Retro-conversion Project of Older Research Materials

The objective of this project, made possible with external funding, is to convert the printed bibliographic records for our older research materials to electronic form. This will increase the profile of our research collections nationally and internationally, and also make details of the material we hold more transparent locally.

By the end of academic year 2004/2005 our Retroconversion Unit had provided automated catalogue records to accepted international standards for almost 160,000 items. These include pressmarked material (mainly late 19th century and early 20th century material) and classified books (mainly 20th century material). The range of material catalogued includes music scores, maps, exhibition catalogues as well as monograph material.

By the end of academic year 2006/07 our aim is to complete the cataloguing of the library's pressmarked material, housed in the Library Research Annexe, and to complete the cataloguing of material in the classified sequences in the main library.