M25 Consortium of Academic Libraries - M25 CONSORTIUM : Future perspectives and business plan

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M25 CONSORTIUM : Future perspectives and business plan

1. Background

The M25 Consortium of Higher Education Libraries has had a successful first six years and now provides valuable services to the staff and students of its 38 member libraries. Consortium members have agreed to fund the M25 Link project, thus pointing the way forward in terms of taking the Consortium to a new level of service delivery, member commitment and strategic development.

The Consortium s membership is due to rise with the inclusion of HE College and other HCLRG libraries in line with changes to the Sconul constitution. A major re-launch of the Consortium is suggested for early in the academic year 2001/2002 when the M25-Link service goes live. A new focus needs to be brought to the Consortium s activities, its development priorities and the way in which it operates and is organised on behalf of its members. Such significant change implies greater financial commitment from libraries in the Consortium and this in turn demands clear statements of mission and purpose, along with defined deliverables and benefits. These need to be backed up by a transparent business planning approach to all Consortium activity.

Within the context outlined above this paper highlights a number of key issues and makes proposals accordingly. These will be the subject of extensive consultation within the Consortium and a final set of proposals will be presented formally to the Consortium Annual General Meeting in June 2000.

2. Environment

The Consortium and its members operate in an environment that includes the following key elements:

·ð The continually reducing unit of resource for higher education.

·ð The requirement to demonstrate through quality and audit processes that services are responsive to the needs of stakeholders.

·ð The need for collaboration in order to enable effective and efficient support to research activity.

·ð The initiatives to promote lifelong learning, social inclusion and economic regeneration.

·ð The regional basis for many of these initiatives.

·ð The closer working relationships with other sectors and domains that these initiatives and the regional agenda imply.

·ð Technological changes that provide many opportunities and challenges.

3. Vision

The Consortium provides high quality, cost-effective services and mutual support for its member libraries and enables services to local users to be improved. The Consortium acts as a voice for higher education libraries in the region and plays a positive role in influencing regional and professional agendas and delivering practical solutions. Consortium members recognise the richness and diversity of library, museum and archive provision within our region and work with other organisations to create an environment whereby these resources can be accepted as a single distributed collection for the whole of London.

4. Mission

The M25 Consortium will :

·ð focus on delivering defined services and benefits to students, researchers and staff of member institutions

·ð recognise the diversity of its member libraries in terms of size, subject focus and mission

·ð provide professional and mutual support for all levels of library staff

·ð deliver mutually beneficial partnership arrangements with other relevant organisations, particularly in response to regional and life-long learning agendas

·ð act as a focal point for the delivery of national initiatives within the M25 region

5. Goals

Access
The Consortium is committed to optimising access by staff and students of its member institutions to the scholarly resources that are fundamental to the advancement of learning, teaching and research.

Resource discovery
The Consortium recognises the complexity and diversity of London s library resources. Effective resource discovery tools will be developed and delivered as a major element of the Consortium s service portfolio and its commitment to member library users and the needs of the wider community.

Mutual support
Through common ownership of the Consortium development plan members will work with each other in appropriate ways to promote continuous improvement of services to users, to disseminate good practice and to provide opportunities for participation by staff at all levels.

Collaboration and partnership
The Consortium will work actively to promote common interests within professional and regional arenas in support of learning, teaching and research. It will pursue and develop cross-sectoral, cross-domain and other alliances and relationships to the benefit of member library users and the wider community.

Advocacy, marketing and communication
The Consortium will play a pro-active influencing and advocacy role on behalf of its member libraries and their staff, ensuring a common voice and representation for all Higher Education libraries within the M25 region.

6. M25 Consortium Action and Business Plan 2000 2003

Aims, objectives and costs will be specified for the following areas of Consortium activity:

6.1 Access

6.1.1 Access Scheme
6.1.2 Document delivery : Lamda/M25 Link
6.1.3 Resource sharing and co-ordination

6.2 Resource discovery

6.2.1 M25 Link
6.2.2 ULS
6.2.3 MASC-25

6.3 Mutual support

6.3.1 Disaster preparedness
6.3.2 Staff development
6.3.3 Subject and interest groups

6.4 Collaboration and partnership

6.4.1 London
6.4.2 National

6.5 Advocacy, marketing and communication

6.5.1 Organisation and administration
6.5.1.1 Administrative support
6.5.1.2 Constitution
6.5.2 Publicity and promotion
6.5.3 Website
6.5.4 Promotion, branding and image

M25 Steering Group
May 2000

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