Inaugural Meeting of the

 

Cardiff EDC Forum 

Guest BuildingWednesday 19 January 2011 @ 14:30

Ian ThomsonDirector, Cardiff EDC

Cardiff EDC Forum Inaugural Meeting19 January 2011

Cardiff EDC Forum

19 January 2011

• What is an EDC?

• What do we do at the Cardiff EDC?

• The future

Cardiff EDC Forum Inaugural Meeting19 January 2011

What is an EDC?

EDCs look two ways…• They are usually part of the library services of

universities in EU Member States • They are part of an official EU Information Network

called the Europe Direct Information Network

Cardiff EDC Forum Inaugural Meeting19 January 2011

Europe Direct Information Network

• Call Centre in Brussels• Europe Direct Information Centres in all 27

EU Member States: 400+ in total• European Documentation Centres in all 27

EU Member States: 400+ in total

Cardiff EDC Forum Inaugural Meeting19 January 2011

What is an EDC?

Objective:EDCs are intended to encourage the study of, and research into, the European integration process and the increasing European dimension in other academic disciplines in higher education by providing access to, and developing expertise in, information sources of and about the EU

Cardiff EDC Forum Inaugural Meeting19 January 2011

What is an EDC?

Objectives:• Help universities and research institutes

promote and develop education and research on European integration, encouraging them to take part in the debate on Europe

• Help the public learn about EU policies in more depth

Cardiff EDC Forum Inaugural Meeting19 January 2011

Cardiff EDC Forum Inaugural Meeting19 January 2011

The EDC at Cardiff University

• Established in 1973• EU publications and documents + books and

academic journals on Europe, plus much more – the most comprehensive source of European information in Wales

• Source of expertise to help students and researchers find printed and electronic information on Europe: neutral and professional service

Cardiff EDC Forum Inaugural Meeting19 January 2011

EDCs in the Digital Age

Are EDCs useful in the 21st Century?

What does the Cardiff EDC do today to justify its continued existence?

Cardiff EDC Forum Inaugural Meeting19 January 2011

The Cardiff EDC today…

• Enquiries• Training / Information Literacy• Events

– ERASMUS Reception / European film evening / Europe Day Quiz / Participation in external activities

• Internships

Cardiff EDC Forum Inaugural Meeting19 January 2011

The Cardiff EDC today…

• Cardiff EDC website• European Sources Online• Wales and Europe• External training and consultancy• Working with the wider EDC Network and

other EU information networks• Pan-European Working Group on Electronic

Repositories

Cardiff EDC Forum Inaugural Meeting19 January 2011

The future…

• New location• What should we be doing?• Over to you…

Cardiff EDC Forum

Cardiff EDC Forum Inaugural Meeting19 January 2011

The future location of the Cardiff EDC

Existing building New location from Summer 2011

Cardiff EDC Forum Inaugural Meeting19 January 2011

Existing EDC inGuest Building

Proposed setting for EDC inGuest Extension

Cardiff EDC Forum Inaugural Meeting19 January 2011

Draft plan for the Aberconway Guest Study Centre (including EDC)

Cardiff EDC Forum Inaugural Meeting19 January 2011

Future activities of EDCs…

• EDC Network• Pan-European Working Group on Electronic

repositories• Create a European information repository (or portal to

link existing repositories)• ESO to evolve into an EDC Network information service

• Ask an EDC Librarian information service

Cardiff EDC Forum Inaugural Meeting19 January 2011

Future activities of Cardiff EDC

• More of the same in our new setting• Do you have suggestions?...

Cardiff EDC Forum