Research Libraries UK (RLUK) – which represents 34 of the leading research libraries in the UK and Ireland – has welcomed Queen Mary University of London as its latest member.
As a Russell Group university, among the top research-intensive institutions in the UK, Queen Mary has continued to invest in information resources for both research and teaching.
Emma Bull, Queen Mary Librarian and Director of Student Services, comments: “It’s a great honour to join RLUK and an opportunity to work with other member libraries on scholarly publishing and relationships with publishers, to secure best value for our researchers.”
The decision to join RLUK follows the completion of an Open Access project, funded by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, to ensure that the outputs from publicly funded research are provided free at the point of access to all.
“We’re currently working to build a stronger research support team and to develop and exploit our Library and Archives Collections,” Emma adds. “In March we launched our research support blog, discussing the latest developments in Open Access initiatives and guidance.”
Through Open Access, the work of the university’s researchers reaches a wider audience – potentially opening up new collaborations - while academics and students have greater access to the work of others. Under this project, Queen Mary’s Library provides an online course to give postgraduate and early career researchers a practical overview of the principles of Open Access and Open Access publishing.
“We are very pleased to welcome Queen Mary to RLUK,” said Executive Director, David Prosser. “Research libraries play a vital part in our continued research excellence and support the contribution our world-leading research institutions make to the economic and intellectual prosperity of the UK and Ireland.
“RLUK is defined by the collaborative strength and experience of our members, and we look forward to the expertise and energy that Queen Mary will undoubtedly bring in helping us achieve the best research library support in the world.”
For more information about the Library at Queen Mary, visit: http://www.library.qmul.ac.uk/
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