Table of contents.................................................................................................... 2

The organisation of public libraries.......................................................... 3

policies and strategic activities.................................................................... 3

statistics on public libraries........................................................................... 3

Information and communication
technology in public libraries....................................................................... 3

outlook......................................................................................................................... 3

Key standards and guidelines........................................................................... 4

Innovative projects in UKRAINIAN public libraries.............................. 4

Best practice, innovations and projects................................................................................. 4

Joint activities between libraries, museums and archives........................................................ 4

PULMAN COUNTRY Report

information on public libraries

The organisation of public libraries

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK) consists of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The population of the UK is 56m people of which 5m live in Scotland, 3m live in Wales and 1.6m live in Northern Ireland. The language of the UK as a whole is English. Just over 500,000 people in Wales speak Welsh and Wales is officially a bilingual country. There are communities of people in most large cities speaking various Asian languages, the result of immigration since the Second World War. In 1997 a separate legislative assembly was created in Scotland with powers over virtually all internal matters, including of course libraries, museums, archives, and education at all levels. At the same time Wales also gained a limited amount of devolved government.

Public library legislation in the UK goes back to 1851. The current legislative framework for England and Wales is provided by the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964, and for Scotland, The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 which require library authorities to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service. The Local Government Act 1999 makes it a duty of each local authority to achieve Best Value or “to secure continuous improvement in the way in which its functions are exercised having regard to a combination of economy efficiency and effectiveness”. The Secretary of State for the relevant function may intervene if an authority fails to carry out its functions under this act.

Access and services for people with physical and visual impairments. The legislative framework is provided by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. This act states that service providers must not refuse service, or provide a lower standard of service, to disabled people. They must also change policies and procedures which make it difficult or impossible for disabled people to use their services. Barriers, steps or revolving doors which cause access problems must be removed by 2004. Resource has published Library Services for Visually Impaired People: a Manual of Best Practice and a guide to help museums and galleries improve access for the disabled called Disability Directory .

Copyright protected materials and related licensing initiatives. The legislative framework is provided by the Copyright Designs and Patents Act of 1979 and the Public Lending Right Act of 1979. Under the UK’s Public Lending Right scheme authors receive payment from government funds for the free borrowing of their books from public libraries in the UK. To qualify authors must register under the scheme. Payments are made in accordance with the frequency of loans of an author’s works as measured in a sample of UK libraries.

In the UK the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) aims to improve the quality of life for all through cultural and sporting activities and through the strengthening of the creative industries. The DCMS has the statutory responsibility to superintend the delivery of the Public Library Service in England by local authorities and promote its development. In 2001 there were 4167 library service points and 656 mobile service points in the UK, administered by 149 separate library authorities.

The DCMS has agreed a set of public library standards, Comprehensive, Efficient and Modern Public Libraries- Standards and Assessment, and requires each library authority to submit an annual library plan which is monitored against the standards and benchmarked against other authorities. See http://www.libplans.ws/ for more information and copies of individual authorities’ plans. The introduction of a dedicated library inspection system, along the lines of those in position for schools, has been discussed. See http://www.ifla.org/IV/ifla68/papers/155-080e.pdf.

Libraries, along with all other departments in their local authorities, are also subject to the Comprehensive Performance and the Best Value Reviews carried out by the Audit Commission. Reports on the performance of public libraries in general and reviews of particular local services may be seen on the Audit Commission's website. The Audit Commission report Building Better Library Services points to a decline in library visits and book loans and notes a tendency amongst libraries to focus on current users rather than non-users, and patterns of opening which do not match the needs of users. These points and the Audit Commission recommendations have been addressed in the DCMS strategy for public libraries, Framework for the Future, see section on Policies and Strategic Activities below.

Resource, the Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries is the strategic body working with and for museums, archives and libraries, tapping the potential for collaboration between them. It replaces the Museums and Galleries Commission (MGC) and the Library and Information Commission (LIC), and now includes archives within its portfolio. Resource’s mission is to enable to collections and services of the museums, archives and libraries sector to touch the lives of everyone. See section on Joint Activities between libraries, museums and archives below for more information. The Scottish Library and Information Council, the Library and Information Services Council (Wales) and the Library and Information Services Council (Northern Ireland) perform similar roles.

Funding

The background funding of public libraries, local archives and local museums in the UK is provided by the local authorities i.e. county, city, district and borough councils and unitary authorities. The local authority budget is financed roughly 50% from money raised by a property tax on householders and businesses and 50% from central government grants. Members of the public may not be charged for the basic book-lending services of a public library (PL&M Act 1964 s.8) but they may be charged for services such as reservations, or the borrowing of audiovisual material. Local authorities are allowed to charge entrance fees to museums and galleries but not libraries. Most public library authorities now raise income by a variety of means which may include charging for: reservations and interlibrary loans; photocopying; computer printouts; loan of audio-visual and multi-media stock; fines; internet access or training sessions; sales of old stock; publications; etc.

The last decade has seen the rise of what has been called a “bidding culture” in the UK’s libraries, museums and archives. There are now a large number of funding bodies, which range from charitable organizations to government agencies, which have chosen to channel funding through competitive tender or the submission of a bid containing specific proposals for action in accordance with guidance material published by the funding body. This competition for money has been seen by successive governments as leading to a more entrepreneurial, market-oriented culture in local government, but critics point out that the costs to unsuccessful bidders are high and that there is a danger that already needy areas to become even more disadvantaged as the assessment of rival bids may not take into account relative local deprivation. Public sector organisations have two problems: identifying bidding opportunities and preparing effective bids. Libraries have the advantage of background statutory funding but local museums and to some extent archives, are becoming more and more dependent on this type of funding.

In this context the huge sums of money generated and distributed by the National Lottery must be mentioned. They are disbursed to deserving causes by several different organisations among which are The New Opportunities Fund, The Heritage Lottery Fund, the Arts Councils and The Millennium Commission. Other organisations which donate money on a competitive basis include: the Department for Culture Media and Sport, the British Library, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the Victoria and Albert Museum and English Heritage. Sponsorship may also be sought from private and commercial organisations. For full details see: The Bidding Culture and Local Government

Expenditure – general (£ millions) 2000-01

	Public libraries	University & HE libraries	National Libraries
Staff	485	218	67
Books	91	49	13
Periodicals	7	77	5
Audio visual	16	in books	-
Automated systems	30	17	-
Overheads, premises etc.	251	37	46
Total gross expenditure	878	426	130
Income	87	64	25
Total net expenditure	792	361	105

Source: LISU: Library and Information Statistics Tables 2002

Professional development

CILIP is the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, a new professional body formed following the unification of the Institute of Information Scientists (IIS) and The Library Association (LA). Vesting Day on 1 April 2002 saw the birth of CILIP, but the new organisation will not be fully grown for some time after this. An action plan has been mapped out for the transitional period to December 2004 during which a number of important elements of the new organisation will be put in place, including:

· a new structure of qualifications;

· new arrangements for regional Branches in England;

· a new code of conduct and ethics;

· new arrangements for Special Interest Groups;

· a new subscription framework;

· a new Website

For some time CILIP will be a "work in progress" - in consultation with the Membership - while at the same time providing a full range of products and services for CILIP Members and the wider library and information community.

