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2009–2010
LISU is working with The Reading Agency and Professor Neil Frude on a project funded by the MLA (The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council) to carry out research into libraries' work with reading and health. The aim of this work is to provide MLA with a comprehensive overview of public library activity in this area, based on existing written evidence and in consultation with Key Stakeholders including library practitioners, patients and health professionals. This overview will explain the role that libraries currently play, alone and in partnership with the health and social sectors, in supporting and promoting the health and well‑being of local communities.
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Project website
Press release |
April 2009 – June 2011
As part of the EU‑funded PEER project, LISU and the Department of Information Science at Loughborough University have been commissioned to investigate the role of publicly available repositories in scholarly communication, with a special focus on researchers' perceptions of repositories, and their attitudes towards using them.
The objective of this research study is to inform the PEER group about researchers' perceptions of open access repositories, both as creators of research articles and readers of journal literature, and their scholarly practices with regard to the deposit of their final peer‑reviewed manuscripts as accepted for journal publication. To achieve this objective, information will be collected via a web‑based survey distributed to authors by participating publishers, and a series of disciplinary focus groups conducted in several European countries.
A report of the initial phase of the study has been delivered to the PEER group and is available on the PEER project website.
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Report
Press release |
February – June 2009
The Registry of Electronic Licences (RELI) project aimed to establish the user requirements for a Licence Registry able to integrate with the JISC Information Environment. It also aimed to design, build, deploy and test a pilot based on the requirements. The Registry enables key elements of licences to be made available so that a user can be provided with licence information at the point of use without additional human intervention. A licence registry is an essential element in the technical architecture necessary to support such functionality. The Registry proposed enabled those significant licence terms to be made machine interpretable. The project began in April 2007 and ran for two years.
The JISC commissioned LISU and Rightscom to provide additional research for RELI into barriers to take up, with a special focus on issues pertaining to the use of Onix PL standards to express licences in machine‑readable format, and whether there is a demand from stakeholders for a RELI‑type service. The project began in February 2009, and a report was delivered to the JISC in June 2009.
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December 2008 – July 2009
This study, funded by the Research Information Network, was carried out in partnership with the Department of Information Science, Loughborough University, and CERLIM,
Manchester Metropolitan University. The aim of the project
was to investigate the publication and dissemination
behaviour of researchers, and the influence of research
assessment on this behaviour. The project involved desk
research, consisting of a literature review and
bibliometric analysis, prior to a series of focus groups
that acted as the primary data‑gathering exercise. The
findings were triangulated through a survey.
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September 2008 ‑ May 2009
This project was one of four funded by the Research Information Network in the area of barriers and key limitations to researchers' access to information resources. It explored: how institutions manage the process of access to research information for researchers from outside their institution; the variation in the range of licensed e‑resources available to researchers at academic and non‑academic research institutions; and the barriers and drivers concerning the sharing of e‑resources in the academic library sector.
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December 2007 ‑ August 2008
This study, funded by RCUK, was undertaken in collaboration with SQW Consulting. The aim was to identify the effects, and assess the impact, of open access to research outputs on pay to publish and self‑archiving publishing models. A review of existing data and literature was supplemented by interviews with key stakeholders and surveys of HE institutions and researchers.
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November 2007 ‑ May 2008
LISU worked with academic libraries in the 94 Group of universities to develop a methodology for benchmarking the provision and use of electronic resources. This covered those resources for which usage data compliant with the relevant COUNTER codes of practice were available.
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April ‑ July 2008
LISU was commissioned by Derby City Libraries to undertake an evaluation of the Derwent Community Library. This library was built with the support of the New Deal for Communities Fund, and is located within the Revive Healthly Living Centre. The project gathered the views of staff, volunteers and users to evaluate the first full year of operation of the library.
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April ‑ June 2008
LISU was commissioned by  to explore the factors contributing to successful primary school libraries. The study was particularly concerned with libraries facing challenges, for example schools in disadvantaged areas or where facilities are lacking. The research involved undertaking case studies of six school libraries in England, to explore examples of good practice. The views of pupils were also taken into account by means of an online questionnaire.
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February 2007 ‑ January 2008
LISU was commissioned by the National Library of Scotland to investigate options for measuring the performance of its digital library resources. The study involved a review of current assessment practices and the development of new tools to evaluate the performance of the digital library.
