This document summarizes the history and evolution of the JIBS User Group over the past 20 years. It began in 1991 as the BIDS User Group to represent libraries subscribed to the ISI citation indexes. In 1997, it broadened its scope and changed its name to the JIBS User Group to represent users of all internet-based resources licensed through JISC, Eduserv, and other sources. Over the years, it has expanded its focus beyond just resources to include issues like licensing, budgeting, and research evaluation. Word clouds show how discussion topics have shifted from resources to interfaces, users, and political/economic factors. The group aims to constantly monitor developments and represent user interests independently into the future.

1. JIBS – 20 years and
counting ...
JIBS User Group “Back to the
Future and Into the Cloud”
meeting February 2012
Sue Cumberpatch, University of York
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2. JIBS Desert Island Discs
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3. “We know where we’re going,
we know where we’re from …”
Exodus (Bob Marley)
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4. BIDS User Group ...
• Launched in 1991 and sponsored by the JISC, the BIDS
(Bath Information and Data Services) service provided
online access to the ISI citation indexes for the UK
higher education and research community
• It was the first large scale, national, end-user service of
its kind anywhere in the world
• The BIDS User Group was formed soon after
– Each institution which had a BIDS subscription had a
nominated site representative
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5. “What’s it all about…Alfi”?
(Cilla Black – … with slight
amendment)
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6. ... JIBS User Group
• When MIMAS and EDINA were established, the group
widened its remit and changed its name in 1997 to the
JIBS (JISC-assisted Information and Bibliographic
Services) User Group
• For the past ten or more years, has represented any
internet-based information resource available under
licence to the further and higher education and research
communities in the UK - whether those resources are
licensed or purchased via JISC, Eduserv or
independently
– Name changed in 2008 to Joint Internet-Based
Services User Group
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7. “Tryin’ to keep the customer
satisfied …”
(Simon & Garfunkel)
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8. Early days
• BIDS UG carried out research on user-computer
interaction aspects of BIDS and networked CDROM
databases
• Championed end-user representation
– “I think the user group can be proud of itself that …
we have succeeded in bullying, shaming and
encouraging a qualitative and quantitative revolution
in end user access to primary bibliographic data.”
David Zeitlyn, BIDS UG chair, from BIDS User Group annual report
1996
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9. “Let it grow …”
(Eric Clapton)
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10. Expansion …and more acronyms
Can you translate them?
• From1999 annual report (chair: Betsy Anagnostelis)
– WoS still the main focus -> WoSEC
– Subject groups created : Arts and Humanities
(HUMBUL); Social Sciences (SOSIG); Biomedical
(BIOME); Engineering and Physical Sciences (EEVL)
– Representation on JISC services: ATHENS; RDNC;
UK Mirror Service
– Working with other groups JUGL; RESCOLINC;
SCONUL; UKOLN; UKOLUG
– Inclusion of FE in deals and thus in JIBS
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11. “Getting to know you …”
(From The King and I, Rogers
& Hammerstein)
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12. 20 years of BIDS/JIBS events - i
1998 First open event: Resource Integration: Moving forward
to the Distributed National Electronic Resource
2001 Events on Linkage services; and E-books
2002 Non bibliographic resource data (inc geospatial
resources, multimedia and images)
2003 Digital Libraries and VLEs; and OpenURLs
2004 Reading list software; and Walk-in users
2005 Battle of the Giants: a comparison of Web of Knowledge,
Scopus and Google Scholar
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13. 20 years of BIDS/JIBS events - ii
2006 Federated search tools
2007 Discovering ePrints
2009 A&I: RIP?
2010 Where next for resource licensing? ; and Working
together in difficult times: strategies for e-resource
budgeting, negotiation and collection review
2011 Librarians in the brave new world of research evaluation
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14. “It’s only words …”
(Bee Gees)
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15. Wordcloud of terms from early
events/meetings
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16. Wordcloud of terms from recent
events/meetings
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17. “Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes …”
(Changes – David Bowie)
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18. What has stayed the same?
• User focus
• Independent representation
• Constantly monitoring and moving ahead
of the developments
• Cheap membership rate!
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19. What has changed?
• JIBS has become leaner …
• More and more flexible in striving for “the
perfect interface”
• Focus on wider user community and
political/economic drivers, rather than on
the resources themselves
– e.g. The annual JIBS prize for a student
dissertation on e-resource issues
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20. What should we do in the future?
• ... Over to you for suggestions
– Write your ideas for future JIBS events and activities
on a Post It note. Also for different ways JIBS could
work
• We shall gather these and summarise them,
and will include them in the report from this
event
• We shall also feed them into our plans
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21. “And now the end is near
…let’s do it Your Way”
(My Way – Frank Sinatra –
with slight amendment)
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22. What luxury item would
JIBS take to the island?
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