How To Improve Library Services

Transcription

1 Information and Communication Technology Strategy

2 1. The Strategy 1.1. Mission Statement and Summary The National Library of Wales is an ICT-dependent organisation, both in terms of its dayto-day business and the increasing collection or creation of digital assets. The mission of the Library s ICT service, and of this strategy is: To deliver continual ICT improvements which make the Library smarter, leaner and greener in all of its activities whilst retaining a sustainable and resilient infrastructure. The nature of the changing economic environment necessitates that the period will require a significant focus on consolidation and improvement of existing infrastructure and services, as well as an increased emphasis on the sustainable development of new ICT and ICT-enhanced services to support the changing nature of the Library and its business. In March 2010, the Library published its Long View of the Library s course between now and This document describes how the business of the Library, as well as many of the core activities will change over the coming years. In all of these changes, ICT will be a key component whether in directly delivering change (such as with further increases in digitisation and digital collection, or the implementation of electronic legal deposit) or in enabling the improvement of existing and future operations through the judicious application of technological solutions. This vision, and the Library s new Strategy The Agile Library: The Library s Strategy to , both place emphasis on the Library s need to make more effective use of the resources available in order to meet the challenges of the future and this strategy explores specific Strategic Objectives which will serve to underpin such flexibility and efficiency Structure Rather than seeking to define in detail the Library s existing ICT provision, this document outlines the strategic direction in which the provision of ICT and ICT-enabled services will progress over the coming three years. This strategy also incorporates the previously separate Information Systems strategy to reflect the Library s integrated approach to Systems and ICT activity. The key areas of development outlined in this strategy are defined in Section 2: Strategic Objectives however, each objective will only be achieved due to a series of operational changes both within and without the Library s ICT and Systems teams. The changing economic, technological and wider strategic environment make it irresponsible to define in detail each development and the specifics of approaches to be used and therefore each Strategic Objective instead outlines the intended end result of strategically-guided operational activity. 2

3 Strategic Objectives: 1. Direct Engagement with Service Users 2. Ensuring a Resilient Infrastructure 3. Improving the Value for Money from ICT 4. Delivering a Flexible ICT Service 5. Realising the Opportunities of Technology 6. Ensuring a Modern, Bilingual, ICT Environment 7. Supporting and Developing the Library s Digitisation Activity 8. Preparing for the Increased Storage of Born-Digital Material 9. Delivering ICT-Enabled Public Spaces 10. Developing the Infrastructure for Electronic Legal Deposit 11. Managing and Developing the Collections Support Systems 12. Improving Planning and Delivery of ICT Activities None of these objectives can be achieved without the productive and focused use of fiscal, technological and human resources and Section 3: Skills and Resources details not only the specific resources engaged in delivering the Library s ICT services but also the areas in which the Library as a whole will need to engage with new skill sets and resource requirements. Section 4: Risks details possible outcomes which might impact the delivery of the Strategic Objectives and the steps taken to mitigate against them, as well as the risks inherent in not adopting a strategic approach to the delivery of ICT and ICT-enabled activity at the Library. Finally, Section 5: Strategic Relationships details how this strategy relates to both the internal and external strategic framework, including the growth in strategic leadership at both Wales and UK government levels Responsibilities and Review ICT is a critical aspect of all of the Library s activities, and as a result this document has been developed through direct engagement with all aspects of the organisation. Primary oversight for this strategy rests with the Library s Information Systems Strategy Committee and this group is responsible for monitoring the delivery of the strategy and for its subsequent revision in Implementation of the strategy is primarily the responsibility of the Library s ICT Section along with the Systems Unit and other staff as appropriate. The changing nature of both the wider strategic environment and the technological solutions available require a flexible approach to the monitoring and revision of this document and the strategy will be constantly reviewed during the period of implementation along with formal annual reviews and revisions, as appropriate, in response to changes in technologies and other relevant factors. 2. Strategic Objectives 3

