A major survey of UK Academics released today examines the attitudes of researchers and practitioners working within higher education. It sheds light on their behaviours, including their reliance on digital technologies, the Internet and open access.

We’ve all heard of impressive examples of individuals who applied scientific research, published through Open Access, to produce innovations in science and medicine.  Now, RLUK has joined forces with an impressive array of organisations - including Google, PLOS and Wellcome Trust - to recognize these achievements through the new Accelerating Science Award Program, or ASAP. 

Click here to view presentations and slides from the recent Members' Meeting, held at the University of Exeter.

The meeting featured presentations from:

Research Data Management

RLUK is delighted to announce the election of a new Chair and seven new Directors following their recent AGM, held at the University of Exeter on 22nd March 2013.

Stella Butler (University of Leeds) will succeed Janet Peters (Cardiff University) as Chair, and with the RLUK Board, will oversee the conclusion of activities of the current strategic strands and will steer the development of a new RLUK strategy to be announced in 2014.

RLUK is pleased to announce that the Copac Collections Management (CCM) tools project is moving into a new phase, made possible by ongoing funding by Jisc. In 2013 RLUK will be working alongside the Copac team at Mimas, the Universities of Leeds, Sheffield, York (White Rose Consortium), and Senate House Libraries and the Royal College of Surgeons to design and deliver the CCM Tools. The focus of this new phase will be to widen participation whilst also exploring community involvement and user support requirements.

In a recent interview with Times Higher Education, Roly Keating, the new Chief Executive of the British Library, committed to supporting university libraries.

RLUK is inviting tenders for the redevelopment of its website.

RLUK represents the most significant and influential research libraries in the UK and Ireland. We work collaboratively with our members and aim to optimise the contribution that the UK's biggest research libraries make to the economic, technological and cultural success of the UK.

Date: 1 - 2nd July 2013
Location: The British Library

RLUK has submitted evidence to the House of Commons Business, Innovation and Skills Committee into Open Access.  The evidence gives support for the move towards stronger funder mandates and shorter embargoes.

Click here to download the report

Research Libraries UK (RLUK), in collaboration with OCLC Research, has published the Survey of Special Collections and Archives in the UK and Ireland, the second report to be released as part of RLUK's Unique and Distinctive Collections strategic strand.