Bibliography of British and Irish History (BBIH) FAQ
When will the new Bibliography of British and Irish History (BBIH) be available?
The new Bibliography will be launched on 1 January 2010, with institutional trials available from October 2009. A press release about the new service is available at http://www.history.ac.uk/news/press-releases.
Will I still be able to use the old RHS Bibliography website?
No, the old Bibliography website will go offline at the end of December 2009. After December you will be able to find out about the new BBIH on the websites of the Institute of Historical Research (http://www.history.ac.uk) and the Royal Historical Society (http://www.royalhistoricalsociety.org).
Why is access to the Bibliography going to change?
The Bibliography has enjoyed UK Arts and Humanities Research Council funding for several years but this has always been directed primarily at developing functionality rather than adding new records to make sure that the Bibliography is up-to-date. And the particular AHRC scheme on which we were drawing has now ended. After much thought and consultation, the Institute of Historical Research and the Royal Historical Society have decided that the only way to develop and enhance the Bibliography in the long term (and therefore to ensure its continuing usefulness) is through a partnership with an experienced commercial publisher - Brepols Publishers. As part of this arrangement, the IHR and RHS will increase their financial commitment to the Bibliography, but it will nonetheless entail the Bibliography becoming a subscription service.
What types of subscription will be available?
A range of institutional and individual subscriptions will be available:
- Standard Licence
Offers access, including remote, to the full information but is limited to three simultaneous users. Access is by IP address(es). - Campus Wide Licence
Offers unlimited access, both onsite and remote, by IP address(es) - Consortium / Multiple-Campus Subscription
Volume discounts are available for qualifying groups of institutions and multi-site licences - Individual subscription
For personal use only. It offers a single username and password that must not be shared.
For more information contact Brepols Publishers
How will my institution be able to trial the resource?
Your librarian may request a 30-day free trial by contacting Brepols Publishers. Trial access can be provided through IP address(es) or password.
What if my institution doesn't subscribe?
You can ask your librarian to request a free trial, or you may wish to take out an individual subscription (by contacting Brepols Publishers). In addition, the library of the Institute of Historical Research will offer onsite access to the BBIH for all of its members.
How different will the search interface be?
The new BBIH will retain the key facilities available on the current RHS Bibliography search forms, including the subject classification scheme and searching by period covered. It will also offer a number of new features, such as an auto-complete function, an auto record count per search field, a multilingual interface and extended export possibilities. You will be able to choose between a simple or an advanced search, both offering significantly faster returns of results.
Screenshot of the new BBIH Search interface
Will you be maintaining links to full text?
Yes. The new Bibliography will be compatible with OpenURL, facilitating linkage to full text. Links to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, the National Register of Archives, Who Was Who, BL Articles Direct, Google Books, COPAC, H-Albion reviews, British History Online and Reviews in History will also still be available.
I still have some questions about the new BBIH
For more information, see Brepols' leaflet advertising the forthcoming service, or contact Brepols Publishers.
Contact
|
Brepols Publishers |