OCLC Research and Research Libraries UK are working together on a project to gather data on special collections in research libraries in the UK and Ireland. The project is similar to a project conducted by OCLC Research in 2009 that gathered data on special collections in the United States and Canada.
The distinction that special collections bring to research institutions has become widely recognized, and an aggregated profile of collections, access policies, users, adoption of new technologies, and other important topics will establish norms across the UK special collections community. The data will effectively support decision-making for strategic priorities and collaborative projects. Individual libraries will be able to place themselves in the context of community norms and consider taking appropriate actions in response.
The survey population will include all Research Libraries UK (RLUK) members, as well as OCLC Research Library Partnership institutions in the UK and Ireland. The project fits comfortably into RLUK’s current strategic priorities, which include a strand, Unique and Distinctive Collections, which focuses on maximizing the potential of special collections.
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A report detailing the results of the survey will be published in the second quarter of 2012.
Read the Complete News Release
See Also: Survey of Special Collections and Archives in the US and Canada
Direct to Full Text Report: “Taking Our Pulse: The OCLC Research Survey of Special Collections and Archives” (2009; PDF)
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