Queen's University Libraries - News Releases Wednesday, 23 June 1999

CFI Awards Funding to Canadian Academic Research Libraries for National Access to Electronic Information Resources

The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), on June 22nd, approved an application from Canada's academic research libraries to establish a $50,000,000 Canadian National Site Licensing Project which will provide national access to electronic information resources. This award is the culmination of two years' work on the part of many libraries and library organizations, including major contributions from the Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL) and the Council of Ontario Universities (COU).

The National Site Licensing Project is a three-year co-operative venture for joint purchasing of electronic resources by 64 Canadian university libraries, thereby making these resources accessible to the academic community across the country -- including Queen's -- at costs substantially reduced from what the libraries would pay as individual subscribers. CFI is contributing $20,000,000, with $30,000,000 in matching funds being provided by the libraries and by other provincial funding agencies.

Full information about the Project is available at the CARL website (http://www.carl-abrc.ca/).

It is expected that a large proportion of the information resources licensed under the Project will be full-text electronic journals and comprehensive indexing/abstracting services needed to support research in science, engineering, environment and health (which is the mandate of CFI). A consequence of the Project funding, however, may be an easing of the financial pressures on acquisitions budgets for humanities and social sciences.

The specific impacts the Project will have on Queen's University Libraries will be worked out in more detail over the next 6 - 8 months as the Project moves towards its target implementation date of Spring 2000. In general terms, however, the Canadian National Site Licensing Project will significantly enhance Queen's Libraries' ability to provide needed information resources in support of the University's research, teaching and service mission.

For further information, contact:

Paul Wiens University Librarian, Queen's University and Chair, Ontario Council of University Libraries Tel: (613) 533-6893