RLUK’s Mission

RLUK is a consortium of institutions whose mission is to ensure that the UK should have the best research library support in the world.

Membership of RLUK

The RLUK Board of Directors will consider any request for membership from organisations that can demonstrate that they meet RLUK’s membership guidelines. Potential members will be asked to provide, for formal consideration by the Board, an explicit written statement demonstrating that the institution is fully committed to RLUK’s mission and has the necessary resources to make a valuable contribution to the work of the Consortium. Organisations interested in membership of RLUK should in the first instance talk to the Chair of the Board of Directors informally, prior to their applying in writing, for advice on the application of the guidelines for membership set out below.

Guidelines for Membership

Universities with a national or international reputation for scholarship and research information facilities which in the view of the Board of Directors could make a substantial contribution towards the work of RLUK;

• Legal deposit libraries and other research information providers which in the view of the Directors could make a substantial contribution towards the work of RLUK;
• Annual expenditure on information provision both in terms of holdings and services appropriate for the support of research in a national context. Institutions should include reference to appropriate relevant benchmarking data within their sector to demonstrate their ability to meet this requirement;
• Extensive collections on a scale appropriate for the support of a broad range of research activity;
• Evidence of the ability to attract significant external funding to the library (e.g. such as receipt of research and development grants);

Membership formally involves:

• The willingness to contribute to collaborative resource discovery and record retrieval activities;
• The willingness to contribute to other collaborative collection and service activities that will enhance library support for researchers;
• Eligibility to participate in working parties and groups in furtherance of RLUK’s collaborative activities;
• Full attendance and voting rights at all meetings of Members;
• The right to propose and be proposed as a member of the Board of Directors;
• The payment of a subscription at a rate to be determined annually by the Board of Directors.

Acceptance into membership of RLUK is at the discretion of the RLUK Board of Directors.

Termination of membership is by twelve months' notice on either side, the notice to be given at an Annual General Meeting.

Guidelines for Partner Status

RLUK actively seeks partnership with other repositories whose collections are recognised as having national or specialist research significance, and where there is a recognised synergy with RLUK’s mission and strategic goals; as well as other agencies where there is such synergy. Agreements over partnership arrangements will be determined by the RLUK Board of Directors.

Partnership may be for a finite period of time and/or for a specific activity as agreed between RLUK and the partner organisation. Where appropriate it may be open-ended.

Depending on the nature of the partnership, this may involve the payment of a subscription. The subscription will normally be less than that payable by RLUK members and will relate to the benefit that the partnership brings to RLUK. The level of subscription, where applicable, will be determined by the RLUK Board of Directors.

Termination of partnership would be at the end of the agreed period, if a specific period was stipulated. Otherwise, termination of partnership would be by twelve months' notice on either side, the notice to be received one month prior to an Annual General Meeting.