Adapting to change

Abstract

Presents a summary and critique of selected results and conclusions of the Business Information Resources Survey 2005 (Foster and Foster, 2005), the annual survey of UK business libraries and information resources. The critical account summarizes the survey aims and methodology in general terms then proceeds to go through the survey, making notes and comments on items of especial interest. The notes/comments are not presented in the order in which the questions appear in the survey questionnaire but are grouped according to three connected subject areas relating to: staffing/budgets; outsourcing/offshoring; and business information sources. Concludes that the survey, when taken overall, provides a valuable overview of those library and information sectors that make some use of business information. Suggests that it might be useful to replicate the Survey to a wider audience, such as other professional membership bodies, professional reading producers and discussion list hosts (CIG, SLA, BIALL, Freepint and Aslib), to enable them to help in disseminating the questionnaire, and to determine whether the results remained consistent from a more broadly representative sample of the business information professional community. Responses to these comments are presented by Pam and Allan Foster, the Survey compilers.