Growing an electronic library: resources, utility, marketing and politics
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/EUM0000000007130 |
| Date | 01 December 2000 |
| Pages | 644-659 |
| Published date | 01 December 2000 |
| Author | David Dugdale,Christine Dugdale |
GROWING AN ELECTRONIC LIBRARY: RESOURCES, UTILITY,
MARKETING AND POLITICS
DAVID DUGDALE
and CHRISTINE DUGDALE
{David.Dugdale, Christine.Dugdale}@uwe.ac.uk
University of the West of England, Bristol, Frenchay Campus,
Coldharbour Lane, Bristol BS16 1QY
The development of the ResIDe Electronic Library at the University
of the West of England, Bristol, is traced from its origins as an eLib
funded research project. Different aspects of the system are analysed
through their potential to increase economy, efficiency and effective-
ness in library services. This analysis is related to the utility that it
can provide to differing sponsors and the likelihood of their making
supporting resources available. While economy and efficiency are
relatively easy concepts to define and use, effectiveness can be both
contested and multifaceted, varying in accordance with both subjec-
tive preference and interests represented. Competing views of effec-
tiveness needed to be balanced whilst emphasising those aspects of
the system that would appeal to senior UWE management in a time
of the rising ‘audit society’ in higher education.
INTRODUCTION
This paper describes the development of an embryonic electronic resource, the
ResIDe Electronic Library,1at the University of the West of England, Bristol
(UWE). It was originally conceived as a one-year electronic reserve (electronic
short loan collection) research project in the UK’s Electronic Library (eLib)
Programme,2developed by the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC).
This Programme3was created in response to recommendations made by the
Libraries Review Group, chaired by Professor Sir Brian Follett and commis-
sioned by the Higher Education Funding Councils in 1993 [1]. Since reflection
and dissemination were integral conditions of eLib support, a case study/action
research methodology was adopted as the system was designed and implemented.
This methodology was maintained as the system developed and expanded.
Consequently, after more than three and a half years of development since 1996,
644
Journal of Documentation, Vol. 56, No. 6, November 2000
© Aslib, The Association for Information Management.
All rights reserved. Except as otherwise permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act
1988, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise without the prior
written permission of the publisher.
Aslib, The Association for Information Management
Staple Hall, Stone House Court, London EC3A 7PB
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7903 0000, Fax: +44 (0) 20 7903 0011
Email: pubs@aslib.com, WWW: http://www.aslib.com
644
Journal of Documentation, vol. 56, no. 6, November 2000, pp. 644–659
1ResIDe derives its name from an existing database on which it was once planned to
build. Though an entirely new database was developed, the system retained the name of
ResIDe – RESearch, Information and DElivery
2Information about eLib available at: http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/services/elib/
3Brief history and background of the eLib programme available at: http://www.ukoln.ac.
uk/services/elib/background/
there is a carefully documented record of the system’s history.4Drawing on this
historical record, this paper analyses development in relation to the objectives and
requirements of the major supporting stakeholders whose explicit or perceived
objectives and requirements have had a major impact on the growth of the system.
As these can conflict and may be vague or ambiguous, reflecting on their impact
can produce interesting insights and lessons for the future.
Three important past, existing and potential sponsors can be readily identified:
eLib, Library Services management and the UWE Directorate. Additionally, the
system must appeal to students, faculty, library staff and faculty administrators
[2]. The intertwining of resource control and sponsors’ objectives will be a key
theme of this paper and to facilitate analysis the familiar public sector taxonomy
of economy, efficiency and effectiveness will be employed.
Economy and efficiency are readily understood. Economy implies that
resource inputs have been purchased as cheaply as possible (consistent with qual-
ity) while efficiency implies maximum output for given input. If efficiency is
defined as output per monetary unit of inputs, then economy is captured within its
definition, because the more economic purchase of inputs would improve effi-
ciency. This is probably the most practical way to operationalise these concepts
because, if several different factors of production are to be combined to produce
given outputs, the only easy way to sum them is through their monetary values.
Effectiveness is more elusive; relating to whether the ‘right’ outputs are being
delivered. This, of course, is contingent upon who is asked and interests repre-
sented. The ResIDe Electronic Library has several user groups and sponsors and
‘effectiveness’ is, therefore, a multifaceted and contested concept. Accessing the
multiple views of effectiveness was important in the development of the system,
achieved (at least partially) through extensive interviewing and focus groups.5
DEVELOPMENT OF THE RESIDE ELECTRONIC LIBRARY
Background
The ResIDe Electronic Reserve was implemented in 1997 as part of a research
project in the Electronic Reserve and On-Demand Publishing strand of the eLib
Programme. The ResIDe Project sought to examine issues surrounding an elec-
tronic reserve’s (or electronic short loan collection’s) implementation such as
copyright and management control mechanisms with particular emphasis upon
multimedia documentation. Lead partners were the University of the West of
England’s Library Services and Faculty of the Built Environment and, thus, par-
ticular emphasis was placed upon maps, diagrams, photographs and video clips.
On completion of the initial eLib project in August 1997, ResIDe was deemed
sufficiently successful to merit further support by UWE Library Services as a per-
manent element of its overall hybrid library service that seeks to integrate print
and electronic services. The Electronic Reserve is now part of the ResIDe
November 2000ELECTRONIC LIBRARY
645
Journal of Documentation, Vol. 56, No. 6, November 2000
© Aslib, The Association for Information Management.
All rights reserved. Except as otherwise permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act
1988, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise without the prior
written permission of the publisher.
Aslib, The Association for Information Management
Staple Hall, Stone House Court, London EC3A 7PB
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7903 0000, Fax: +44 (0) 20 7903 0011
Email: pubs@aslib.com, WWW: http://www.aslib.com
4Reports documenting development and research findings can be found on the ResIDe
web site: http://www.uwe.ac.uk/library/itdev/reside
5See ResIDe Final report, User survey report and Student focus group report on the
ResIDe web site
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