anet
U
ser
G
roup for
L
ibraries -
update
Editorial
The decision to cease publication of JUGL's newsletter was
taken in 1997 at the annual general meeting. With an
entirely voluntary committee, it was becoming increasingly
difficult to produce this on a regular basis. However we are
aware that there is still a need to be in touch with our
members - therefore we are proposing to supplement our
webpage contact by producing an occasional JUGL update.
Unlike the former newsletter the Update will cover only
JUGL specific news - it's purpose being to keep our
members in touch with what we are doing. More
information at http://bubl.ac.uk/jugl/
Any comments / suggestions on this or future Updates
please contact me at:
Barbara.vickery@nottingham.ac.uk
Chairman's Statement
JUGL's current role can be described
as follows:
s
represent the needs of information
and library staff to the wider
community;
s
ensure that the needs of both
end-users and intermediaries are
understood by the various
agencies developing services -
publishers, data-providers,
software manufacturers and
the like;
s
act as an agency through which
developments in the use of
electronic information can be
communicated to practitioners
with particular emphasis on
networked information and
access to remote data sources;
s
devise and provide training and
exchange of experience
opportunities, emphasising
continuing professional
development for library and
information service staff.
However, in a rapidly changing
environment, it is no longer enough to
assume that such a "mission" is fixed
and immutable. The Committee has
therefore spent some time reviewing
the Group's purpose and it has
decided to hold an intensive away-day. We shall use
this to think radically and (we hope) productively
about exactly what JUGL has to offer the profession.
We operate now in an environment that is very
different from that in which JUGL was founded. It
was created by a few visionaries, who saw how
substantially the development of electronic
information would affect information services, and in
particular how the creation of JANET could be
exploited to improve information provision to a wide
range of users.
When there is effectively a PC on every academic's
desk, and when most of us feel helpless and lost
when the system goes down it is difficult to
remember how specialised and even separate the
work done in this area appeared in the late seventies
and even the early eighties; in many libraries
electronic information was seen as the province of
science-based subjects, with a heavy emphasis on
bibliographical data only. In this atmosphere, JUGL
had an almost evangelistic fervour and was a
significant contributor to the changed culture which
we now enjoy.
Nowadays there are many other players in this area,
and a wealth of well-equipped and knowledgeable
staff. It is therefore a good time to review our core
purpose and to determine what our role should be.
I am sure that we will identify a new and exciting
role for JUGL which will enable it to remain
prominent as a support service for information
professionals into the next milleniu
m.
