Virtual Reading Rooms (VRRs) and Virtual Teaching Spaces (VTSs) provide human-mediated remote digital access to collections which do not depend on digitisation. VRRs constituted part of the emergency response of libraries and archives to the challenges imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Through VRRs, many institutions were able to provide geographically remote access to collections and learning materials to a worldwide audience. These are bespoke services which provide another means of user-responsive access to collection materials.

RLUK has been tracking the development of these services since 2020 and has developed a set of resources which include a community-driven toolkit for the development and delivery of Virtual Reading Room services, and three reports as well as a set of case studies exploring the development and delivery of these services. 

This latest set of case studies document the experiences of research libraries nationally and internationally in sustaining their VRRs and VTSs and embedding them in their current service offering.