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Evolution or Revolution? Debating the future of the UK's Higher Education information infrastructure

Leading Higher Education representatives provide their responses to the recent report by CHEMS Consulting Optimising storage and access in UK research libraries.

The Report, commissioned earlier this year by the Consortium of Research Libraries (CURL) and the British Library, will be launched at the British Library Conference Centre on 13 December.

This launch event will centre on a series of presentations by leading UK representatives from the library and research communities. Each speaker will consider, from their own special perspective, the recently proposed solution to the current shortage of research library storage in the UK.

Librarians from research-led and other institutions, researchers , and other stakeholders , are invited to register to join in the debate on 13 December, which will be hosted jointly by CURL and the British Library and led by Clare Jenkins, Chair of CURL.

In addition to senior academics from UK universities, speakers will include:

  • David Eastwood, Vice-Chancellor, University of East Anglia
  • Helen Hayes, Vice-Principal for Knowledge Management and Librarian to the University of Edinburgh, and member of CHEMS Consulting Team
  • Jan Wilkinson, Head of Higher Education, British Library
  • Michael Jubb, Director, Research Information Network
  • Martin Lewis, Director of Library Services, Sheffield University, and member of CURL Board
  • Professor Mary Ritter, Pro-Rector for Postgraduate and International Affairs, Imperial College

Arts & Humanities academic, tbc

For further information contact : Lawrence Christensen, British Library Press Office, lawrence.christensen@bl.uk Tel. +44 (0)20 7412 7114 or Robin Green, CURL Executive Director robin.green@curl.ac Tel. +44 (0)121 415 8106.

Notes to editors

1. CURL ( www.curl.ac.uk ) is a partnership of 29 major research libraries whose mission is to increase the ability of research libraries to share resources and provide for the information needs of the local, national and international research community. CURL's primary service is COPAC ( www.copac.ac.uk ), a freely-available catalogue of over 40 million items primarily from member library holdings.

2. The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom . It provides world class information services to the academic, business, research and scientific communities and offers unparalleled access to the world's largest and most comprehensive research collection. Further information is available on the Library's website at www.bl.uk, which currently records almost 2 million 'hits' or visits per month.

3. CHEMS Consulting ( http://chemsconsulting.com ) is a leading specialist management consultancy in Higher Education policy and management.

4. Optimising storage and access in UK Research Libraries - 13 December 2005, British Library Conference Centre.
Debate will focus on the findings of the consultants' Report with each speakeroffering their particular perspective and taking part in the discussion.