Digital Library,Open Library: Developments in the National Library of Wales

Abstract

The National Library of Wales is passing through a period of major strategic change, prompted partly by its new political context, following the establishment of the National Assembly for Wales in 1999, and partly by the need to respond to professional and public pressure to extend its range of users and uses. While retaining its strength as Wales's leading research resource, the library aims to reach new audiences by attracting many more people to its Aberystwyth building through the new visitor centre, and by building a range of digital, Internet-based services, including digitized material from the collections. Another strategic priority has been working in partnership, especially with other Welsh bodies, on objectives that would be difficult to achieve independently in a small country. The strategy has been underpinned by efforts to improve the library's infrastructure: its organizational structure and staffing, its ICT provision, and promotion and marketing.