4 2.1. Direct Engagement with Service Users Rather than merely seeking to collect user requirements, we will actively engage with users of the Library s ICT services (both internal and external) in order to proactively improve and extend our use of ICT in all areas of the Library s work. Activities to achieve this objective should include: Undertaking annual evaluations of the service from users Exploring mechanisms for collecting wider user priorities for service improvement and development (for example via a User Forum) Use more flexible development approaches (such as Agile Development) to work directly with staff from Digitisation in delivering more effective software developments. Develop a set of realistic service standards based on wider best practice Taking responsibility for active file management, in line with the Library s wider Records Management Programme. Working more closely with all departments to provide input on new technologies or ICT-enabled approaches on an ongoing basis 2.2. Ensuring a Resilient Infrastructure The coming years are certain to bring an increasing reliance on ICT both in the delivery of services to the public and in supporting internal business activity. As a result, it is essential that the infrastructure of the Library remains resilient in terms of both the availability and security of services and data. Activities to achieve this objective should include: Reviewing and updating documents outlining the organisation s reliance on specific ICT platforms Improving the resilience of core services, based on the criticality of those services to the organisation. Bringing the small subset of Apple Macs fully in to the Library s core infrastructure, and managing them as such Updating and reviewing the Business Continuity plans in place and ensuring that risks are appropriately communicated through the Business Continuity Group Addressing the specific risks posed by the lack of a secondary link to the Internet and issues with cooling in the Enlli server room Ensure that as our e-commerce activity expands, appropriate security audits are undertaken 4

5 2.3. Improving the Value for Money from ICT Whilst the demands for new and improved ICT services must be met in order to support the needs of the business, the costs of ICT should be constantly monitored to ensure the maximum value for money is delivered by all areas of the service. Activities to achieve this objective should include: Making better use of procurement processes and appropriate frameworks to obtain the best prices for purchases Continue to ensure that ICT equipment and software (regardless of source or destination) is ordered and managed centrally and that contracts for ICT services and support are actively managed within the ICT section to ensure best value for money Refine and more closely evaluate the range of software and hardware currently provided Extend, where possible the working life of equipment Evaluate the value, level and necessity of maintenance contracts Continue to deploy Open Source solutions, wherever possible and practical. Explore with the staff and board of Culturenet Cymru Ltd the possibility of providing an extended ICT service Delivering a Flexible ICT Service The Library is continuing to ask its staff to work in more flexible ways, whether that be in terms of individual workflows or specific working arrangements. ICT has the potential to greatly enhance the flexibility of many of the Library s key activities by being involved in the planning and delivery of such changes. Activities to achieve this objective should include: Delivering secure remote access to files held in the central drives Provide a secure staff wireless infrastructure Reviewing our provision of laptops and other mobile devices to ensure that best use is made of current and future resources Work directly with those seeking to change processes to identify opportunities for improvements through technology 5

6 Implement a fit-for-purpose working from home infrastructure focused on delivering access to Library ICT services for those working outside of the building Plan for the needs of new user groups (such as unpaid volunteers) to ensure that they are appropriately catered for Develop a policy for personally supported devices which protects information security whilst also allowing staff to make use of their devices for work purposes 2.5. Realising the Opportunities of Technology As an information organisation, the Library has a responsibility to maintain a clear view of technology developments over the short, medium and long terms. Beyond this, the ICT Section must work to engage across the organisation to explore, identify and demonstrate the opportunities offered by current and new technologies identifying and realising opportunities for efficiency across the Library. Activities to achieve this objective should include: Taking responsibility for improving the use of the Library s videoconferencing and telecoms services to reduce requirements for travel Providing a sustainable environment for staff to test and explore new software tools and solutions prior to any fuller deployment (for example, for Digital Preservation) Provide access to new technologies and platforms through a TechLab service which allows other staff to understand and discuss the opportunities of new technologies (such as Tablets, Surface technologies and so on) 2.6. Ensuring a Modern, Bilingual, ICT Environment The Library is an exemplar in terms of delivering a fully bilingual ICT support service to the public, however we should ensure that wherever possible we also offer access to Welsh Language interfaces for staff. Furthermore, we must ensure that we remain up to date in terms of our software provision and that we can deliver a consistent, supported and modern working environment for all staff. Activities to achieve this objective should include: Continuing to develop and deploy bilingual solutions Reform the Acceptable Use Policy and ensure that the new policy reflects the current nature of the ICT infrastructure and the wider business environment Deploying Office 2010 and Windows 7 throughout the organisation, along with their Welsh Language interfaces Maintain an active watch on the versions and numbers of software licenses in use across the organisation to ensure legal compliance at all times. 6

