Sir, There has never been any intention to “pulp academic library holdings” (letter, Feb 7). Our plans represent an attempt to address the acute shortage of space in research libraries and save the nation an estimated £100m a year.
In early 2005 the Consortium of Research Libraries and the British Library commissioned a study. It found that significant shortage of storage space already exists and that this will increase substantially over the next ten years.
The study recommended a collaborative approach and, specifically, extending the BL’s existing service to libraries to include preservation of, and access to, low-use material.
Use of this service would not be compulsory. The BL would guarantee to hold low-use, scientific, electronically accessible print material in perpetuity, for researchers to access in either print or electronic format.
These issues are being considered by a task force with representation from university libraries, the British Library and the Research Information Network. We welcome contributions from the library and higher education communities.
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CLARE JENKINS,
Chair, the Consortium of Research Libraries for the British Isles