions by 
> telephone and
> letter.
> 
> A Project Steering Committee has been established by HEIRNET, 
> consisting of
> representatives from the consortium including English 
> Heritage, Re:source,
> the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales,
> Historic Scotland, the Association of Local Government Archaeological
> Officers and the Standing Committee of Archaeological Unit 
> Managers. The
> Project Steering Committee will be available to provide 
> guidance during the
> course of the consultancy.
> 
> Technical guidance will be available from the Archaeology 
> Data Service at
> the University of York.
> 
> There are a number of relevant documents, either already available or
> currently in preparation, which will be made available to the 
> consultant for
> background reference material. HEIRNET members will aim to keep the
> consultant in contact with developments within their own 
> organisation as it
> is recognised that there are a number of relevant 
> developments currently in
> progress or in prospect.
> 
> 8 Copyright
> 
> The deliverables, and all data and analysis used as part of 
> the consultancy,
> will be the copyright of the Council for British Archaeology. 
> All members of
> HEIRNET will be granted an unrestricted license to use the 
> deliverables and
> data and analysis used in the course of the consultancy (though
> confidentiality of detailed information will be respected in 
> any external
> use of the information).
> 
> 9 Publication
> 
> HEIRNET will publish the deliverables from the consultancy on 
> the HEIRNET
> web site, and in printed format on demand, to ensure wide 
> dissemination of
> the results of the consultancy and to maximise its value to the wider
> archaeological community.
> 
> The consultant will be credited as the primary author on all 
> publications
> that flow directly from the consultancy work.
> 
> 10 Expressions of interest
> 
> Rather than inviting formal tenders for the consultancy work, 
> at this stage
> we are simply seeking expressions of interest from individuals or
> organisations who wish to be considered. Please enclose a full CV.
> 
> Expressions of interest should be submitted to Dr Mike 
> Heyworth at the CBA
> (Bowes Morrell House, 111 Walmgate, York YO1 9WA, tel 01904 
> 671417, fax
> 01904 671384, email [log in to unmask]) by Friday 
> 26th April 2002.
> 
> Anyone seeking further information is invited to contact Dr 
> Heyworth for an
> informal discussion.
> 
> ===================================================================
> Dr Mike Heyworth, Deputy Director, Council for British Archaeology
> Bowes Morrell House, 111 Walmgate, York YO1 9WA, UK
> tel 01904 671417, fax 01904 671384, web www.britarch.ac.uk
> =================================================================== 
>