Knowledge Base+ Project Board
Project Board Terms of Reference
Terms of Reference for Knowledge Base+ Project Board
UK Shared Knowledge Base + Support Service Project aims to achieve the following:
1. Improve the quality, accuracy, coverage and availability of data for the management, selection,
licensing, negotiation, review and access of electronic resources. This data would be available for use
and re-use by existing service providers, both commercial and open source, as well as other services
provided by and for UK teaching, learning and research.
2. Through the investment in 1 above, engage with existing service providers to upgrade systems and
fill the gap between the ‘current offerings and perceived requirements’1.
3. Create a foundation of open data on which new ERM and activity data services can be built by
existing service providers, JISC Data Centres and the wider academic community.
4. Lower the barriers to market entry for service providers and in turn improve the quality of services.
5. Enhance the quality of existing services funded by JISC so that they become more cohesive, able to
share data and interoperate in a manner that answers existing and potential queries from the
academic community.
6. Identify the ERM requirements of ‘new’ e-resource formats.
7. Identify the costs and workflows associated with the maintenance and creation of both the data and
software tools to manage it.
8. Develop the business models and licensing framework to support and extend the activities listed
above.
Timescales and Costs:
The project will run from August 2011 to August 2012. The project budget is £600,000.
Reporting process:
Quarterly reports will be provided to the JISC Collections Board of Management.
Quarterly reports will be provided to the HEFCE Cloud Advisory Committee via the JISC Executive.
Monthly reports will be provided to the JISC Collections SMT and the JISC Programme Manager.
Update reports will be provided to the Project Board as the project progresses and at Project Board
meetings.
Recommendations and Update reports will be provided by Technical Advisory Group and Community
Advisory Group.
Organisation:
The Project Board will have regular meetings, three times a year in response to project activity.
A quorate meeting requires at least half the Project Board members to be present.
The Board chair is able to nominate a deputy from the Board membership to stand in for them if they are
unable to attend a meeting.
The Project Board will be appointed for the life of the Project.
1
Knowledge Base Plus – the UMF shared service for subscription resources: Business Solution Definition. David Kay
and Owen Stephens; 2011.
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Knowledge Base+ Project Board
Project Board Terms of Reference
Role of the Project Board:
The Project Board is responsible for overseeing the project and helps to quality assure the project. The
group represents the key stakeholders of the project and provides guidance, wisdom and experience to
the project manager.
The Project Board will:
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Review project documentation
Agree and regularly review KB+ project aims, scope, governance, operations and business
models, to ensure they are fit for purpose
Provide advice and guidance on marketing (in conjunction with SCONUL), take -up, evaluation,
sustainability strategies and business models
Ensure quality is maintained throughout the KB+ project
Review reports and recommendations from the project team, the Technical Advisory Group and
the Community Advisory Group
Act as a champion for the KB+ project in the higher education and library communities, seeking
out and exploiting opportunities to promote KB+ and further its aims.
Maintain awareness of relevant projects, funding and initiatives, in order to ensure that
opportunities for alignment, experience-sharing, sustainability and resource-sharing are
maximised.
Project Board Membership
Members represent the interests of the membership of the stakeholders listed below:
Dr Richard Parsons, University of Dundee (Chair)
Anne Bell, SCONUL and University of Warwick
Rachel Bruce, JISC Executive
Peter Burnhill, EDINA
Lorraine Estelle. JISC Collections
Nicholas Evans, Chair of Community Advisory Group and University of East Anglia
Ross MacIntyre, MIMAS
Fiona Parsons, SCONUL and University of Wolverhampton
Mark Toole, Chair of Technical Advisory Group and University of Stirling
Project Board meetings and time requirements:
Based on the project plan it is anticipated that the Project Board will review papers and /or meet in:
Month
Activity
November 2011
Agree the project documentation
January 2012
Approve Data Model
March 2012
Approve Technical Architecture
April 2012
Approve Business Model and Sustainability Plan
May 2012
Review and Approve Phase 1 deliverables
July 2012
Review and Approve Phase 2 Business Plan
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Knowledge Base+ Project Board
Project Board Terms of Reference
Communication:
A Project Board email list has been created: JISCKBPLUS-PROJECT-BOARD@JISCMAIL.AC.UK
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