Scottish Confederation of University and Research Libraries

Purpose To determine whether a collaborative academic store for Scotland is a viable proposition and discover what problems and issues it raises. Design/methodology/approach Implementation of a pilot facility that would permit a real‐world assessment of requirement costs and funding models, would pave the way for a full facility, and act as a possible model to others considering similar facilities. Findings Although the project is still in its first year, a good deal of useful experience has already been gained via the planning and setting‐up of an operational facility. This has informed the features and facilities of the pilot store described in the paper. Research limitations/implications The pilot facility currently only serves a sub‐set of possible participants in Scotland. Practical implications The pilot will inform the Scottish community on the viability of an operational store whilst providing a useful facility in the short to medium term. Originality/value The paper will inform others wishing to set up collaborative stores on methods, models, problems and issues in what is still a relatively unexplored approach to storage problems.

Purpose The purpose of this article is to summarise the outcomes of the one‐year Monograph Interlending Project jointly funded by CURL and the British Library in 2004‐2005. Design/methodology/approach The article presents the main features of the BookNow model – a blueprint for a consortial monograph inter‐lending service, as developed by the Project, and discusses the issues it has brought to the fore. Findings The BookNow model, which was developed with a view to testing the viability of the BLDSC‐Plus option recommended by the 2003 consultancy report, Monograph Interlending for the Higher Education Research Community , is a radical and innovative customer‐focused system for the delivery of inter‐library loans (ILL) across the UK. However, initial business planning indicated a very high cost to both the British Library and higher education libraries, were the service to be developed. In addition it is unclear whether this level of investment is necessary within the context of more recent initiatives which are fundamentally transforming the library and information landscape, in particular, the Google digitisation programme and the potential for developing services based on revealing content through Amazoogle strategies. The Project has nevertheless highlighted a number of areas where CURL and the British Library could usefully work together and in cooperation with other partners within the library and information community to improve current ILL practices for the immediate future. Originality/value This is an original piece of research identifying ways of improving the delivery of ILL across the UK.

18 academic libraries across Scotland, through SCURL (Scottish Confederation of University and Research Libraries), are collaborating to develop a not-for-profit open access publishing platform that is owned and managed by the participating libraries. The aim of the Scottish Universities Open Access Press (SUOAP) is to provide a straightforward and cost-effective OA publication route for academics across Scottish HEIs, in response to changes in funder policies and Plan S. By publishing research open access, the SUOAP aims to raise the global visibility and usage of research at Scottish HEIs, increasing the high impact of Scottish HEI research outputs across all disciplines. In this talk, Dominique Walker, the Publishing Officer for SUOAP, will set out the background to the project, discussing how SCURL’s experience of delivering cooperative developments for Scottish HEIs provided the foundation and the framework for creating a collaborative OA press. It will also look at where the development of the Press has reached so far, with the establishment of an online platform and formation of a diverse Editorial Board constituting academics from across the 18 institutions. It will also discuss the next steps, including plans to open a call for monograph proposals. Overall the talk aims to show how Libraries and HEIs can work together to provide open access to research, providing alternative routes for publication and delivering a mutually beneficial outcome for the sector in Scotland.