Social Sciences Collections & Research: a new content-based team Gillian Ridgley, Ian Cooke, Jerry Jenkins

2 Steps towards a content strategy Geographical/format-based collecting history 2005: publication of the BLs content strategy The BL develops content strategies for broad disciplines and formats based on the 2008 RAE categories Scholarship & Collections Directorate: 38 discipline-based content teams; 8 format-based content teams Recruitment of teams of subject specialists

3 Social Sciences Research & Collections Team 18 content specialists & support staff Covering: management & business; human geography & anthropology; international relations; education; culture, media & sport; economics; sociology; linguistics; social policy; law; political science …et al

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5 The Task Develop and exploit content-focused collection Promote access to, and discovery of, material Explain, promote, sell nature of the task across the BL Explain, build credibility and identity for SSC&R outside the BL

6 Key SSR&C projects past & present EDC launch 2007 Welfare reform on the Web 100 th edition Management studies web portal Social sciences & the Olympics website UCL phonetics collection project

7 Building an evidence base We need to know: What motivates researchers? How researchers locate and access information What resources are most valued ? What challenges do researchers face? A key report: Researchers and their use of academic libraries and their services, (April 2007) Research Information Network

8 Research trends Social Science research: Multi-disciplinary, cross-sector, international (mostly) post 1945 More than one language A contested description

9 Researcher behaviour – focus groups/ desk research Information seeking: Published/ Unpublished Print/ Online Includes: contacts, interviews, archives Small set of reliable sources: electronic databases and libraries Google and Wikipedia – frequent but critical use

10 Researcher behaviour – survey results for the British Library >75% Pressures of time prevent visits to the Library 90% Want more remote access to electronic resources 60% Unsure about the range of collections and services supplied >70% Want improved online searching

11 Priorities Improve online delivery – focus on searching and explanation Training/ Opportunities for postgraduate researchers Keep communicating

The European Documentation Centre at The British Library Jeremy Jenkins Curator International Organisations and North American Official Publications.

13 Work of the European Documentation Centre Committee Brings together subject specialists, team leaders and collection area representatives Organises promotional events Put in place a processing structure for EU material

14 European Documentation Centre Webpages 16 British Library web pages on the EU and its activities Future Developments New EDC landing page Linking relevant areas of study within the BL External links to bibliographies International relations of the EU

15 Future developments of the European Document Centre collections Placement of promotion material in other Reading Rooms Development of a comprehensive collection guide of the EU collections at the BL Ongoing training and presentation to staff and readers Developing relationships with external parties through workshops and events like today Undertake a feasibility study into the creation of a data map type interface using open source technology to make information available