Introduction

In previous chapters we looked at the background and context for research support. We will now turn to a more practical review of how library services and librarians should support the scholarly activities of their users. This chapter explores some key themes and concerns relating to the management of collections to support research. After summarizing surveys on researchers’ use of collections and reviewing influential reports and strategies, we use two fictional case studies to put the issues into focus. A detailed discussion of what comprises a ‘collection’ is followed by some suggestions on how to deal with collection management challenges. Our starting point is a fundamental one: without collections, either physical or virtual, our role is meaningless. We suggest that in the UK we have three key drivers for much of our service innovation and development:

• ■ the fact that we no longer have sufficient resources in terms of budgets and physical space to acquire and store all the material that may be required

• ■ the need to promote and exploit the resources which are available, making them accessible to users both in physical terms and through developing understanding and knowledge of how to maximize the value of resources

• ■ the potential offered by technology and collaboration to address these first two issues.

Researchers’ use of libraries and information

As always we need to remember that researchers are not a homogeneous group. There are many different patterns of library use, depending on individual differences, preferences and disciplinary perspectives, and we need to think about our own user community first of all. Nevertheless there are some very helpful studies of researchers’ use of libraries and information services which indicate how these have shifted over time.

The impact of funding and resource availability was raised as a matter of serious concern in the 1980s, for example in the interesting research study by Pocklington and Finch (1987) which explored whether the research process was being damaged by the effects of constraints on funding and, if there was damage, its nature and effects. This has continued to be a cause for concern.