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January ‑ November 2007
LISU and the Department of Information Science from Loughborough University evaluated the potential role of public libraries in supporting patient choice in secondary care. The work was commissioned by Health Link to provide an independent evaluation of ten pilot projects involving public libraries and GP practices in both rural and urban areas. The projects aimed to develop the role of public libraries in providing information to patients choosing a health care provider for secondary care.
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September ‑ November 2007
This project was undertaken for Oxford Journals. It provided a snapshot analysis of 2006 journal impact factors for ten major publishers of biomedical and social science titles, building on that included in the 2007 report on trends in journal prices.
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LISU regularly surveys the users of the five JISC Advisory Services: JISC InfoNet, Legal Information Service, Netskills, JISCPAS and TechDis. The surveys are carried out on behalf of JISC.
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Over the past six years, JISC has commissioned LISU to carry out an end user survey of key contacts in each of around 500 Further Education colleges throughout the UK. The survey gives the JISC some data on the performance of their RSCs, which then contributes towards evidence to be used by the RSCs in a self‑evaluation process.
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July 2006 ‑ June 2007
LISU collaborated with the Research Centre for Museums and Galleries at Leicester University in this project, funded by the DCMS and DFES. LISU's role was in the development and analysis of a large scale paper based survey of group users of a range of specified museum based projects to assess their impact on teachers, pupils, and community groups. The wider project incorporated case studies and face to face interviews to add depth to the survey results.
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March ‑ June 2007
Commissioned by JISC, this was a study on the use by researchers and teachers of different forms of scholarly output. The research involved surveying academic staff involved in both teaching and research to find out more about their use of scholarly output, the way in which more than one type of output may be combined in teaching or in research and any problems they encountered when using the different forms of scholarly output.
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March ‑ May 2007
The Department of Information Science and LISU were commissioned by the Board of the National Preservation Office to undertake a review of the role of the NPO within the preservation landscape of the UK and Ireland. The work included an online survey of libraries and archives and interviews with key stakeholders.
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March ‑ April 2007
LISU was commissioned by the MLA: The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, to conduct research identifying trends in library performance in England. Analysis of the relevant trends was used to devise appropriate indicators, which could be used to identify when an individual library authority might be 'at risk' of failing to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service.
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November 2006 ‑ March 2007
The Research Information Network (RIN) commissioned LISU to undertake a study to explore the availability of online catalogues for collections of interest to researchers, held by UK libraries. As well as evaluating the progress that had been made over the previous five years in the creation of digital catalogues accessible over the internet, the study also surveyed researchers to identify their priorities in the cataloguing of collections that were then un‑catalogued and in converting manual catalogues to online form.
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2006‑07
LISU was commissioned by the National Library and Knowledge Service Development Network Quality Group to analyse their statistics, covering the period 200405. The data were collected from health libraries across England and provided some useful figures on the operations and performance in this sector.
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September ‑ December 2006
Commissioned by Oxford Journals, a division of Oxford University Press, this project has updated and extended the work carried out in 2004 analysing general trends in academic journal prices for a range of publishers. The biomedical and social science areas are covered, with analyses covering price trends related to journal size and impact factor from 2000 to 2006.
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LISU collaborated with Reading University on this JISC funded project. The project gathered information on the methods used by Higher and Further Education Institutions for sustaining their ICT infrastructure. Based on the results of this initial phase, the methods were categorised and further in depth investigation will be undertaken. The final report identified the methods currently in use and present a gap analysis to guide JISC in future work and is available from the project website. LISU’s main role was the design of data collection instruments and analysis of results in the third and fourth phases of the project.
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Project website |
Together with the Department of Information Science, LISU was commissioned by JISC to undertake a study into the impact of restricted access to ICT based communications on staff within UK HE and FE institutions. The study involved a questionnaire and case studies at various institutions to identify levels of restricted or non‑existent access to ICT systems, and to investigate the extent of reliance on onsite networked communication systems to disseminate important institutional documentation. A seminar was held, which provided the opportunity to disseminate the research findings and share examples of best practice.
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Project website
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2006‑07
This project was carried out in conjunction with the National Centre for Research in Children's Literature, Roehampton. It involved the analysis, evaluation and documentation of the outcomes of a national survey of children's reading conducted from Roehampton and completed at LISU. The survey is the second in a series of such surveys, the first being completed in 1999. The survey covers England and is comprehensive in nature, covering all age groups (up to Key Stage 4). It has been funded by the Arts Council England. The report is available from the NCRCL.
