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Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1998 17:50:27 -0700
From: Paul Duguid <duguid@socrates.berkeley.edu>
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Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1998 11:05:01 +1000 From: Michael Lean
<m.lean@qut.edu.au> To: rre-maintainers@lists.gseis.ucla.edu
Subject: The rising cost of research
From: jsassoon@cyllene.uwa.edu.au (Joanna Sassoon)
A former student, now on staff at the NewDNB, has forwarded to me a
message which reports the proposal of the British Library's Board of
Management that a fee of 300 pounds per annum be imposed on
researchers using the BL. Clearly, such a fee would effectively put
a stop to use of the BL by researchers from abroad, to say nothing
of the hardship it would impose on UK students and researchers
outside London. It is evident that the proposal arises from the
current entrepreneurial assumption that the commodification of
intellectual resources will resolve their problems of funding -- an
assumption which would not in any case work if applied to the
funding problems of the British Library.
A strong protest has been mounted by researchers, who have recently
met with the Director, Dr. Brian Lang, and have been conducting
regular pickets to demonstrate their concern. Both the Director and
the Heritage Secretary (who will make the final decision) have
indicated their doubts about such an imposition, but input from the
scholarly community is urgently required.
Information about the British Library Strategic Review Consultation
can be found at: http://www.bl.uk and the researchers' position
can be accessed at:
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Aegean/8435/Library.html
The deadline for responses is August 28; letters should be addressed to the
Director and to the Heritage Secretary as follows: Dr. Brian Lang,
Director, British Library, 96 Euston Road, London NW1 2DB;
fax: 0171-412-7251. Chris Smith, MP, Heritage Secretary, House of
Commons, Westminster, London SW1A 2PW.
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