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Library Services

UK Research Reserve

Queen Mary, University of London Library is a member of the UK Research Reserve (UKRR), a collaborative distributed national research collection managed by a partnership between the Higher Education sector and the British Library. UKRR allows Higher Education libraries to rationalise print journal holdings while ensuring that two copies of a title are held by other UKRR members. This ensures continued access to low-use printed journals, whilst allowing libraries to release space to meet the changing needs of their users. Membership of the scheme will help the Library with its aim to move away from print to e-access of journals.

UKRR has three goals:

Safeguarding the long term future of print research journals

UKRR protects print research material by managing the co-ordinated retention of three copies of low-use print research journals, ensuring that ‘at-risk’ titles are not inadvertently discarded. Journals within UKRR are retained both centrally at the British Library and at two libraries from the UKRR community.

Enabling quick and easy access to research material

The Research Reserve will be accessible to all researchers, regardless of location or institutional affiliation. For its members UKRR will provide fast and convenient access to journals through a guaranteed 24 hour desktop delivery service from the British Library.

Ensuring efficient use of resources

By co-ordinating the storage and retention of print journal titles, libraries are making significant space gains. The repurposed space is used for other research and teaching initiatives and improving the student experience.


The UK Research Reserve is a five year project which began in the summer of 2009.

More information about this project can be found on the UKRR website

Submissions process

Materials are submitted to UKRR in six-monthly cycles.

Titles will be submitted following consultation with academic departments.

   

  1. The criteria used for selecting the print journal titles will be clearly identified as part of the consultation.
  2. The timetable for the consultation, review and disposal will be established and advertised.
  3. Information regarding the print journals under review will be available on the library website and will be circulated to academic staff via the Heads of Department and Library Representative.
  4. Decisions reached following the consultation will be reported and justified to the College Subscriptions Committee. The report will also be published on the library website.
  5. Journals submitted to UKRR that are not required by the British Library and which Queen Mary is not requested to retain will be advertised on the library website for one month before disposal is arranged.
  6. Requests from Queen Mary academic staff to take personal ownership of withdrawn stock will be discussed with the Head of Department and on the understanding that the new owner meets all removal, storage and delivery costs.

 

Material not required by the UKRR will be disposed of, in an environmentally responsible manner according to the Library’s Collection Management Policy.

Detailed information about the journals considered and submitted for each cycle is given below: