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Users and their use of HEIRs

Consultancy brief

Purpose

The purpose of the consultancy is to provide an initial guide to and analysis of patterns of use and user profiles for a range of current Historic Environment Information Resources (HEIRs), and to draw up a summary project design for a UK-wide project to provide a more detailed assessment of the user needs and the outcomes of developing access to HEIRs.

The output from the consultancy will inform discussions by the Historic Environment Information Resources Network (HEIRNET) and future development work across the UK.

The consultancy is being funded by members of HEIRNET: English Heritage, Re:source, the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, Historic Scotland, the Association of Local Government Archaeological Officers and the Standing Committee of Archaeological Unit Managers. Project management will be through the Council for British Archaeology (CBA), guided by HEIRNET members.

Brief

There is an urgent need to evaluate the current and potential range of users of HEIRs and analyse patterns of use of services. This is to enable user needs to be taken fully into consideration in the development and presentation of HEIRs in the future.

This project will comprise of an analysis of current user services based on existing quantitative and qualitative market research into usage and statistics for services delivered across the Internet collected by a representative sample of HEIRs. The project will look across the range HEIRs and their user services spanning both the sector and the UK:

The end result of this project will be a detailed report, with an executive summary, which focuses on existing users and the services offered by an identified sample of HEIRs in the UK set in its wider context. The report should consider the identification of groups of users, user feedback, the outcomes of access projects and differences in patterns of usage across the sector, particularly where indicative of potential for developing the user base.

The project will also make recommendations for future user evaluation studies, including a methodology for recording of user statistics by HEIRs and for evaluating user feedback to current and potential services, with an outline project design for a more detailed project to look at user needs, the development and presentation of HEIRs and the social and economic outcomes of access projects.

Deliverables

In consultation with HEIRNET, the consultant will produce a report, in hard copy and digital form. The report will include an analysis of usage and user profiles for a sample of key UK HEIRs, as set out in the brief, together with an outline project design for a larger project designed to assess issues relating to users in the development and presentation of HEIRs across the UK.

The report should be supplied in a digital form that can easily be made available on the Internet. Links to sites and web pages referred to in the text should be included in the report.

Contacts

Day to day liaison will be provided by Dr Mike Heyworth at the CBA (HEIRNET Secretary).

The consultant will report to HEIRNET for progress monitoring and feedback.

Duration

Work will commence as soon as possible and ideally the report should be completed by summer 2002, though the end date is open to negotiation.

Fee

This project is a fixed price tender with UKP 9,000 inc VAT available.

Guidance

It is anticipated that the consultant will need to visit key organisations and meet relevant staff, as well as conducting discussions by telephone and letter.

A Project Steering Committee has been established by HEIRNET, consisting of representatives from the consortium including English Heritage, Re:source, the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, Historic Scotland, the Association of Local Government Archaeological Officers and the Standing Committee of Archaeological Unit Managers. The Project Steering Committee will be available to provide guidance during the course of the consultancy.

Technical guidance will be available from the Archaeology Data Service at the University of York.

There are a number of relevant documents, either already available or currently in preparation, which will be made available to the consultant for background reference material. HEIRNET members will aim to keep the consultant in contact with developments within their own organisation as it is recognised that there are a number of relevant developments currently in progress or in prospect.

Copyright

The deliverables, and all data and analysis used as part of the consultancy, will be the copyright of the Council for British Archaeology. All members of HEIRNET will be granted an unrestricted license to use the deliverables and data and analysis used in the course of the consultancy (though confidentiality of detailed information will be respected in any external use of the information).

Publication

HEIRNET will publish the deliverables from the consultancy on the HEIRNET web site, and in printed format on demand, to ensure wide dissemination of the results of the consultancy and to maximise its value to the wider archaeological community.

The consultant will be credited as the primary author on all publications that flow directly from the consultancy work.

Expressions of interest

Rather than inviting formal tenders for the consultancy work, at this stage we are simply seeking expressions of interest from individuals or organisations who wish to be considered. Please enclose a full CV.

Expressions of interest should be submitted to Dr Mike Heyworth at the CBA (St Mary's House, 66 Bootham, York YO30 7BZ, tel 01904 671417, fax 01904 671384, email mikeheyworth@britarch.ac.uk) by Friday 26th April 2002.

Anyone seeking further information is invited to contact Dr Heyworth for an informal discussion.

 
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Document last revised: 03 April 2002 by Mike Heyworth