CILIP currently accredits undergraduate and postgraduate library and information courses in universities up and down the country. Courses accredited range from first degrees to post-experience courses, where candidates are expected to have previous library and information experience at a professional level. Courses come in all forms - full and part time, face-to-face or distance learning, and often in combination with other subjects such as business or health information, art history or languages. All are regularly re-accredited by CILIP's experts, to ensure that they remain up-to-date, relevant to today's issues and effectively delivered. There are also courses leading to para-professional/vocational qualifications that are designed to assess levels of competence in a current job, and to improve an individual’s chances of employment and promotion by honing their skills and demonstrating their commitment to the profession. They provide a combination of practical experience and theoretical knowledge and can help people find a first job in library and information work. See Qualifications for Library Assistants, Chartered Membership, and Continuing Professional Development for more information.

Resource has an ambitious agenda relating to workforce development. It takes it very seriously as a key issue facing museums, archives and libraries. As part of the Annual Workplan 2002/3 it will be working on a strategy for workforce development which will reflect the concerns of, and address the issues facing, the sector. This strategy will define Resource's role alongside those of the professional bodies, colleges and training providers, the new Sector Skills Councils, and museums, archives and libraries themselves. Its intention is to look at all members of the workforce within the sector, paid and unpaid, and at levels and roles. Resource's more recent activity on workforce development is outlined below.

· Leadership. One of the ten key objectives listed in Resource's Manifesto was the need to set out what needs to be done to improve the quality of leadership in the sector, and to pilot a sector-wide leadership training course. Leadership is an issue of concern across the sector; identified in Renaissance in the Regions for museums and in the Public Library Workforce Survey, Recruit Retain and Lead for libraries and in Resource's Archives Strategy.

· Training - Sharing Museum Skills Millennium Awards (SMSMA). Resource and one of its predecessor bodies, the MGC administered the very successful Sharing Museum Skills Millennium Awards scheme whose aim was provide professional development for the individual and to improve the quality of museums, archives, and library special collections for their users. The scheme provided grants to enable staff and volunteers working within these organisations to share, learn and apply new skills through paid secondments. The Awards were funded by the Millennium Commission which is one of the 'good causes' supported by the National Lottery.

· SMSMA came to an end in March 2002. In order to maintain the scheme for the interim while its future and Resource's overall strategy is considered, a pilot scheme of nine secondments, one from each of the English Regions and to be drawn equally from museums, archives and libraries will be run in the year 2002/3. Resource will also be working and liaising with individuals in the Regional Agencies and other related organisations regarding the assessment of applications and awarding of these secondments and future models for professional development programmes.

· Sector Skills Councils. The Sector Skills Development Agency website is http://www.ssda.org.uk. Resource's position is that there should be a single SSC covering the entire museums, archives and libraries domain. Other links for example with community education may well be worth exploring. Resource will continue to work with DCMS and other stakeholders to achieve this end.

· Volunteers. Volunteers play a vital role in our sector, yet clear and authoritative information on precisely who volunteers and why, has been hard to come by. To address this gap in our knowledge, Resource commissioned the Institute of Volunteering Research to develop a demographic profile of volunteers in museums, archives and libraries in England. The final report, its appendices and its recommendations will enable Resource to formulate a strategic view of volunteering across the sector which recognises their contribution and will assist us in future policy decisions.

The library profession by occupation 2000-01

		Library Associa	tion *
	Chartered	Other	Total members
Public libraries	4,483	1,188	5,671
National libraries	398	366	764
Higher education	1,822	1,039	2,861
Further education	664	538	1,202
Schools	1,247	459	1,706
Industry/commerce	681	850	1,531
Medical/hospitals	546	373	919
Government depts.. etc	541	436	977
Independent consultants	205	38	243
Miscellaneous	77	66	143
Total	10,664	5,353	16,017
Overseas	592	664	1,256
Students/non-LIS	348	1,390	1,739
Unemployed/retired	3,281	654	3,935

* Following the unification of the Library Association (LA) and the Institute of Information Scientists (IIS) to form the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) - figures for 2000-01 membership of the IIS are not available. In 1999-00 the IIS had 1,240 full members and 407 other members. Note that one third were also in membership of the LA.

Source: LISU: Library and Information Statistics Tables 2002

Table of contents 2

policies and strategic activities

The Government’s long-term strategic vision for the role of public libraries is set out in Framework for the Future: Libraries, Learning and Information in the Next Decade, DCMS, 2003. It identifies the unique contribution that libraries can make to support reading and informal learning, access to digital services and skills, and community cohesion and civic values. The policy document outlines a range of measures, which will help libraries build on existing success and extend good practice more widely. It illustrates how they might contribute to national programmes, for example on pre-school education or adult basic skills and draws on current practice.

The strategy will help local and library authorities agree on the key priorities with central government and their local communities. It asks library authorities to consider how they might translate these policies into a set of programmes, which best meet the needs of their local community.

The new policy is based on wide-ranging consultation with more than 30 library authorities, the main professional bodies in the sector - CILIP (Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals) and the SCL (Society of Chief Librarians) - and other key stakeholders across Whitehall and in the public and voluntary sectors with a shared agenda in public libraries.

The strategy sets out three central priorities for libraries:

· to promote reading and learning for everyone, regardless of income and background,

· to encourage access to digital skills and services,

· and to take a positive role in tackling social exclusion in communities.

One of the strengths of the public library service is that it is run by local authorities - who select the services on offer according to local need. Framework for the Future will build on this diversity, developing national programmes which will enable all libraries to learn from the best, but which at the same time reflect the needs of the local community. The imagination and innovation of our best library services should be an example to the rest, the Government believes.

