NARD - National Agency for Resource Discovery
NOTE: This project was completed while the Centre for Research in Library and Information Management (CERLIM) was based at the University of Central Lancashire during 1993-98. On 1 April 1998, CERLIM moved to a new base at Manchester Metropolitan University.
NARD was a scoping study with the aim of defining a service to facilitate effective access to the UK scholarly resource. In the first instance, this means access to printed resources as represented by library holdings, but the study encompassed a broader vision for access to other components such as archives and museums, electronic texts, audio-visual and other materials. The objectives were: to propose a framework for the structure, funding and governance of a National Agency for Resource Discovery; to elaborate the purpose of the Agency and the methods by which they will be achieved; and to communicate an understanding of the technical and organisational issues which the Agency will have to address.
The need for such an Agency was identified by the MODELS project which examined, as one of its sub-foci, the problems of providing access to existing catalogue data based on the heterogeneous, fragmented resource which currently exists in the UK. The focus was on discovery, not on request or delivery of materials, in that library catalogues represent an important resource discovery tool for printed scholarly material. However, the user who wishes to discover the existence or location of a particular item, may have to visit, in an unguided way, a variety of individual catalogues. Catalogues include individual library catalogues, union catalogues and significant national services. There are also other significant resources which may not be available for the user via a discovery tool, e.g. museum and archive materials. It is widely accepted that resolving the issue of resource discovery will be a key requirement for building user-friendly, accessible services in the future. Users will want to be able to specify criteria by which a search should be performed - for example, by stating preferences for geographical proximity, for subject strengths, availability, type of material and so on.
A series of MODELS workshops identified far-reaching resource discovery requirements. In particular, Workshop 3 developed the concept of 'clumps' of resources and identified the need to describe the resources which make up a clump (such as individual libraries' catalogues) in a comprehensive and consistent way in a resource profile. It was recognised that a National Agency for Resource Discovery would facilitate this by, for example, promulgating standards for resource profiles and registering each profile. Although initially the emphasis would be on library catalogues and collections of metadata, we would expect the NARD to move on quickly to other resource collections, e.g. archives, databases, museum material, web sites.
The methods used in the Study included consultation with relevant 'stakeholders' and key individuals primarily within the academic community and in other sectors and development of links with related activities including the Working Group for pilot catalogue 'clumps'. The consultation participants were provided with Discussion Drafts which will outline the proposed Agency's mission, framework, methods of operation, and the technical and organisational issues. The consultation process was facilitated by the use of questionnaires and interviews to selected individuals. The Project commenced on 27th January 1997, and reported in May 1997.
The Study was a joint undertaking by Fretwell Downing Informatics Ltd and CERLIM, with contributions from Geoffrey Hare (Essex County Librarian and Chair of EARL), and Index Data, Denmark (consulting and software development). It was funded jointly by the British Library and the Joint Information Systems Committee and managed by UKOLN.
MODELS Project: MOving to Distributed Environments for Library Services URL: http://ukoln.bath.ac.uk/models
For further information contact either:-
David Kay
Fretwell Downing Informatics
Tel: +44 (0)114 281 6000
Email: dkay@fdgroup.co.uk
Shelagh Fisher
Centre for Research in Library and Information Management (CERLIM)
Manchester Metropolitan University
Department of Information and Communications
Tel: +44 (0)161 247 6142
Email: s.m.fisher@mmu.ac.uk or
Email: cerlim@mmu.ac.uk