RLUK

PRESS RELEASE

13th June 2011

Research libraries UK (RLUK) is pleased to welcome Queen’s University Belfast as its newest member. RLUK now represents 30 of the leading research libraries in the UK and Ireland, including all 20 members of the Russell Group of universities.

 ‘We are delighted that Queen’s has decided to join RLUK’, said David Prosser, Executive Director of RLUK.  ‘With increased financial pressures on our members and the push to do more with less it is vital that the sector comes together to cooperate and collaborate on the widest range of issues.  From resisting excessive journal price rises to redefining the research library we are more likely to succeed if we work together and speak with a united voice.’

'In these challenging times for libraries when mutual support and co-operation is more important than ever before, Queen's is delighted to have joined RLUK and we are looking forward to a very fruitful partnership in the years ahead,' said Elizabeth Traynor, Assistant Director (Library Services & Research Support)   

Notes for editors:

Consisting of the top research institutions in the UK and Ireland, including the three UK National Libraries, for over 25 years RLUK has been at the forefront of instigating and supporting openly available research resources, including Copac, the Archives Hub, SHERPA, and 19th Century British Pamphlets Online. RLUK is a major thought leader in the UK library sector, and works with its partners nationally and internationally to ensure that the UK has the best research support in the world.

Queen’s is a broadly based, research-driven university with a dynamic world-class research and education portfolio and strong international connections. The University's priority is to achieve nationally and internationally recognised research excellence in all of its many and varied disciplines, with world-class research in distinctive niches and thematic areas. An emphasis is placed on the expansion of inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary activities.

Queen's combines the best of tradition with a progressive outlook. It is an institution with a world-class academic reputation and as a member of the Russell Group of leading UK universities, Queen's is building on its tradition of excellence to secure a future for its students - the leaders of tomorrow. They can look forward to being taught to the highest standards by academics who are both world-class teachers and researchers.

Queen's is currently investing over £200 million in students, staff and facilities. Our distinctive campus is further enhanced by the new landmark McClay Library, redevelopment of the Elms student village, and major refurbishment of the Physical Education Centre and the Students' Union.  Academic developments range from a substantial expansion in Medicine to new postgraduate courses in Governance and Sustainable Development, from the Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology to the Sonic Arts Research Centre, and from the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry to novel approaches to "green technology". 

More Information: David Prosser, Research Libraries UK, +44 (0)207 848 2737