Ground-breaking libraries such as Peckham, Norwich and Bournemouth, which are at the heart of community development, should be models for the public library service. Public libraries in the 21st century should be open when people want to use them, including evenings and weekends, and offer family-friendly facilities like cafes and creches. And ideally, library users should be able to get easy access to any book - whether or not it is still in print - with others getting expert help on everything from basic literacy to setting up their own community websites and taking part in the ICT revolution.

The launch of Framework for the Future is the beginning of the action phase. The Culture Department, together with Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries, and a newly-constituted Advisory Council on Libraries, will work with leaders from local government, libraries and education services to make this vision a reality.

The People’s Network is a project to connect all public libraries to the Internet as part of the Government’s commitment to give everyone in the UK the opportunity to get online. Over 30,000 computer terminals have been installed in over 4,000 libraries across the country, giving access to the Internet for everyone, with trained staff on hand to offer support and advice. These provide over 65.5 million hours of Internet use every year. Many libraries offer additional facilities, from printers and scanners to video-conferencing facilities. Many are also providing extra support facilities so that people who find conventional computer facilities difficult to use can enjoy and benefit from these services. For a brief overview of the project take the guided tour.

Library ICT learning centres will offer access to equipment and online resources such as:

· The Internet and email facilities

· Community information

· Government services

· Learning materials

A range of office software applications

People will be able to surf the net, scan documents or images, and video conferencing facilities will be available in some main libraries.

In addition, many different community organisations, such as libraries, archives and museums, are collaborating to bring together unique resources in innovative ways on the web.

The People’s Network is Lottery funded by the New Opportunities Fund (NOF) and is part of a broader initiative called UKONLINE which is providing Internet access to anyone who wants it through 6,000 new IT learning centres in England, 4,000 of which are in libraries. Delivery of the People’s Network was managed by Resource, working with NOF to advise and support libraries as the network was implemented and with the Government to secure its continued development. More than 40,000 librarians have undertaken ECDL (European Computer Driving Licence) training together with further courses to enable them to support people in their online learning and information needs.

For more details about the three programmes which make up the project: see:

Network infrastructure

ICT Training of public library staff

Digitisation of content. The NOF Digitisation programme (see section on Digitisation below for more information) is working to create new content for the People’s Network. Over 150 new website will be created, giving access to 1 million newly digitised objects and 400 learning journeys

For details about project funding

For additional general information about the People's Network project you may like to refer to a number of articles and publications which are available online and in print

A number of other key policy documents from Resource are highlighted below:

· Building on Success: An Action Plan for Public Libraries

· Renaissance in the Regions: a new vision for England's museums
Developing the 21st Century Archive - An Action Plan for United Kingdom Archives

· Resource's archives agenda

· Learning and Access Strategy

· A Framework for Resource's International Activity 2001/02

· UK Museums Needs Assessment (PDF 1.02MB)

Archives in the Regions: An Overview of the English Regional Archive Strategies

Table of contents 2

statistics on public libraries

Staff, opening etc.

	2000-01	1994-95
No. of authorities	208	167
Professional librarians per 10,000 population	1.09	1.20
Total staff per 10,000 population	4.48	4.67
Service points open for 45 hours or more	731	749
Service points open 30-44 hours	1,522	1,643
Service points open 10-29 hours	1,694	1,689
Service points open <10 hours	220	394
Mobile service points	656	692
Population per service point	12,962	12,610
Total service point hours per week	141,568	148,670

Source: LISU: Library and Information Statistics Tables 2002

Use 2000-01

Total population 59753,500

Registered borrowers 34,657,030

	Totals (000s)	Per member	Per head of population
Bookstock	118,745	3.43	1.99
Books acquired	11,042	0.32	0.18
Annual book issues	405,612	11.70	6.79
Audio-visual acquired	1,384	0.04	0.02
Audio-visual issues p.a.	38,936	1.12	0.65
Total items on loan	26,851	0.77	0.45
Enquiries handled p.a.	58,236	1.68	0.97
Visits p.a.	323,932	9.35	5.42
Net revenue expenditure (£1000 sterling)	791,641	22.84	13.25
Materials bought (£1000 sterling)	106,532	3.07	1.78
		2000-01	1994-95
Average cost per book acquired (£ sterling)		8.22	9.10
Average books allowed out		11	9.2
Average permitted loan (weeks)		3.2	3.4
Average duration of loan (days)		22	22

Source: LISU: Library and Information Statistics Tables 2002

Public library services to children 2000-01

	Total (000s)	Per capita
Bookstock	23,988	2.9
Book additions	3,709	0.33
Book issues	94,563	8.3
Books on loan	7,228	0.63
% on loan	29.9
Replenishment rate	14.6
Stock turnover	4.0
Average charge for requests (£)	0.36
Average age of transfer to adult services	15 years 11 months
Professional librarians	591

Source: LISU: Library and Information Statistics Tables 2002

Public Library Support Services to Schools 2000-01

	2000-01	1994-95
Professional librarians	302	445
Expenditure per pupil (£ sterling)	5.54	5.33
Bookstock per pupil	3.7	3.7

Source: LISU: Library and Information Statistics Tables 2002

Library acquisitions 2000-01

	University & HE libraries	Public libraries	National Libraries
Copyright deposit items	185,000	0	811,000
Books	2,892,000	11,042,000	318,379
Books per member	1.74	-	0.32
Current periodicals	839,000	61,000	343,202
Periodicals per member	0.50	0.00	-
Audio-visual	in books	1,384,000	60,241
A/V per member	-		0.04

Source: LISU: Library and Information Statistics Tables 2002

For more statistics on public libraries, please see http://www.libecon.org/database

Table of contents 2

Information and communication technology in public libraries

In 2001 Resource published Information and Communications Technology and the Development of Museums, Archives and Libraries: a Strategic Plan for Action. Its purpose is to present both a strategic framework for the future of ICT with museums, archives and libraries, and provide a bridge between strategy and action. It, therefore, offers a mix of broad context and practical tasks and deliverables. The plan will be important in directing the work of Resource and in creating a communications channel with other key players in the sector. It represents a commitment to shared strategic development through vision and partnership. More specifically the plan will:

• Translate Resource’s manifesto commitments into action, e.g. by improving service delivery, harnessing the potential of technology, giving advice on best practice;

• Develop a vision for the future use and impact of ICT within the sector that highlights impact on community life;

• Provide a shared framework to support service integration both across the sector and with associated sectors, e.g. by developing content partnerships and links to learning networks;

• Prioritise developments and place them in a context that allows concerted progression in the sector;

• Focus planning on the need for capacity building and training;

• Communicate the value of ICT to (and beyond) the sector in ways that relate to the delivery of services to users, e.g. by horizon scanning and sharing best practice;

• Support Resource’s role in lobbying for funding for sustained development within the sector.

