As a result of collaboration with the partner institutions, the database will be exhaustive in its coverage of research level collections housed in Welsh HEIs and will also include systematic coverage of the research holdings of the National Library of Wales. The project has also sought to map special and local collections that exist in public libraries, national bodies and other public and private sector agencies throughout Wales. Collections have been identified through a scoping survey of organisations in Wales, as well as more informal methods and contacts. No subject area has been excluded provided that material is of potential interest to researchers and academics, although the principal emphasis is in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and a significant proportion of the material displays a distinctly Welsh flavour. Resources in a range of formats, including printed material, photographs, archival documents, artefacts, and electronic data, are represented in the database.
Firstly, Management Board, Steering Group, and site representatives from the partner institutions were appointed, and an overall project strategy and work programme was drafted. Following a preliminary review of relevant literature, the research team, together with the Steering Group, carried out an evaluation of the UKOLN/RSLP Collection Description Schema, modifying it as necessary to include project-specific variations.
A project database and associated front-end application was designed, created, tested, and distributed to partner institutions. The project website was expanded to include additional information about the project itself and its partner institutions; and interfaced with the database to enable the project to offer “sample collections”. Several more enhancements to the website were made, primarily for use once the full database is made publicly available. Included in these is a search engine, which allows users to search for collections in a number of different ways; and a virtual “basket” facility enabling users to “shop” for collection descriptions for use at a later date.
The essence of the project has been the assembly of collection descriptions. The Team has gathered descriptions from a large number of organisations outside of the HE sector in Wales and beyond, as well as from within the University of Wales Aberystwyth. These, together with descriptions from the other partner institutions, form a substantial database, which will be made available to researchers worldwide.
Other work undertaken by the Project Team includes discussions held with the leaders of other similar initiatives in Wales, in order to avoid unnecessary duplication of work; and presentations of the project to LIS and Archives groups in Wales, including a presentation at the Welsh Library Association Conference, in collaboration with other RSLP projects in Wales. Promotional articles have also been published in LIS publications in Wales.
The primary outcome of the project is the database of research collections in Wales, which will be accessible through the bilingual project website. The website will also act as a gateway to provide researchers with easy access to other relevant physical and digital collections, websites and OPACs held elsewhere in the UK and overseas, and a modified working model of the RSLP/UKOLN Collection Level Schema. The development and findings of the study will be disseminated via oral presentations, written reports and published articles.
Project Manager
Dr Jean EverittTel: 01970 621850
Fax: 01970 622404
E-mail: jee@aber.ac.uk
Content: Gill Davenport
Last updated 2 July 2002