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Welcome to Heron
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Heron provides a service for UK academic institutions that wish to provide online access to student readings.
Increasingly students today are working part time or are distance learners. They often study off campus and want quick and easy access to learning materials. Higher and Further Education Institutions are responding by providing access to electronic texts and developing virtual learning environments (VLEs).
Heron primarily deals with book and journal extracts. It has developed a resource bank of over 2.5 million digitised extracts for rapid re-use (subject to copyright permissions). Heron also offers its subscribers experience and strength in negotiations with publishers and other rightsholders.
Many aspects of the service which Heron provides are unique:
• The Heron service is a one-stop-shop for copyright clearance and digitisation, enabling universities and colleges to provide access to key learning materials for all their students, wherever they are based.
• One of the major aims of Heron is that all the stakeholders should benefit from its work. This includes not only students, the end users of the services which Heron supplies, but also academic staff, library staff, publishers and other rightsholders.
• As well as providing its core service, Heron also offers its subscribers extensive support in many aspects of the development and provision of access to digital materials.
• Heron is a service which has grown from within the academic sector. It is driven very largely by its subscribers and by the Heron staff who have an academic background and who understand the needs and concerns of the sector.
• However, Heron is also committed to both raising awareness amongst HEIs and FEIs of rightsholders' real concerns regarding issues of digitisation, (such as potential loss of sales revenue, and loss of control over the content of their material), and ensuring that rightsholders receive a fair return.
Heron currently has 50 subscribing institutions across the British Isles and in Norway and Japan.
"After 25 years in the profession I have seen many things come and go. Heron is one of the good ones, so I hope things go from strength to strength" - Deborah Bragan-Turner, Arts Librarian, University of Nottingham
"PackTracker has revolutionised our operations and everyone is very impressed." - Jennifer M. Curtiss, Digitisation Manager, University of Manchester
Last updated 8th April 2010
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* Summer Promotion *
Anyone signing up to PackTracker (until July 2011) before the end of June 2010, gets from their sign-up date until 31st July 2010 at no additional cost. To take advantage of this offer, contact Heron on 01865 397851 or at heron.publishingtechnology.com.
22nd HUG Meeting
The 22nd Heron User Group Meeting will be held at the University of Sheffield on Thursday 17th June. Open to all HE & FE Institutions, a draft agenda and registration form is available here.
New PackTracker Subscriber
Heron is pleased to welcome the University of York, the University of Exeter and the University of Southampton as the latest subscribers to its PackTracker service.
 Finding out about PackTracker
Past HUG Meetings
Some reports and the agenda from the most recent HUGs are now available (to Heron subscribers only) from HUGs.
Case Studies
The most recent Case Study from LSE has been put online in the 'About Heron' section.
More information about Heron can be found in our FAQ and Finding out more sections.
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