The plan is in two parts. The first section lays down the principles and goals of ICT within the museums, archives and libraries sector. The second defines the most significant priority areas for each year (based on current knowledge) and then presents a more comprehensive set of action lines that deal with those priorities and ongoing tasks. The plan lists the following key outcomes 2001-2004:

• ICT learning centres in all public libraries (by the end of 2002);

• Integrated and co-ordinated body of digital content relevant to user needs from the New Opportunities Fund (NOF) digitize programme (by 2003);

• Museums, archives and libraries as significant contributors to Culture Online (by the end of 2002);

• Register of case studies highlighting the effective and innovative use of ICT within the sector especially supporting lifelong learning (April 2002);

• Develop effective monitoring and communication systems to foster a well-informed sector (by the end of 2001);

• Define the ICT skill and competency needs within the sector and advise national training organisations and other relevant bodies as necessary (by the end of 2001);

• Demonstrate the significant role of the sector in networked learning developments, especially the design of technical standards and delivery channels (by end of 2001);

• Identify funding opportunities and strategies to encourage the adoption of ICT, particularly in support of wider access to collections (April 2002);

• Report on the use of ICT for audience development and profiling (April 2002).

The most important matter to mention in this context must be the People's Network, a project to connect all public libraries to the Internet, as part of the Government's commitment to give everyone in the UK the opportunity to get online and gain access to the growing number of government services which will be made available as a result of e-government policies. See section on Policies and Strategic Activities above for more information.

Most library authorities are reasonably well advanced in their use of ICT although smaller branches may not always be as well equipped as larger ones. Most authorities have websites and make their catalogues available over the Internet. See the UK Public Libraries Page compiled by Robert and Sheila Harden for more information and links to the sites.

Figures for the first section below (Network Infrastructure) are based on data received from library authorities due in June 2002 as part of the quarterly NETbase survey. Remaining data (except for details about charging policies, which is gathered quarterly) is based on data submitted in November 2001 as part of the annual NETbase survey process.

Network Infrastructure
	Number	%
Number of library authorities	210	100
Number of public libraries	4150
Number of mobile libraries	675
Number of authorities with Internet access	202	96.19
Number of libraries with Internet access	2709	70.00
Number of authorities with Internet access in all libraries	80	38.10
Number of public terminals altogether	15142
Number of public Internet access terminals	13428
Number of public OPAC terminals	5915
Number of CD-ROM terminals	6991
Number libraries with at least 2MB network connectivity (Broadband connectivity)	1305	31.45

ICT Training and Staffing
	Number	%
Authorities which provide some form of Internet/ICT training to library customers	195	92.86
Authorities with dedicated IT staff in at least one branch	48	22.86
Number of dedicated ICT staff in the library service	204
Number of dedicated ICT training staff available to train staff &/or customers	211.5

Content & Service Development
	Number	%
Library catalogue is remotely accessible to customers (e.g. via the WWW)	77	36.67
Services available remotely to customers (via email or library website):
Requests	59	28.1
Reservations	65	30.95
Renewals	78	37.14
Enquiry services	126	60
Community information	119	56.66
Authorities subscribing to e-journals or electronic data services	118	56.19
Management of website development:
Library Authorities managing the library website	80	38.1
Library Authorities managing corporate website	33	15.71
Library websites managed by other Council department or contracted out	83	39.52

Networked Services Policy
	Number	%
Authority has an Internet acceptable use policy	182	86.67
Authority has an electronic collections development policy	42	20
Internet uses filtering software	138	65.71
Booking systems employed for public Internet access	124	59.05
Some form of Internet charging policy employed (not necessarily at all time or to all users, or in all branches)	59	28.1

Partnerships & Collaborative Working
	Number	%
Authorities co-operating with other authorities in the Region to implement the People's Network	61	29.05
Commercial partnership/s established to deliver ICT access	51	24.29
Involved in collaborative digital content creation	163	77.62
Partners in a clump or virtual union catalogue consortium	71	33.81
Electronic services procured through a consortium	108	51.43
Authorities which belong to training consortia that deliver aspects of customer training	83	39.52
Authorities which belong to training consortia that deliver aspects of library staff training	131	62.38
Involvement in library research projects	26	12.38

Digitisation

The New Opportunities Fund £50 million nof-digitise programme is currently putting into electronic form a wide range of material that will be made available, free of charge, to users of the People's Network and the National Grid for Learning. The project aims to bring together a wide range of partnerships representing community and voluntary sectors, local authorities, libraries, museums and archives, further and higher education. It aims to support lifelong learning, cultural enrichment and citizenship objectives by the transfer of text, drawings, photos, films, maps and sound into easily accessible electronic format. The enforcement of rigorous technical standards should ensure the accessibility of the materials for future use. See. nof-digitise technical standards.

The Fund recognised that some organisations may benefit from technical help when developing and implementing their projects. The technical advisory service is now run by UKOLN, in association with the AHDS. It provides support mainly via e-mail and its website.

The scale and scope of public-sector digital content creation activity in the UK is a key growth area of online activity, covering a wide range of diverse projects, strategies and programmes The information below is taken from http://www.peoplesnetwork.gov.uk/content/uk.asp. The Forum for Network Coordination pages provide thumbnail sketches of many of these, as do the UK pages for the EU Digitising Content Together Initiative, but the major public sector building blocks in each of the UK devolved administrations include:

Distributed National Electronic Resource The JISC Distributed National Electronic Resource (DNER) is a managed environment for accessing quality assured information resources in all media on the Internet which are available from many sources. The DNER targets those within the higher and further education and research communities, although a key part of its long term strategy it to form partnerships with other sectors, such as health.

England

DCMS Resource IT Challenge Fund for Museums in England; managed by Resource. A portal of project profiles and other valuable project management information is available on this site, including the results of the formative evaluation.

Culture Online The Culture Online vision report sets out how computers and the Internet can be used in innovative ways to open up arts and culture to new audiences. This initiative is at the planning stages, with several small-scale pilots being funded to scope out how the vision document might be realised. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is overseeing the initiative, with Resource playing a lead role in advising on developments. More details are available on the Resource website.

UK online centres UK online centres are for people who have limited or no access to skills in using new technologies. The centres will help people to develop the skills to use the Internet to access information, send email using a PC, mobile phone, digital television or games console; and explore the opportunities that new technologies offer such as for further learning and updating skills. Public libraries will qualify to become UK online centres once they have implemented the People's Network. Resource is overseeing the application and coordination processes on behalf of the public library community. For further details, see the infrastructure section. Of the Resource website.