7 Monitor and, as appropriate, engage with the Assembly s plans for an all-wales desktop environment 2.7. Supporting and Developing the Library s Digitisation Activity Delivering the Library s digitisation programme, and related digitisation activities, are key strategic goals for the organisation. ICT has always been central to this activity, and more recently software developments have been increasingly undertaken to improve and standardise the digitisation workflow. Over the life of this strategy, digitisation is likely to not only expand in terms of quantity but also in terms of emphasis, with digitisation for income becoming an increasingly important part of the Library s work. Activities to achieve this objective should include: Developing the Digitisation Workflow software to encompass new material and processes Work alongside Digital Developments to streamline and automate the scanning and metadata processes Monitor and explore new technologies for digitisation (such as Intelligent Character Recognition) Plan for changes to the ICT infrastructure, and related developments, which support Digitisation on Demand Ensure that digitisation work undertaken as part of contracts are fully supported by the storage and scanning environments and that where we are paid for the longer term storage of material appropriate Service Levels are agreed and met Support the development of digitisation at the point of accession to enhance the ability of users to discover and understand recent accessions. Ensure that our approach to developing delivery environments for digitisation takes account of new device formats (such as smartphones, tablets) and use cases Preparing for the Increased Storage of Born-Digital Material The Library s storage infrastructure is suitable for the long term secure storage of all types of digital material, however in the past the emphasis has been on the storage of material created within the Library through programmes of scanning. Through the life of this strategy we anticipate a growth in terms of both audio-visual material and more diverse formats collected through Digital Archives. In addition, the Library continues to explore the opportunities presented by offering storage as a service as part of a Trusted Digital Repository (TDR). Activities to achieve this objective should include: Ensuring that storage planning and allocation takes account of the Library s changing priorities and that appropriate mechanisms are used for these formats 7

8 Planning the costs and implications of acting as a TDR for other organisations, and ensuring that contracted service levels are appropriate and realistic Plan for the requirements of Born-Digital or Hybrid archives accessioned through the workflows currently under development Prepare for the implications of any changes in the Library s role which may require an increased in-flow of digital records Delivering ICT-Enabled Public Spaces Whilst the Library already offers a range of ICT services to the public in the Reading Rooms and other areas (including WiFi, fixed public terminals, information screens and exhibition Kiosks) there exists a great opportunity for enhancing the current provision through the provision of sustainable and appropriate technologies within the building. Activities to achieve this objective should include: Working with Reader Services to revise the current provision of Reading Room PCs to ensure that the level of equipment continues to meet user needs Expand and consolidate the WiFi infrastructure as the use of the building develops Work with public services to identify areas where information points (either static, or active) might be deployed Look for opportunities to reduce the cost of print production through the use of digital signage Developing the Infrastructure for Electronic Legal Deposit As a partner in the British Library led Digital Library System (DLS), the Library hosts a storage and access node locally in Aberystwyth. Following the forthcoming Electronic Legal Deposit legislation, it is anticipated that the size and requirements of the DLS infrastructure will increase exponentially and the Library is committed through a Memorandum of Understanding with the British Library and the National Library of Scotland to support and maintain this infrastructure. Activities to achieve this objective should include: Planning and resourcing additional storage as the acquisition of Electronic Legal Deposit material increases Supporting the access portions of the DLS both in terms of the gateway environments, Aquabrowser s search interface and the Reading Room infrastructure Develop solutions and processes to ensure the Library is able to successfully ingest appropriate material into the DLS 8

