Networked access to digital resources can greatly extend the range of material open to them and can do much to reduce inequalities in resource provision between institutions. Teaching and research staff are heavy users of digital resources. They are also significant creators of material. The DNER will empower and enable them to create resources that are accessible not just within their own institutions but by the wider community. It will also allow them to manipulate electronic resources to enhance learning, teaching and research.
Academic administrators are another important group of data users.
The value of the DNER to them will be greatly enhanced when it becomes possible to integrate local management information systems into the overall national system. Finally, the funding bodies and the Research Councils are important stakeholders. The funding bodies have invested heavily in the development of the DNER and the resulting benefits can be enhanced further through public-private partnerships and through the increasing integration of elements within the system. The Research Councils have an important role to play in identifying and helping to fill gaps in the pattern of provision. The developing National Grid for Learning, the New Library Network, the National Electronic Library for Health, and the emerging network linking museums, archives and galleries each has its own community of stakeholders.