National Grid for Learning The DfES portal to learning resources, the national curriculum and teacher support.

National Electronic Library for Health The National Electronic Library for Health Programme (NeLH) is working with NHS Libraries to develop a digital library for NHS staff, patients and the public.

Scotland

Information on developments in Scotland can be found at the Scottish Executive website, including Digital Scotland, the Scottish Executive initiative which aims to ensure that Scotland obtains and retains maximum economic and social advantage from information and communication technologies, and Creating our future, minding our past Scotland's National Cultural Strategy. SCRAN, the Millennium Commission-funded Scottish Cultural Resources Access Network is a searchable resource of over 1 million multi-media items.

Wales

Information on developments in Wales can be found at the National Assembly for Wales website, including the Cultural strategy, and Online for a better Wales. Gathering the Jewels, is a project funded by NOF-Digitise which aims to make available online key cultural resources bringing together for the first time in one collection the treasures of Wales held in museums, libraries, galleries and record offices to create a unique set of learning materials.

Northern Ireland

Content creation initiatives in Northern Ireland include work at the Linenhall Library, and the Belfast Telegraph. Several projects are also being funded as part of the NOF-Digitise programme.

Table of contents 2

outlook

The Government’s positive view of libraries and the role they can play in society can be seen in Framework for the Future: Libraries, Learning and Information in the Next Decade, DCMS, 2003. It identifies the unique contribution that libraries can make to support reading and informal learning, access to digital services and skills, and community cohesion and civic values. The policy document outlines a range of measures, which will help libraries build on existing success and extend good practice more widely. It illustrates how they might contribute to national programmes, for example on pre-school education or adult basic skills and draws on current practice.

The present government is very much aware of the importance of ICT in relation to the overlapping fields of local government, administration, education, health etc., and is forcing the pace in a number of areas, see the Modernising Government policy statement.for background information. They foresee a time when much of the interaction between the citizen and local or central government will take place over the Internet and are keen to advance this process, which is still at an early stage. Libraries, present in all British urban communities and many rural ones, are seen as a way of making sure that ordinary citizens, especially those who do not have their own PCs, are not excluded from this process.

The Office of the e-Envoy (OeE) is leading the drive to get the UK online, to ensure that the country, its citizens and its businesses derive maximum benefit from the knowledge economy. To support this aim, the Office has three core objectives:

· to develop the UK as a world leader for electronic business

· to make all government services available electronically by 2005 with key services achieving high levels of use

· to ensure that everyone who wants it has access to the internet by 2005

The UK online campaign, of which the People’s Network (see section on Policies and Strategic Initiatives above) is a key component, brings together government, industry, the voluntary sector, trades unions, consumer groups and the public to help make the UK one of the world's leading knowledge economies Some 6,000 UK online centres, the majority of which are in public libraries, are already operating across the UK.

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Key standards and guidelines

The latest government standards for England are Comprehensive and Efficient: Standards for Modern Public Libraries: A Consultation Paper. The document recognises the role of public libraries in the fields of education, social inclusion and the modernisation of a variety of public services. For Scotland a report was published in May 2000 by the Digital Scotland Task Force.

The e-Government Interoperability Framework (e-GIF) is an essential component of e-Government Strategy and sets out the policy and standards for interoperability across the public sector. It sets the architecture for joined-up and web-enabled government, for the UK online portal and Gateway, and for Electronic Service Delivery (ESD).

The standards are mandated for all new systems and for all outward facing legacy systems, i.e. those that are needed to meet ESD targets The e-GIF applies to all interactions between UK government departments, between UK government and the wider public sector, between UK government and citizens/businesses, and between UK government and foreign governments.

The e-GIF:

· Adopts internet and world wide web standards for all government systems

· Adopts XML (the data language of the internet) as the key standard for data interchange

· Adopts standards that are well supported by the market

· Aims to reduce the cost and risk for government systems

· Makes the browser the key interface for access and manipulation of all information

· Provides an implementation strategy using the UK GovTalk™ website as the mechanism for consultation and communication.

An important part of the e-GIF is the E-GMF, the e-Government Metadata Framework which includes metadata policy across the public sector. Metadata forms part of the information management policy and structure for joined-up and web-enabled government, for the UK online website ,the Government Gateway, Electronic Service Delivery, and for Electronic Records Management. The e-Government Metadata Standard (e-GMS) lists the structure to be followed by the public sector. It is based on Dublin Core.

The NOF Digitisation Programme (see above under section on Digitisation) is enforcing rigorous technical standards across the projects it funds which should ensure the accessibility of the materials for future use. A "life-cycle" approach of Creation - Development - Management - Access - Use/Re- use has been taken in the presentation of technical standards. This is because it emphasises the importance of seeing the project as a whole, and how decisions taken at given stages have implications for the rest of the process and affect the continuing development of the service. See nof-digitise technical standards for more information.

The library sector is an active participant in the national standards body, the British Standards Institute (BSI), which is a member of ISO.

Electronic bibliographic format	MARC 21
Cataloguing rules.	Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, 2nd. edition
Electronic communication standards	The e-GIF (e-Government interoperability framework) is mandatory for all public sector activities..

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Innovative projects in UKRAINIAN public libraries

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Best practice, innovations and projects

Buildings

Best library building awards - last year winners: http://www.cilip.org.uk/groups/plg/award_2001/winners.html - details of winners and runners up for large, small, new and converted/refurbished libraries (9 libraries listed -Stratford, Peckham, March, Brixworth, Papworth Everard, Royal Leamington Spa, Firth Park, Buncrana, Macroom (Co.Cork)

London Borough of Tower Hamlets council wants to create a new kind of library: the Idea Store. Idea Stores is just one example of how libraries are renewing themselves around a new image, service and sense of purpose

Sunderland's Millennium Centre is in an area of deep social deprivation. The new centre replaced an old library building.after extensive community consultation.

Suffolk libraries & heritage services Library Links is a pilot scheme to develop new ways of serving rural communities. Each Link is a 'mini library' in a shop, post office or community building with a collection of frequently exchanged books.

An exciting new city centre library for Birmingham is under development.

The Forum in the centre of Norwich houses learning organisations, café, restaurant and takeaway facilities, tourist information, a heritage visitor attraction - ‘Origins’, as well as the state of the art Norfolk & Norwich Millennium Library

Bournemouth's new Central Library is based in a bold, light, open modern building. It is already starting to change the town.....the South East England Regional Development Agency is studying plans to create a pedestrian piazza outside the library which could be used for cultural events."