9 2.11. Managing and Developing the Collections Support Systems During the life of this strategy, it is unlikely that the Library will choose to move away from the existing Virtua Library Management System or from the Fedora-based VITAL Digital Asset Management System. However, planning will be undertaken to review this infrastructure and to plan for change in the medium term. In addition, steps must be undertaken to ensure the consistency and quality of data within the Collections Support Systems and the synchronicity of this data. Activities to achieve this objective should include: Engaging with discussion in regard to an All-Wales Library System Preparing for other collaborative or alternative solutions for managing the collections (including hosted solutions) Reviewing the structure of the VITAL DAMS and evaluating whether multiple DAMS are required to improve our capacity for ingest Develop API and Web Service interfaces to the Library s key systems Scaling back the use of legacy systems as data is migrated to the Virtua system Improving Planning and Delivery of ICT Activities ICT, by its nature, is undergoing continual change and it is essential that we properly plan, manage and deliver programmes of change. Development and deployment of new software solutions and upgrading existing infrastructure elements can be disruptive and we must take all steps necessary to ensure the best approach to such operational tasks. Activities to achieve this objective should include: Continue to apply PRINCE2 project management approaches to internal projects Ensure a clear, shared, understanding of the benefits and outcomes of any change Improved planning of the levels and types of storage required for digitisation and digital collection projects Implement the recommendations of the review of existing software development standards and processes to ensure best practice across the development teams. 3. Skills and Resources Continuing to maintain the Library s role as an effective, and ICT-enabled, organisation requires appropriate application of both financial and human resources. Furthermore, ICT- 9

10 related skills must be constantly maintained and enhanced both in technology-related roles and in the wider staffing Key Resources The ICT Section The ICT Section is responsible for all of the ICT hardware and software procurement, provisioning, management and disposal within the Library. It is a cross-organisational function which supports the entire gamut of Library activity. The ICT Section is currently split into four functional units. None of the units function fully independently, instead flexibility and cooperation are central to the provision of an effective ICT service with this small number of staff. The Units are: Development and Networking Telecommunications, Networking, Software Development Digital Media Unit Website development and maintenance ICT Support Front-line Helpdesk, Software Management, Public ICT Provision, Printing & Desktop Services ICT Operations Server Support, Disaster Recovery and Backup, Central Service Provision and Maintenance, Storage Environments The Systems Unit Within the Systems and Acquisitions Section, Systems has responsibilty for managing and maintaining the Library's collections management systems for both analog and digial materials, the resource discovery interfaces and ensuring that the data created complies with the adopted standards. Systems currently consists of three teams with responsibility for the following broad areas: Virtua and the collection management system working externally with Readers Services on all aspects of resource discovery and NSSAW on the A-V client Vital and digital asset management working closely within Collections with the Library s Digitial Preservation Coordinator and Head of Digital Developments and externally with NSSAW CyMAL funded projects Reviewing this structure The changing nature of ICT services requires constant review of the resources allocated to particular functions. The structure of the ICT Section s four units is currently under review in order to ensure the most effective use of staffing available and the budget areas have also been reconfigured for the financial year in order to better reflect the nature of ICT spending. In addition, in 2010 a wide ranging review of the Library s Systems and ICT activities concluded that the existing separation of these functions should continue until 2013 when 10