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LISU worked with Universities UK (UUK) and the Standing Conference of Principals (SCOP) to investigate the use of copyright material for learning support in Higher
Education. The purpose of the study was to inform discussions between UUK/SCOP
and rights owners on the renegotiation of the current HE photocopying licence
(due to expire July 2006). The study aimed to assess the level of copying of third
party material and explored trends in use over time.
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LISU worked with Evidence Base on the first phase of SCONUL's VAMP project. LISU carried out a survey of SCONUL members to clarify and define requirements for value and impact measures in the academic library context; the survey also gathered data on methods and metrics currently being utilised in this area. To provide further background on the current state of value and impact measures, Evidence Base undertook a critical review of initiatives, including international programmes and research and work from other sectors. These two strands were synthesised to identify gaps in provision and suggest areas for further research and development work.
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2000‑06
This began as a fixed‑term project in 2000, involving the identification of appropriate metrics and the design of an electronic survey to collect performance data across the sector, as well as the analysis and dissemination of findings. The survey subsequently became an annual exercise, with the analysis and benchmarking undertaken by LISU.
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As part of the long‑running ‘Right to Read’ campaign, the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB) commissioned LISU to research the availability of secondary school text books in alternative formats.
Part one of the study took place during December 2005 – February 2006 and focussed on the most popular texts used in England, Wales and Northern Ireland at Key Stages 3 and 4 for selected core subjects (English, Mathematics, Science and Welsh) and reference texts such as dictionaries and atlases.
The second part of the study (July – September 2006) investigated the availability of textbooks for the Scottish curriculum in the same subject areas.
The research findings have been included in the RNIB’s campaign report ‘Where’s my book?’
The LISU reports are available to download.
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Reports |
The North East Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (NEMLAC), with partners in the region’s Health and Social Care sectors commissioned LISU and the Department of Information Science at Loughborough University to review current information provision. This was in response to various drivers for change in health and social care information provision to the general public. The study identified health and social care information providers in the public sector, including the range of information provided and examples of good practice. The study also developed a model structure for future regional co‑ordination and collaboration in the provision of health and social care information.
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LISU worked with Leicestershire, Warwickshire and five similar library authorities to investigate the relative costings of library services. By exploring how the figures each authority submitted to CIPFA were compiled, the aim was to shed light on differences in the figures between authorities, particularly in terms of financial data and key library use indicators. As a result, examples of good practice were highlighted, and then investigated in more detail, with an emphasis on staffing, visitor management and ICT provision.
An anonymised version of the report is available to download free of charge (1.2MB). Visit the Publications section of our website to request a paper copy (priced £20) or email lisu@lboro.ac.uk.
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The NHS LKDN Quality Panel contracted LISU to review the collection of NHS library and information services management information. The aims of this project were to identify key national and local benchmarks and performance indicators, review and redefine the management information that was collected for a national performance return for NHS libraries, and to review and streamline how data on all relevant activities were collected. Recommendations were made on the ongoing management of this activity. A new survey instrument was piloted during August and September 2004 with a view to a formal collection of data for the 2004‑05 period.
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This three‑year project with Lancashire County Library and Information Service is now
completed. Researchers from LISU worked with staff in Lancashire to
improve service delivery by developing performance evaluation 'tools' and skills, and furthering an evidence based management culture. Reports for
each year can be downloaded from the project website. The project
was sponsored by MLA
(Museums, Libraries and Archives Council) and Lancashire
County Library and Information Service.
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Project website |
The Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) commissioned LISU to undertake case studies with HE libraries to investigate the management of library portals in those institutions.
The five case studies comprise a detailed analysis of policy and practice relating to the implementation and maintenance of library portals. An assessment was made of the impact a portal has on the use of library resources, as well as any implications for staffing and skill requirements.
The project built on the successful case study of MetaLib at Loughborough University (The Implementation of MetaLib and SFX at Loughborough University Library) and was intended to inform both JISC and the library and information community of the current use and development of portals.
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Libraries, museums and archives play an important role in lifelong learning. In particular, they can engage hard to reach groups enabling them to progress to further learning and/or employment.