Business services

Essex Libraries International Business Information Service (IBIS) offers a comprehensive business information service.

Westminster business library provides a wealth of information for fact-finding missions or in-depth research.

Children and schools

Stories from the web. Birmingham Library and Information services A co-operative and attractive website designed to stimulating enjoyment of reading and reading and writing, run by several different library services where children can read stories, e-mail authors, write reviews and their own stories, play word games and participate in reading-oriented competitions.

Bookstart is the first national books for babies programme in the world. It is a national reading initiative encouraging parents to introduce their children to books from a very early age. Academic research shows that Bookstart babies are more confident readers when they start school..

The Big Book Share is a partnership between Nottingham City Libraries & Information Service, The Reading Agency, HM Prison Nottingham, Marks & Spencer plc's Community Division, East Midlands Arts and 23 children's publishers. It is run by Nottingham City Libraries at Nottingham Prison. The national pilot project encourages men in prison to share books with their young families by reading to them on tape.

Chatterbooks is a national network of reading groups for 4 - 12 year olds, sponsored by Orange, in partnership with the public library network.

Bedfordshire Libraries' Homework Centres are open two evenings a week and are staffed by a Homework Centre Organiser, supported by library staff......the first two Homework Centres, launched in 2001 have proved so successful that they are now funded permanently.

Reading

Croydon Libraries. Library web page offering book reviews for children, written by librarians based on recent acquisitions by the library, intended to stimulate a love of reading by helping children, parents and carers to choose the “best book”.

Treasure Island. An interactive game website, designed to promote reading, produced by the United Kingdom Office on Library Networking (UKOLN) while teaching children various IT skills.

Westminster. Web is a webpage with links to services that stimulate reading, they have also developed web page with links to services supporting homework

Liverpool Libraries & Information Services have worked with excluded black youngsters in Edge Hill and housebound readers to provide them with more choice. It is one of 33 authorities involved in the Branching Out Project..

Essex Libraries Ask Chris service is a mixture of the knowledge and enthusiasm of Essex Libraries staff, and recommendations of readers and reading groups across Essex. So when you Ask Chris to suggest what you should read next, you'll be tapping into the opinions of hundreds of readers

Whichbook.net (previously called Book Forager) gives readers an enjoyable and intuitive way to match books to their mood. Using innovative software from Applied Psychology Research Ltd it enables the choice of book to start from the reader and what he/she is looking for.

Digitisation and access to cultural content

Backstage. An academically funded site, which already includes some public library and theatre collections and offers collection level descriptions for all collections included and item level descriptions for about half of the collections to date.

Cambridgeshire Libraries. Cambridgeshire History on the Net is a collection of images and text which reflect Cambridgeshire as it was at the beginning of the twentieth century.

Culture Online. sets out to broaden access to cultural resources online and explore how the Internet can be used to open up arts and culture to new audiences.

The Emigration Database of the Ulster-American Folk Park Centre for Emigration Studies at Castletown, Omagh contains a variety of original materials

Familia. Family history resources held in public libraries in the UK and Ireland. Originally set up under the auspices of EARL

Leeds Libraries have an interesting Local History Photographic Collection

Powys Digital History Project is helping people to research and digitize local history.

SCRAN (Scottish Cultural Resources Access Network) Project has created a networked multimedia resource base for teaching and celebration of human history and material culture in Scotland. Users have to be licensed and agree to strict conditions of use.

seamlessUK. is a NOF Digitisation Programme funded project that is developing a finding aid to citizen’s information on the web. It provides seamless access to quality-controlled local community and local government information alongside national information, searchable by subject and place.

The Visual Arts Data Service aims to protect, preserve and promote access to the digital resources of various collections in the UK. While it is centred on the academic community, there is cross-sectoral participation.

Interactive and remote access services

Essex. Ask Chris of Essex County Council an interactive forum for readers of fiction

Gateshead Public Library an interactive forum which does not relate to fiction or even necessarily to books.

The Zone of Lincolnshire County Council, an interactive forum to encourage the joys of reading and writing.

Ask a librarian, a co-operative email enquiry service.

Internet access

The People’s Network This project will connect all 4300 UK public libraries to the Internet, where practicable, by the end of 2002. The £170 million project is managed as a partnership between the New Opportunities Fund (NOF) and Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries. The website will be used to publicise outcomes by the use of case studies.

Lifelong learning

One of the most far-reaching strategies to put libraries at the heart of learning has been pursued by a partnership between the public, college and university library services of Sunderland. LASH links public, college and university libraries and offer 130 drop in courses run in conjunction with City of Sunderland College.

Music

Cecilia. New British project to provide an online directory of British music library resources and other music resources, with appropriate links to individual libraries and organisations.

Westminster public library has a well resourced music library

Partnerships

Co-East A consortium of ten public libraries in the East of England (Essex, Southend, Thurrock, Cambridgeshire, Peterborough, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Bedfordshire and Luton) working together to maximise information access and to enable members of the public to easily obtain resources from libraries across the region, either via computers in libraries or over the Internet.

Liverpool. Libraries Together: Liverpool Learning Partnership. Six academic and public libraries in Liverpool co-operate on a range of activities including training, purchase interlending and digitisation see

The Libraries Partnership - West Midlands brings together the Library and Information Services of the region's 14 Local Authorities and 11 Higher Education Institutions. It provides strategic representation and advocacy, manages development projects and acts as a communications hub across libraries, museums and archives in the West Midlands region, with links to other key cultural agencies. It aims to improve access to learning, culture, business support and information resources for all.

seamlessUK: is a consortium of local authorities led by Essex County Council in partnership with 14 national information providers to provide a citizen’s gateway to information

Social inclusion

CILLA:. Co-operative of Indic Library Language Authorities is a professional library service for Indic languages especially Urdu, Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil, Bengali. The service includes specialised advice, a union catalogue, an approvals service. It has recently been taken over by OCLC.

Edinburgh City Libraries’ Ethnic Library Service includes material in Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu and is staffed by people who can speak ethnic minority languages. Word processing is offered in Bengali, Chinese and Urdu..

Walsall Library Service provides online access to people living in residential homes and sheltered accommodation at 56 sites. Online access is provided via mobile phone technology. The service visits sheltered accommodation, residential homes, nursing homes, day centres and adult training centres throughout Walsall.