11 a further review should be undertaken to discuss whether a more effective operational structure might be possible Skills, Competencies and Training Developing and Improving Key ICT Skills The Library has always sought to invest in the development of key ICT Skills in staff at all levels, both informally and through the use of the ECDL training programme. In the course of this strategy the Library will review this offering, and the value offered by ECDL, in the light of the shift towards self-directed training, and will offer more training materials (reusing, where possible, existing or supplier content) online for staff Transferring ICT-based Skills Fully embedding ICT within the Library requires the appropriate transfer of skills and knowledge. Over the life of the previous strategy we have seen skills once viewed as technical (such as XML) becoming central within the work of the wider staff. Through the life of this strategy we will identify and act upon opportunities to share knowledge and skills and to transfer appropriate responsibility to staff outside of the ICT and Systems sections, reducing the ongoing reliance on these sections and subsequent bottlenecks in delivery of day-to-day work ICT-based Competencies ICT is a central element of the Library s activity and, with the changing nature of many more traditional roles, the ability to work quickly and comfortably with technology is becoming increasingly essential for staff across the organisation. As a result, the Library will explore enhancing the existing competency framework by adding ICT competencies for all staff which will guide the development of underlying ICT skills across the organisation. Furthermore, the Library will explore the use of the standardised Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA) 1, alongside the key knowledge areas required to support the Library s diverse ICT infrastructure, to assess the Skills and Knowledge requirements of the ICT function within the organisation. 4. Risks 4.1. Not Adopting this Strategy

12 If the Library fails to adopt this strategy, either in its entirety or in part, there exists a significant risk of failure in delivering key strategic aims related to digital content and collection, a failure to achieve value from our ICT investments and a general failure in our ICT services Failing to Develop the ICT Service This strategy outlines the objectives which will guide the development of the Library s ICT Service. However, whilst adopting this strategy represents a commitment to developing the Library s ICT capability, changing internal and external drivers can have both a positive and negative effect on the resources required to develop the service. Should we fail to develop the ICT Service the Library risks being unprepared for meeting the technological requirements of future users and of embedding obsolescent practices. Mitigating this risk requires ensuring that ICT remains strategically and operationally relevant to the Library s activity, and ensuring that this strategy is implemented flexibly is essential to continuing to show the value of the ICT Service into the longer term Failing to Develop Staff Ensuring that the staff involved in delivering and managing ICT services and environments are given opportunities to develop the skills and knowledge required to not only support but also develop the Library s ICT service is essential if the Library is to use ICT to become more effective as an organisation. Furthermore, it is critical that core ICT skills for all staff are identified and acknowledged, and that ICT skills are identified in the recruitment requirements for new roles within the organisation Failure to Ensure a Resilient and Secure ICT Infrastructure By far the most significant risk is the loss of access to or data from a core Library service. Management of the ongoing risks of the ICT infrastructure exists at many levels, from dayto-day monitoring to the Library s corporate Risk Register, however these risks must be aggressively mitigated in order to ensure that the service levels expected by staff and external users are met and where possible exceeded. Mitigating these risks involves considerable testing, evaluation and investment and these must be acknowledged through realistic planning targets within the Library s ongoing operational activities Failing to Engage with Wider Technological Changes The Library must constantly seek to improve and adapt our approach in order to engage with the changing technological landscape. As technologies and approaches have developed, the Library s ICT service has been able to assess and deploy new methods of delivering ICT Services both within the organisation and to external customers. 12