The North East Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (NEMLAC) commissioned LISU to report on the scale and nature of learning activities in the North East. The project collected examples and evidence of progression, including achieving qualifications, taking up further learning, or furthering employment prospects.
The research formed the basis of an advocacy report on the role of museums, libraries and archives in supporting progression which is published by NEMLAC.
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The Royal National Institute of the Blind commissioned LISU to develop reliable estimates of the availability of publications in formats accessible to Visually Impaired Persons (VIPs).
The findings support the Right to Read Alliance's Campaign. This campaign highlights the problems the UK's two million VIPs face in finding accessible reading matter and proposes strategies for improving the current situation.
The campaign stresses the Right to Read for work, learning and pleasure. Therefore, the project provided estimates of the availability of all books published in the UK over the last five years, as well as investigating the availability of certain genres.
A paper copy of the full report of the project findings can be purchased and RNIB has also permitted free downloading.
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Funded by the DfES and DCMS, the INSPIRE England initiative aims to create seamless cross‑sectoral access and referral agreements to allow adult learners to access public, higher education and national libraries. Building on existing agreements INSPIRE England supports the expansion of access to library resources. The LISU Project Officer, appointed by the INSPIRE England Steering Group, worked with the existing Libraries & Learners in London (LLiL) scheme and the demonstration projects developed in the North West and West Midlands regions, to develop a model for the national roll‑out of the regional INSPIRE projects. For further information about INSPIRE and its continuing development throughout the UK, please visit http://www.inspire.gov.uk
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Commissioned by Oxford
Journals, a division of Oxford University Press, this project studied general trends in academic journal
prices for a range of publishers. In addition, a detailed analysis of trends in biomedical
journal prices was undertaken.
A full report of the project findings is published in
colour, with permission from OUP.
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Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) to provide data for the mid‑term review of the International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS)
The survey included an online questionnaire to gather information from a wide range of IBSS users; this was available online during April and early May. In addition, a small number of 'hands on' sessions with novice users of IBSS were run at a selection of UK Universities to provide information on search strategies and usability of the database.
The results from the online survey and hands on sessions provided statistics on the use of IBSS by a range of users, and recommendations for future improvements to inform the mid‑term review of IBSS by the ESRC in 2004.
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LISU and the Department of Information Science at Loughborough
University were commissioned to map library and information services by the East
of England Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (EEMLAC).
EEMLAC wished to discover the extent of library and information provision within the region
to demonstrate the richness of library services and to help inform future planning and strategies.
To meet these aims LISU identified libraries from a wide range of sectors including Public,
Academic, and Special Libraries. Information collected included location of libraries,
staff expertise, and details of stock including special collections. More information is available
on the EEMLAC website.
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LISU was commissioned by JISC to investigate the adoption of locally developed and commercial library portals in Further Education and Higher Education. The project was a national review of the current provision, providing a comprehensive overview to JISC. The final report can be seen on the JISC website and is also available to download here.
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The second part of the LibPortal project was concerned with the implementation of a library portal and LISU produced a case study of the implementation and use of the commercially produced portal Metalib in the Library at Loughborough University. The final report can be seen on the JISC website and is also available to download here.
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The NW INSPIRE Project was funded by MLA
(Museums, Libraries and Archives Council), and co‑ordinated by NWMLAC (North West
Museums, Libraries and Archives Council). Its key objective was to develop a regional
framework to maximise access to information and learning resources to those in pursuit
of lifelong learning. LISU's role in the project was to identify possible models for
access and referral arrangements, by means of desk research and the surveying of public,
higher and further education libraries. The report for INSPIRE
North West can be found on the INSPIRE website at
http://www.inspire.gov.uk
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Museums, Libraries and Archives West Midlands supported
three demonstration projects in Coventry, Stoke and Wolverhampton. The three projects
worked with adult learners who may have been displaced in the educational system, developing
co‑operative agreements to allow them improved access to library resources. The LISU
INSPIRE England Project Officer co‑ordinated the WM pilot projects and evaluated
the projects to contribute to the INSPIRE England initiative. The report for INSPIRE
West Midlands can be found on the INSPIRE website at http://www.inspire.gov.uk
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The Talking Eyes project was developed by the London Borough of Merton to enhance access to information by visually impaired persons. LISU undertook the analysis of survey data collected by the project and conducted interviews with some of the VIPs involved, to evaluate the overall success of the initiative.
