British Library to Investigate Possibility of a ‘Single Digital Presence’ For UK Public Libraries

From a Joint Announcement:

The British Library is to lead an 18-month scoping project to establish the demand for and possible shape of a ‘single digital presence’ for UK public libraries.
Funded by Arts Council England and the Carnegie UK Trust, the project will investigate user expectations and demand for what a national online platform for public libraries might deliver, and will explore the network of stakeholder groups and organisations best placed to make it a reality.
The scoping project will build on the work of the Single Digital Libraries Presence Steering Group, which has developed a range of early ideas on a universal online platform for the UK’s public libraries [see: Building a Single Digital Presence for Public Libraries], and a report on a Single Digital Presence by Bibliocommons. The development of a single digital presence of this kind was one of the key recommendations of William Sieghart’s 2014 Independent Library Report for England.
The British Library-led project will undertake market analysis, stakeholder interviews, workshops and other research, leading to a draft set of options and emerging findings within the first year as well as recommendations on how this might be taken forward. It will involve key stakeholders from across the home nations, assessing the potential and scope for a UK-wide platform providing access to local collections and services.

Read the Complete Announcement

Filed under: Interviews, Libraries, News, Public Libraries