13 This strategy specifically seeks to explore the opportunities offered by new technologies, whether they be new access methods, hardware or service paradigms, and in doing so provide proactive assessment of the opportunities and challenges of wider technological changes. 5. Strategic Relationships 5.1. Twenty-twenty: a long view of the National Library of Wales 2 The Twenty-Twenty vision outlines the medium to long term aspirations of the Library and seeks to forecast the ways in which our activities and emphasis are likely to change over the coming decade. Technological change, and the Library s response to this, is central to the vision and this strategy explicitly seeks to move the Library closer towards the objective of becoming a more efficient, effective and digital organisation and to use ICT to best place the organisation to meet the future external and internal changes The Agile Library: The Library s Strategy to The Library s new corporate strategy outlines the role of the Library and the direction of our developments over the short to medium term. Many of these developments have either implicit or explicit ICT requirements and this strategy is directly aligned with the three aims of Institutional Flexibility, Flexibility of Information and Content and Flexibility in our Relationship with our Users The Theatre of Memory 4 The Theatre of Memory Programme seeks to translate (through digitisation) printed material published about Wales and the Welsh people in to digital form in order to make this content easily accessible to all through the Web. ICT is central to all the projects within this programme, and this strategy aligns directly with the programme aims through the provision of more effective ICT-based developments to assist the digitisation process and delivery platforms Historic Newspapers and Journals Online The current major project within the Theatre of Memory Programme, the Historic Newspapers and Journals digitisation project aims to digitise and make available two million pages of out of copyright content. Fulfilling this project requires the delivery of both infrastructural and software developments to scale existing activity to mass digitisation levels and to ensure the secure and innovative delivery of large quantities of textual content

14 5.4. CyMAL Funded Projects The People s Collection The People s Collection is a collaborative project between the Library, National Museum Wales and the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historic Monuments of Wales and is overseen by CyMAL: Museums, Archives and Libraries Wales. The project draws on the collections of the partner institutions, as well as a wide range of other groups and individuals, to deliver a centralised environment for exploring cultural heritage content in Wales. This Strategy supports these aims both in terms of the Library s role as a partner and in our close relationship with Culturenet Cymru who are responsible for delivering key elements of the People s Collection Libraries Inspire CyMAL is currently developing a new strategic development framework for Welsh Libraries to cover the period The Library, and particularly the Systems and Acquisitions Section, has a key role in delivering the Online Services elements of the current CyMAL Strategy Libraries for Life 5 - and it is hoped that the new strategy will offer similar opportunities for collaboration on the delivery of all-wales services through technology UK 6 & Wales ICT Strategies ICT Strategies exist for both the UK and Wales and the Library has directly recognised the need to engage with the potential economies and developments offered by the collaborative approaches outlined in these strategies. Key to evaluating the role in which shared services will play is the ability to understand how to evaluate the cost and effectiveness of our current operations and this strategy seeks to define such indicators, allowing us to clearly assess opportunities when offered Delivering a Digital Wales 7 Delivering a Digital Wales is the framework for delivering enhanced digital services in Wales through improving skills, innovation, infrastructure and transforming public service. This framework represents the commitment to utilising ICT to enhance all areas of life in Wales and to impact positively on social exclusion. The Librarian represents the Library directly on the Digital Wales Advisory Board and the ongoing work of the framework will be supported by this strategy in line with its strategic objectives UK Sound and Vision Collections

15 As the Library (and in particular the National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales) move towards creating and delivering increasing amounts of digital audiovisual material new ICT challenges will need to be met. This strategy not only aligns with the Library s own goals in this area but also with the work ongoing within the UK to develop a collaborative approach to ensuring access to, and reflecting the value of, UK Sound and Vision Collections Electronic Legal Deposit The Library has invested considerable effort in preparing for the enactment of secondary legislation related to the Legal Deposit of electronic materials. As a partner within the British Library led Digital Library System (DLS) infrastructure, and the host of a DLS Node within the Library, there is a long-term commitment to ensuring a successful ICT infrastructure for Legal Deposit. This legislation is expected to be approved during the life of this strategy, and the strategic objectives above will be critical in achieving ingest, access and maintenance of the infrastructure Other Library Strategies and Policies The Library s Income-Generating Scheme to As the Library seeks to increase the levels of income generated from our operations the need for a flexible, and quantifiable, ICT provision is becoming ever greater. This strategy moves the ICT service towards an increasingly professional approach which aligns directly with the aims of generating income from the Library s services (such as the Online Shop) and activities (such as Digitisation for Income) The Library s Data Protection, Records Management and Freedom of Information Policies The ICT Section is central to the effective and secure management of information. This strategy s focus on delivering a smart and lean approach explicitly supports the development of efficient methods for dealing with corporate data whilst also ensuring the security of the Library s corporate and working records Share, Collaborate, Innovate a strategy for the web Responsibility for delivering the strategy rests with the Digital Media Unit within the ICT Section and the increasing flexibility of both delivery methods (for digitised content and corporate information) and development methodologies is critical to achieving the aims of the Strategy for the Web. Furthermore, the ICT Section will be central in determining and delivering a new strategy for the Web from 2011 onwards Resource Description and Discovery Strategy The Library s creation, management and exposure of metadata is a critical aspect of our organisational work and the Resource Description and Discovery Strategy defines how this 15

