UK Research Reserve launched today aiming to safeguard knowledge for the future

UK Research Reserve

Low use journals to be stored by the British Library freeing up key space in UK university libraries - <em>News</em>

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Thursday 19 February 2009
By Naomi Weston

Making the most of university libraries, while safeguarding access to information is the aim of a new scheme launched today.

Imperial College London is leading the UK Research Reserve (UKRR) programme, which will see low-use research journals stored and maintained by the British Library, freeing up university library space to be used more creatively.

Access to the journals will be through the British Library. Researchers and students will be able to access the journals through an ordering and delivery system that enables them to receive a copy in either electronic or printed format.

“We want to use the space in our libraries in a more creative way whilst securing knowledge for the future,” explains Frances Boyle, manager of the UK Research Reserve programme at the College.

The UKRR will change library spaces

Imperial has recently completed an 18 month pilot project to see how the UKRR programme would work in practice. Libraries from seven other universities including Birmingham, Cardiff, Exeter, Liverpool, Newcastle, Southampton and St Andrews also took part in the pilot, which saw a total of 11,000 metres of shelf space cleared of little-used journals.

The library on Imperial’s Hammersmith Campus played a key role in this pilot. Over 1,100 meters of space was released and the new area created offers a training room equipped with 28 computers, used for lectures and teaching including information literacy, teaching of medical students and NHS staff. An expanded computer cluster on the first floor of the library has provided a new quiet study area.

“These new facilities have provided more study areas allowing students to work in different ways to best suit their needs whilst still providing quick and easy access to the low-use print journals. The new space created is bookable by both staff and students to run their own training and teaching courses,” says Frances Boyle.

Deborah Shorley, Director of Library Services, adds: “Libraries are being transformed before our eyes, with IT giving us the opportunities for innovation as never before. We are determined to provide all our library users with the full range of services they need either on campus in new exciting spaces like level one of the Central Library on the South Kensington campus or remotely, as they access information whenever and wherever they need it.”

With the launch of the UKRR it is hoped that the collection of journals stored at the British Library will grow. The programme will be implemented across all of the other campuses at Imperial.

The UKRR is a five year programme funded through a £9.84 million grant from the Higher Education Funding Council for England. The launch, at the Royal Geographical Society, today aims to get more HE libraries interested thereby ensuring maximum impact across the sector.

There are currently 8,400 titles in the UKRR. For more information visit www.ukrr.ac.uk

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