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North West Museums, Libraries and Archives commissioned LISU to gather key labour market data for libraries and archives in the North West. The data were intended to fill the gaps in the labour market information currently available to inform the Single Regional Agency in areas of employment, recruitment and training. The report is available on request from LISU.
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This short project, undertaken for JISC, covered formal communication, via serials and monographs in both electronic and print forms, as well as more informal communication, for example, via electronic discussion groups. It involved an extensive literature review and an analysis of published data supplemented by e‑mail questionnaires and interviews with a selection of librarians, academics and publishers. The report is available to download from the JISC website.
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LISU was commissioned to develop performance assessment tools for the Books Connect project
- a Reading Partnership initiative to nurture cross‑domain promotion of reading and
culture in the East Midlands. LISU went on to evaluate the overall success of the
Project, and the project report is available to download from http://www.artsandlibraries.org.uk/bc/report.pdf (427KB)
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In 2001 LISU was commissioned by Resource, the Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries, to examine the Digest of Museum Statistics (DOMUS) database, comprising returns made to the Museum Grants Commission by registered museums in the UK, between 1994 and 1999. The focus of the work was to examine the data available in DOMUS and check it for completeness and accuracy, and update or modify it, where appropriate. Another major part of the project was to produce benchmark statistics for the period 1994 to 1999, which could be used as a management tool and for policy making. The review of other sources of data also fell within the scope of the project. An internal report was submitted to Resource (now MLA) at the end of 2001.
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Resource, the Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries commissioned LISU to examine the statistics available for local authority archives, collected annually by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance & Accountancy, (CIPFA) in 2001. Data over the last ten years were examined, and a summary report on trends in the sector produced for Resource (now MLA).
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LISU undertook work to assess the value of electronic subscription deals offered by a range of publishers under the National Electronic Site Licence Initiative (NESLI) which was a Project supported by JISC. A total of 14 deals were assessed against the serials collections of a representative sample of five higher education institutions. A report of the findings is available, in which the main points of each deal are summarised, and the deal is then evaluated with regard to its cost effectiveness for each institution.
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This study was funded by the Library Association (now CILIP), and considered the direct and indirect costs associated with securing clearance for the use of copyright material in further and higher education. The report is available via LISU.
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This project was funded by Resource, the Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries to complement the earlier survey of public library provision for visually impaired people. A national survey was carried out, examining visually impaired people's perceptions, opinions and activities regarding the relevant information and library services that are available. The results, based on an extensive series of interviews with visually impaired people, identify information and service needs and preferences as well as factors that hinder equality of access to information. A full report entitled Out of sight but not out of mind was published both electronically and in large print in November 2001.
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LISU was involved in the early stages of the Libecon project, funded by the European Commission, to develop a database of national level library statistics for all library sectors in 29 countries throughout Europe. A Millennium Study was published in 2001 examining trends in library economics over the previous five years. Subsequent work carried out by IPF Ltd has further developed the database and extended its coverage - full details are available from http://www.libecon2000.org/. LISU continues its involvement as the country co‑ordinator responsible for compiling the UK contribution to the database.
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This project, which was funded by the British National Bibliography Research Fund, represented a collaboration between LISU and UKOLN at the University of Bath. Data sets collected at UKOLN to assess the availability of cataloguing records for new acquisitions were analysed in depth to identify a range of trends relating to monograph acquisitions policy and practice in UK public libraries and university libraries. The project examined acquisitions according to subjects, format (hardback or paperback), prices, and publication dates including the intervals between publication and acquisition of titles. A further analysis established the number of titles retained by libraries some years after acquisition to determine stock revision trends.
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LISU was funded by the Library and Information Commission in 1999 to carry out a comprehensive survey of public library service provision for visually impaired people in the UK. A report entitled Public library services for visually impaired people (LISU Occasional Paper no 26, ISBN1901786382) was published in June 2000, but is now out of print.
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A nationwide study of training needs within NHS libraries - the first systematic survey of its kind. The survey was undertaken by LISU and was commissioned by the NHS Executive, together with the Regional Librarians Group (RLG). The study involved all librarians working in NHS libraries and a paper summarising its findings has been published in the Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, Vol 34, No 1, pp 15‑30 (2002).
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