17 July 2000
| To: | Librarians/Directors of Information Services at HEFCE/SHEFC/HEFCW/DHFETE -funded institutions |
Dear Librarian/Director of Information Services
My letter to you of 29 November (RSLP 1999/5) asked for your assistance in establishing the extent to which access control systems had penetrated higher education libraries, and sought comments or observations on ways of recording auditable data on a number of different aspects of use of libraries by external researchers. There was a very good response to the survey, and I should like to thank all institutions which took part.
The study report has concluded:
"… that access control systems cannot deliver the type of quantifiable, reliable and consistent data that RSLP requires for an accurate and impartial distribution of future funds."
Consequently, libraries which are benefiting from existing RSLP Access funding, or which hope to benefit from any continuation scheme, are not required to install access control systems. However, the RSLP Steering Group understands that access control systems benefit libraries in a number of ways, and use of Access allocations to install such systems would be perfectly acceptable.
You may be interested to know that policy relating to any continuation of the Access funding arrangements post-RSLP has not yet been formulated by the HE funding bodies.
You may also like to know that the study report will be made available on the RSLP website http://www.rslp.ac.uk in the week beginning 24 July.
Yours sincerely
Ronald Milne
Programme Director
Content: Gill Davenport
Last updated 24 July 2000