Walsall Library Service also has a Library Link vehicle which provides online access via mobile phone to people living in residential homes and sheltered accommodation at 56 sites.

Technical innovation

Hertfordshire County Council has offered information about its services to residents via digital cable TV from December 2001 including details of local public services.

Worcester County Library's comput@bus A mobile with a satellite link, instruction in computer use, disabled access and access to lifelong learning courses.

Derbyshire Library Service, which serves a largely rural area, has developed wireless connectivity in three mobile libraries using Wolfson (DCMS) funding. The mobiles offer access to the catalogue, borrower records, the Internet and networked CD-ROMS. The mobile parks outside buildings equipped with a network connection via an ISDN line and links to the ISDN via an on-board aerial and an antenna on the building which is within line of sight from the vehicle.

The Isle of Wight Library service has satellite Internet on its mobile library.

Services for visually impaired people

Birmingham’s Library Services at Home is a specialist service run from a centre for those who are physically unable to visit their local library. Books are delivered monthly to readers’ own homes and records are kept of their likes and dislikes. The special services include talking books, jigsaws a newsletter and free reservations. Collections of books can be delivered to residential homes.

Essex County Library. Essex library service provides a postal cassette service and free access to audio books, videos and CDs for print-handicapped people. It also involves visually impaired people in Booktalk activities. Short awareness sessions for library staff are held regularly. Access technology is currently being introduced in many libraries, accompanied by extensive staff training.

Gateshead Libraries are commended for their AIRS (Access to Information and Reading Services) . This includes a unique daily talking newspaper compiled by its own editorial staff, the production of children’s story tapes, a transcription service for the production of personal information in alternative formats, fast copying facilities and custom made recordings. As a centralised transcription centre Gateshead has considerable expertise, offering consultancy and advice on scripting, editing, recording and distribution. Half the staff employed in the service are disabled, resulting in many improvements in the services to users.

Manchester Libraries was the first library to install Kurzweil readers and establish 'VI units' based at the Central Library and in suburban community libraries providing a focus for library users. These Units operate as separate departments and offer a range of technology for use by visually impaired people and library staff.

Tameside Centre for the Visually Impaired is a dedicated branch library for use by visually impaired people and a central resource for the rest of the library service. There are transcription services, large print, audio books, music cassettes, and magazines in Braille and on tape. There is a customised computer, computerised scanner with voice output and a sound proof room used as a recording studio. The centre is next to the premises of the Tameside Blind Association which ensures that it is well used.

Islington Libraries have access to the catalogue by screen magnification and speech enhancement on its catalogue terminals and through the service by means of a laptop. The Central Library also provides OCR scanning facilities for conversion of print to alternative formats together with hands on computer facilities with support training. A special Internet station at the Central Reference Library has enhancement technology providing magnified text and sound. Direct telephone support when using the service is provided by visually impaired ICT specialists from Apart Consultancy. Islington is also conducting a pilot experiment with TNAUK in the use of e-text newspapers and periodicals.

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Joint activities between libraries, museums and archives

Resource delivers this mission through its core roles, which encompass all aspects of its work:

· providing strategic leadership

· acting as a powerful advocate

· developing capacity within the sector

· promoting innovation and change

In fulfilling these roles it works in partnership and through collaboration with a wide range of institutions, umbrella bodies, government departments and national and international organisations, both within and beyond the cultural sector.. All of Resource's work is informed and underpinned by its core values:

· museums, archives and libraries have a central role to play in sustaining and developing cultural, social, educational and economic well-being.

· the care, maintenance and enrichment of collections provides an essential starting point for the development of the sector.

· the services provided by museums, archives and libraries should be focused on the needs of actual and potential users.

· these services should recognise and promote access and social inclusion and cultural diversity.

· the development of the sector should be based upon vigorous and informed debate and rigorous research.

· partnership and cooperation are essential components of success.

Resource’s key corporate objectives for the period 2002-03 to 2004-05 are:

· to develop the organisational and funding infrastructure that will support the sector's development, meeting the needs of the English regions, aligned with the priorities of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and in dialogue with the wider international community.

· to encourage the development of accessible and inclusive collections and services that provide learning, inspiration and enjoyment for everyone

· to demonstrate the impact of our sector on society and the economy

· to determine the strategic needs and priorities of our sector

· to ensure Resource's increasing operational effectiveness

Further information about Resource's role and remit is included in the Manifesto, which sets out its agenda for the future. The Annual Workplan 2002/03 sets out its current objectives and priorities, with details of the tasks they have set out to achieve this year. Other documents which are relevant to Resource and its strategic plans and objectives may be found on the Corporate section of its website.

Regional activity lies at the heart of much of Resource's work. The focus of this activity is currently on developing and supporting an effective regional infrastructure for the museums, archives and libraries sector, involving two important projects:

1. The Renaissance in the Regions Project

2. Establishing Regional Agencies for the museums, archives and libraries sector. as strategic bodies responsible for all three domains - museums, archives and libraries - in each of the nine English regions by April 2004. The establishment of new agencies with responsibility for the museums, archives and libraries sector in the regions is in line with the Government's regional agenda. The new agencies will have the same boundaries as the Government Offices for the Regions, which, as uniquely cross-departmental organisations, are playing an increasingly pivotal role at the heart of government. A list of key questions and answers about Resource's regional policy, including a timetable for establishing the new agencies in each region, is now available.

Resource Regional Cross-Domain Research Projects

1. East of England

· East of England Resource Web Portal - which is to be directed initially at professionals in library and information services, archives and museums in the region to enable them to be better informed, better supported and equipped to provide richer services to their end users. The portal will point users to: a directory of museum, archives and library services in the East of England, a skills bank identifying and providing access to skills and resources available within the three domains, sources of funding, partnership brokering mechanisms, a sign-posting and links region, training opportunities, creation and hosting of web-pages enabling a web presence for organisations which as yet do not have one, user guidance on submitting information, and posting details.

2. London.

· The London Archives Regional Council, London Libraries Development Agency and London Museums Agency have established a joint working group to oversee the development of a cross-domain strategy for London. The agencies have also appointed a Strategic Development Officer to support the work of this body, manage cross-domain projects and advocate cross-domain collaboration to practitioners and stakeholders.

3. North East

· Sector Statistics. In June, 2001 NEMLAC appointed the Information Management Research Institute (IMRI) at the University of Northumbria, as consultants to the review of sector statistics in region.

· Durham Local Studies. NEMLAC is progressing this project with Durham County Council Local Studies. The purpose of the project is to scope appropriate methodologies to care for and rationalise the large number of local history, object and archival mining collections held by local societies and community organisations in County Durham and link them with existing professional museum, library and archive resources and services.

