The current and potential impact of information technology on information provision. The possibilities of greater co-operation and sharing of capital and recurrent resources. The Follett Report noted some worrying trends in the decline of University library budgets, a steadily worsening trend in student to seat ratios, and reduced per capita spending. In response to these factors, it concentrates on making recommendations to the funding councils and to institutions which are practical and likely to achieve maximum benefit, founded on an assessment of likely changes over the next five to ten years, and an appreciation of the enormous diversity of library and related provision within higher education. The view of the learning, and research is no longer adequate.
Information is now available through many different media, and in all manner of locations.
The emphasis is shifting towards information and information access. This has profound and far reaching implications, and all institutions act to ensure that they are in a position to deal with these to best advantage. The suitability of Scots Law on first and second year undergraduate law courses is under consideration as one of the subject areas. There is only one project that is wholly specific to law and was mentioned earlier in this report, namely the Electronic Law Journals project based at the Universities of Warwick and Strathclyde, of which the Journal of Information, Law and Technology in which the draft version of this report was published. There are many complex issues that have been addressed by the Follett and other subsequent related Reports.