RLUK (Research Libraries UK) is where research libraries in the UK address shared issues.
The organization has a new name (previously it was CURL), website, blog, strategic plan [pdf], and vision/mission.
The plan identifies six strategic themes:
Theme 1 Developing the research library workforce
Theme 2 Building the new research information infrastructure
Theme 3 Resource discovery and delivery
Theme 4 Digitisation
Theme 5 Demonstrating value
Theme 6 Increasing our effectiveness
Here is the text under Theme 5, a growing concern to all libraries:
Although research libraries are generally highly valued by their customers, the value that they add to their parent institutions and to the wider UK economy is often poorly understood and difficult to measure. RLUK will work with cognate agencies to maximise the use of existing management information, for example in benchmarking, and to develop new tools to enable research libraries to demonstrate more effectively the contribution that they make to institutional success. [The Power of Knowledge – The RLUK Strategic Plan 2008 – 2011 | RLUK]
Their new vision takes the theme of value to a higher level:
RLUK’s vision is that the UK should have the best research library support in the world [RLUK]
I wonder how they will know if they have succeeded?