· Funding development - NEMLAC appointed a Funding Development Officer to provide detailed advice on current funding sources for the sector, and assist members with the preparation of all types of funding applications.

· Northumberland Study Centre - the project partners, Northumberland County Council and Wansbeck District Council, have focused their attention in the current quarter in completing a major bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund to relocate the Northumberland County Records Office to new premises at the site of Woodhorn Colliery Museum and Country Park .

4. North West

· The North West Museums, Libraries and Archives Steering Group has appointed consultants Tempus Fugit to assist in the formation of a business plan for a North West Single Regional Agency.

· Cultural Diversity - The North West Regional Diversity Forum, (Museums, Archives and Libraries), is firmly established and details of its aims and activities can be accessed on the North West Museums Service web site (http://www.nwmuseums.co.uk/, follow the link to the Diversity Forum).

5. South East

· Resource has awarded a grant to support cross-sectoral development work in the South East, managed by the South East Museums, Libraries and Archives Working Group. This is a cross-sectoral group that has been advising on the creation of the region’s Single Regional Agency, consisting of representatives of South East Museums Agency, South East Regional Archives Council and the Society of Chief Librarians South East.

· The South East Museums, Archives and Libraries Working Group - to create a cross sector challenge fund for museums, libraries and archives. It was to support both the continuation of existing cross sector work and new projects at a local and regional level in the South East. Bids were invited for funding of between £2,000 and £6,000 for up to 90% of total project costs with projects required to contribute 10% matched funding. All projects have to be completed within the 2001/2002 financial year

· Oxfordshire museums, libraries and archives with Oxfordshire Rural Community Council - to record and collect information for an exhibition, develop contacts, distribute publicity, consult on awareness and satisfaction with current services and establish an advisory panel for future consultation.

· Medway Council and the Gillingham Partnership Education Action Zone - cross-sectoral work with schoolchildren, matching a range of facsimile and authentic resources to curricular needs. The project includes one week’s focus on museum object-based local history activities and libraries being stocked with relevant local history books.

· West Sussex Museums Council - an" object; poetry" project involving West Sussex Libraries, Arun District Council, Project 82, Littlehampton Museum, Barbican House Museum, East Sussex Young Carers Project, East Sussex Libraries and Sussex Archaeological Society. The project will fund poets in residence at two museums who will encourage participants to write poems inspired by museum objects and exhibits. The poems will then be exhibited in other venues and public spaces.

· Woodchurch Museum Trust were allocated £4500 to provide a one stop reference and research facility for matters connected with the community of Woodchurch. Structured training and induction for volunteers will feature in this enhanced service provision from Woodchurch Village Life Museum.

· £5,500 was awarded to the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead and the Berkshire Record Office to develop and implement a shared promotional strategy covering museums, archives and libraries.

· The University of Reading, Reading Museums and Archives Service and the Berkshire Record Office will receive£4,000 to develop a common approach to wider promotion of libraries, museums and archives as research and learning resources.

6. South West.

· South West Museums, Archives and Libraries Social Impact Audit. Museums, archives and libraries in the south west are working under the guidance of the University of Sheffield to explore the social impact they make upon the communities they serve.

7. West Midlands

· Crossroads. This is a collaborative effort between The Libraries Partnership - West Midlands, West Midlands Regional Archive Council and West Midlands Regional Museums Council. It is a 12 month project to investigate and produce a working model for a web enabled searchable database of the regions collections. In addition to building a model to improve access to the collections and resources of museums, galleries, archives and libraries, the project is also intended to stimulate cross-domain working.

· Profiles: Celebrating Cultural Diversity. The Profiles Project is a joint project, led by WMRAC in partnership with WMRMC and TLP-WM, that has been awarded funding to conduct a survey in order to identify and map regional collections relating to the history of Black and South Asian people in the West Midlands.

8. Yorkshire.

· Yorkshire Community Heritage Partners is the name given to the cross sectoral project funded by Resource: the Council for museums, archives and libraries. It aims to develop community involvement in the three sectors by creating a toolkit and guidelines and undertaking research into support organisations. The project is a partnership between Yorkshire Museums Council, Yorkshire Libraries and Information and Yorkshire Archives Council.

· Use or Ornament. The purpose of the project is to undertake market research on the comparative non-use of museum, library and archive services in an urban and rural context.

SCRAN does more by providing a new paradigm - there is no SCRAN ‘place’ to visit; the content is an integration of resources from a wide range of places, museums, archives and libraries into multimedia stories. This approach will be fundamental to the future use of ICT within the sector, where success will be measured by the breadth and depth of cultural resources online, the ease with which they can be located and viewed and the extent to which diverse resources are integrated in ways that are attractive and useful to people. That will demand seamless connections between materials from institutions of all types and all sizes and access from the widest possible range of network channels (digital TV, mobile phone, etc) and range of network services. Success will be measured by the impact that ICT has on formal and informal learning opportunities within the sector. ICT will also facilitate two-way interaction between users and service managers, helping

to ensure that all projects are fully accountable and meet real needs.

Full Disclosure is a cross-domain initiative, the key objective of which is to further develop the national strategy for the retrospective conversion of catalogue and documentation data and the retrospective cataloguing or documentation of non-current acquisitions in libraries, archives and museums throughout the UK. Through a wide variety of activities Full Disclosure aims to guide funding bodies and applicants to funders on strategic priorities for retrospective catalogue conversion and retrospective cataloguing.

Inspiring learning for all is a Framework for Access and Learning in Museums, Archives and Libraries which draws on best practice to describe what an accessible, inclusive organisation which stimulates and supports learning might look like. It identifies the outcomes users might expect from such an organisation as well as the processes and approaches which need to be in place to deliver this vision

The framework is now in the process of being piloted. After open competition 17 bids to pilot were accepted,. This means that the framework will be tested in a range of different organisations across all the English regions. Museums, archives and libraries will be able to use the framework to audit their services to users and to plan improvements. The evidence requirements of the framework will enable organisations to demonstrate the role they have in providing a variety of learning experiences and in stimulating and supporting people's learning. In addition a research project has been commissioned to develop strategies which will enable museums, archives and libraries to report on the impact the experiences they offer have on user's learning.

Piloting will be completed by April 2003. The results of the piloting process will then need to be fed in to the framework and in to the research tools. Support materials and advocacy materials will be developed during 2003. It is hoped to launch the framework in the Autumn of 2003 and to review it in 2005.

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