The MAGiC Project

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• The MAGiC Project
• John Harrington - Information Services
• Manager, Cranfield
• University
• Raising Awareness of Engineering Information
  Resources, BL St Pancras, Conference Centre
• Thursday 11th January 2001

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Objective of Presentation

• outline key aims, outcomes and activities
• progress update
• demonstration of web site
• invitation to participate

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• Exploring ways to enhance awareness, access and
  use of key collections of technical reports (grey
  literature) for the benefit of UK engineers and
  UK plc

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Context

• Access to electronic information resources
• DNER Journals vs. grey literature
• US
• strenuous attempts to disseminate research
• GrayLIT Network, NACA Report Server
• UK
• major collections are scattered
• difficult to find
• use of third party databases
• The MAGiC project

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Partners

• British Library Document Supply Centre
• Cranfield University
• Defence Evaluation and Research Agency
• Loughborough University, Dept of Information
  Science
• The Public Records Office
• SIRSI Limited

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Aim

• To enhance awareness, access and use of key
  collections of technical reports (grey
  literature) for the benefit of UK engineers and
  UK plc.

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Objectives

• collection development, management and retention
• map key holdings
• explore collection rationalisation
• collection analysis methodology
• enhancing the visibility of key collections
• National Reports Catalogue
• cross searching
• controlled access to limited distribution reports
• enhance access via electronic storage and
  document supply
• core electronic archive of engineering report
  literature
• feasibility of commercial service

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Key tasks

• Assessment of the use and value of engineering
  grey literature
• Mapping key holdings/Role of the Public Record
  Office
• Collection analysis methodology
• Distributed National Reports Catalogue
• Full-text archive
• Document delivery
• Monitoring and evaluation

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Benefits and outcomes

• Technical reports collections
• greater awareness and better access
• enhanced competitiveness
• ARC reports
• Distributed National Reports Catalogue
• identification, location and supply
• content for engineering portal
• Commercial viability
• Framework for collection management
• methodologies
• prioritising

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Dissemination

• Continuous dissemination
• Publication activities
• Conference presentations / Seminar
• Collaboration with other professional groups

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Progress to Date

• Use/Value Study
• literature review
• wealth of earlier studies
• emphasis on value
• end of project seminar

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Progress to Date

• Collection Mapping
• raise awareness of key collections
• lack of existing signposts
• collection v item level descriptions
• enhancing reports cataloguing

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Progress to Date

• Collection Analysis Methodology
• quantitative indicators
• qualitative indicators
• use of electronic discussion forums

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- demonstration of MAGiC web site
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Getting involved

• collection mapping
• electronic discussion
• ideas/suggestions for dialogue with the
  engineering community