16 work will develop over the coming years as new standards are employed and as our need for more efficient metadata creation increases. The ICT Strategy supports these aims both in the provision of resilient and secure environments for ensuring the safe storage of metadata and in the development of new workflow and other tools to develop opportunities for creating metadata automatically or through crowdsourcing Welsh Language Scheme (2010) The Library s role as a leading Welsh language organisation is central to our provision of the ICT service and this strategy reconfirms our commitment to producing bilingual working environments for both staff and users and to deploying bilingual solutions wherever possible Collections Development Policy 2010 The Library s Collection Development Policy outlines the principles used to select and collect material for the Library s physical and digital collections. As increasing levels of digital content are collected, in various forms and through various means, ICT is becoming an ever more critical element of collection development. This strategy reinforces the aims of the Collection Development Policy by providing both support to digitisation and digital collection and through ensuring that the ICT infrastructure is developed in order to meet the challenges of new forms of collections and collecting practices Volunteering Strategy The Library s new Volunteering Strategy provides a framework for the deployment of unpaid volunteers in order to provide support to the Library s work in many areas. This new form of ICT service user will present new challenges for the ICT service and this strategy explicitly seeks to engage with and support these individuals in their work at the Library Space Development Programme As the Library seeks to address the imbalance between space demands and space provision in terms of the physical collections of the Library, the digital and digitised collections (both in terms of the Library s own programmes and the shared infrastructure for Legal Deposit) are also expanding. This strategy aligns with the Space Development Programme through a more effective and efficient use of ICT resources which will in turn provide the input necessary to ensure that the ongoing and future ICT requirements of the Library are reflected in any planning for a Fourth Library Building Forthcoming Strategies The Library is preparing or revising a number of strategies which will reflect and link with aspects of this document, and which will in turn inform the implementation of this strategy. These include: 16

17 The Digitisation Policy And Strategy The Digital Preservation Policy and Strategy Partner Organisations Whilst the strategy aims to directly improve the provision and effectivness of ICT within the Library, and in delivering the Library s general strategic aims, we recognise that partnerships are key to our ICT provision. In particular, the following partnerships are central to our work: British Library, National Library of Scotland The Library works closely with both the British Library and the National Library of Scotland on a number of key ICT projects, most especially as part of the Digital Library System which houses the British Library s digital content, some Voluntarily Deposited material and will, pending legislation, serve as the joint infrastructure for Legal Deposit. Aberystwyth University As well as collaborating on a professional basis, the Library s connection to the wider world is facilitated through Aberystwyth University (and JANET) and we work closely with the University in procuring desktop hardware and in third line support of that hardware. National Museum Wales The Library maintains a Joint Working Group with the Museum s ICT department and has identified a number of key schemes related to Business Continuity and Service Development under which the two organisations co-operate closely. The Wider ICT Community The Library recognises that our own ICT provision is most effective when the best practice of the wider ICT community is used to inform our understanding. In addition, as more services are offered centrally (through Wales or UK schemes or commercial cloud services) we recognise that the Wider ICT Community is critical to evaluating and engaging with such approaches. 17