Following the recommendations of the Follett Report of 1993 on the use of information technology in university libraries, the Electronic Libraries Programme (eLib) was established by the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC). The central aim of eLib is to use IT to improve delivery of information through increased use of electronic library services.

The three HE Partners who developed the service were the University of Stirling (lead site), Napier University (Edinburgh) and South Bank University (London).

Heron began its work in August 1998. Building on the work of previous eLib projects in the on-demand / electronic reserve fields, like: SCOPE (Scottish Collaborative On-demand Publishing Enterprise), Project Phoenix and ACORN (Access to Course Readings via Networks), Heron aims to be at the forefront of the movement from paper-based short loan collections in libraries, to a more efficient electronic method of delivery. The project's original remit was to:

The Heron test service began in June 1999, with five universities actively participating. By the end of July 2000, membership had increased to 17 Universities, and by the start of the academic year 2001/2002, Heron had over 40 members. Materials have been requested for courses as diverse as literature, popular music, business studies, nursing, and medicine, sociology and politics.

In March 2002, Heron was acquired by Ingenta, ensuring its future after its project phase ended in July 2002. By the end of the project phase in July 2002, Heron had over 50 subscribing institutions within the UK and had begun the extension of the service to the FE sector.

By leveraging its worldwide customer base of publishers and libraries, there are significant opportunities for Ingenta to develop the online course pack service that is relatively new to the UK but rapidly growing, and to expand into other countries which operate a similar university framework.

Commenting on the acquisition, Mark Rowse, Chief Executive, Ingenta plc said:

"Ingenta has been reviewing for some time the best way to enter the market for supplying online content to the rapidly growing Higher Education e-learning sector. Heron's course pack service provides a great opportunity to do so since it is highly complementary to Ingenta's existing services. Building on our relationships with both libraries and publishers, our global distribution network and our technology and content assets, we have the opportunity to expand its activities rapidly both in the UK and overseas."

On behalf of the Heron Partnership, Carolyn Rowlinson, Project Director, added:

"From a largely untested idea, the service has grown rapidly, evolving according to the needs of our members. Heron's role in supporting universities in their efforts to widen access and to develop innovative teaching and learning is increasingly valued in Higher Education, and students are enthusiastic about online delivery of recommended reading. We welcome this outcome: Ingenta not only guarantees continuation of the Heron service, but promises exciting opportunities for development which we believe will offer real benefits to the Higher Education community."