Neil Grindley (JISC) Jisc has led on a strategy (known as 'Plan M') to improve the efficiency of the library data ecosystem in the UK. This session will contextualise the objectives of the plan, give an update on progress, and look ahead to the opportunities that may be afforded if a more open bibliographic data ecosystem can be realised that empowers novel research, learning and teaching. A key part of the session will report on the outcome of a negotiation between Jisc and OCLC to facilitate a national WorldCat licence.

1. Brokering a National Metadata Agreement:
Lessons Learnt and Opportunities
Neil Grindley, director of content and discovery services, Jisc
UKSG 2022

2. Content and discovery
Jisc connects people with content and data to drive forward high-quality
learning, teaching and research.
We work in partnership and deliver value to those responsible for managing libraries,
archives, digital collections and learning resource centres.
1.5-2m
Searches per month
on Library Hub
Discover
1m
Pages History of
Science digital
collection
350
Institutions
represented by
Archives Hub
96%
FE members subscribe
to e-books for FE
2

3. What we’re going to cover …
• Plan M – Context and Goals
• The Jisc/OCLC National Metadata Agreement
• Lessons learnt (so far)
• Future opportunities
3 Brokering a National Metadata Agreement: Lessons Learnt and Opportunities

4. Plan M
A national initiative to streamline the UK bibliographic data ecosystem
4 Brokering a National Metadata Agreement: Lessons Learnt and Opportunities

5. Plan M (2019)
Aim
• To implement a more efficient
bibliographic metadata supply
model for UK academic and
specialist libraries using the
Jisc NBK/Library Hub as core
infrastructure
Objectives
• To establish a fair and sustainable ‘pay to share’
bibliographic data ecosystem for UK academic and
specialist libraries who are Jisc members and/or NBK
contributors
• To design a data supply chain that delivers ‘fit-for-purpose’
records as early as possible in the creation cycle
• To streamline workflows for libraries and suppliers to reduce
duplication of effort across the community
• To ensure that all records are available to all Jisc members
and/or NBK contributors at the point of need with permissive
licensing for sharing and re-use
• To provide an infrastructure that allows institutions to easily
acquire and then re-share enhanced records
5 Brokering a National Metadata Agreement: Lessons Learnt and Opportunities

6. Plan M – what problems does it address?
Operational Strategic
Misdirected effort
Having to look in multiple places to find suitable
records or creating records where a suitable one
already exists
Fragmented Infrastructure
Having multiple delivery mechanisms and different
working practices is inefficient and incoherent
Duplicated effort
Different organisations and suppliers making the
same or similar changes to a record
Uneconomic practices
Precious resources and investment are being
wasted
Unexploited value
The inability to share enhanced records with other
organisations who may be able to benefit from
them
Sectoral transformation inertia
The focus of cataloguing practice needs to shift
towards automation of routine cataloguing and
investment in special collections
6 Brokering a National Metadata Agreement: Lessons Learnt and Opportunities

7. Plan M (2022)
Improving the quality,
reliability and usefulness
of bibliographic data
Identifying critical library
workflows and delivering
efficiencies
Engaging with
publishers and other 3rd
parties to make more
data available
Enhancing the discovery
of Open Access
Monographs and
supporting UKRI policy
7 Brokering a National Metadata Agreement: Lessons Learnt and Opportunities

8. Jisc / OCLC National Metadata Agreement
Where are we?
Lessons Learnt?
8 Brokering a National Metadata Agreement: Lessons Learnt and Opportunities

9. Jisc / OCLC National Metadata Agreement
• Transitional Agreement – Aug 2021 – Jul 2022 (Launched Feb ‘22)
• Transparent Jisc-banded pricing structure
• Variable legacy charging arrangements superseded
• Eligible library access to OCLC WorldCat origin records in Library Hub Cataloguing
• Authorised library access to WorldCat cataloguing
• Authorised library visibility in WorldCat
• Authorised library sync to WorldCat via NBK
• Collaborative working and thought leadership to achieve strategic sector goals (e.g.
linked data, descriptive workflows)
9 Brokering a National Metadata Agreement: Lessons Learnt and Opportunities

10. Jisc / OCLC National Metadata Agreement
• Build in as much contingency time as possible to reach agreement
• Think contractually when coming to ‘in principle’ agreements
• Don’t assume that collective action will follow apparent consensus
• The cost sensitivity in libraries for expenditure on metadata is acute
• Expectations about the pace of change need to be carefully managed
• A dysfunctional complex market is resistant to change
• Libraries will pay for good data
• There is a healthy appetite for progress in the community
10 Brokering a National Metadata Agreement: Lessons Learnt and Opportunities

11. Opportunities … (1)
If we can reach a sustainable Jisc/OCLC Agreement …
• It builds towards the best possible data foundation we can provide
• It facilitates the sharing of fit-for-purpose and enhanced records
• It simplifies the process of record creation for non-unique items
• It frees up metadata specialists to tackle non-routine tasks
• It makes the UK library data ecosystem simpler and more reliable
11 Brokering a National Metadata Agreement: Lessons Learnt and Opportunities

12. Opportunities … (2)
If Jisc, OCLC & Libraries work together…
• We can continue to refine and enhance workflows using data created by OCLC for
publishers
• We can help to promote and coordinate Name Authority Cooperative (NACO) work
• We can work towards creating linked library datasets that make connections with
other sources of data and support novel research
• We can collaborate on methodologies to enhance equality, diversity and inclusion in
catalogues and collections
12 Brokering a National Metadata Agreement: Lessons Learnt and Opportunities

13. Opportunities … (3)
If we collaboratively pursue the wider Plan M goals …
• We will have a fit-for-purpose, comprehensive, flexible, national library data
infrastructure
• We will reduce duplicative practices, streamline workflows and reduce costs across
the sector
• Bibliographic data will be more open, useful and shareable
• Open Access books will be more easily discoverable and will gain more traction as a
scholarly publishing model
13 Brokering a National Metadata Agreement: Lessons Learnt and Opportunities

14. What comes next?
• Evaluation of the transitional phase of the National
Metadata Agreement and consideration of what
follows …
• Engagement with the library community to really
understand and join up workflows …
• Explore further activities with partner
organisations …
• Make sure bibliographic data in NBK supports
work on the ‘collective collection’ …
14 Brokering a National Metadata Agreement: Lessons Learnt and Opportunities

15. help@jisc.ac.uk
jisc.ac.uk
Thanks for attending …
You can come and talk to us in
the exhibition room
Jisc is on stand 26
Email the Library Hub team
nbk@jisc.ac.uk
4 Portwall Lane, Bristol, BS1 6NB
T 0300 300 2212