UK Research Reserve

The University of Aberdeen is engaged in a collaborative activity with other academic libraries in the UK that enables us to transfer or dispose of print journals without loss of access to content in either print or electronic formats. In July 2009 Library, Special Collections and Museums joined the UK Research Reserve (UKRR) as part of the second phase of that project. Library staff have been checking print journal lists to identify runs that we intend offering to UKRR. Prior to this lists have been and will be made available to the University community for consultation.

Please provide any feedback or comments to the appropriate Information Consultant listed below.

• What is UKRR?
• How does UKRR work?
• What are we offering to UKRR?
• UKRR workflow
• Current Consultation - Reid Library and Law Journals (March 2012)
• Journal lists submitted to UKRR (July and December 2010, December 2011)

What is UKRR?

The UK Research Reserve (UKRR) is a collaborative distributed national research collection managed by a partnership between the Higher Education sector and the British Library. It allows Higher Education libraries to de-duplicate their print journal holdings of a title if two copies are held by other UKRR members, ensuring continued access to low-use print journals, whilst allowing libraries to release space to meet the changing needs of their users.

How does UKRR work?

The UKRR process is designed to ensure completeness of the principal research collection which is securely housed in the British Library Document Supply Centre at Boston Spa. The aim is that for any print journal title a complete run will be held at BLDSC. In order to safeguard access, two further copies are retained within UKRR member libraries. Each stage of the process is carefully managed to ensure sufficient copies are retained before any disposal takes place. There are 29 UKRR member libraries.

What has the Library offered to UKRR?

Library staff have checked lists of print journal holdings where we have access to the electronic format in perpetuity or where we have duplicate print holdings. Lists of titles and holdings that we have previously offered to the UKRR process in the 2010 and 2011 cycles were made available for consultation and comment.

A workflow describes the steps that library staff are undertaking with the lists of print / e-journal holdings listed below.

The Excel spreadsheets list journal titles where we have both print and electronic holdings. Columns list shelfmark, title, ISSN and volumes and years offered to UKRR because the titles are also available to Aberdeen University in electronic format in perpetuity i.e. even if the subscription ceases we will continue to have access to the electronic format.

Current Consultation

Reid Library titles  - list for consultation in March 2012

Law titles - list for consultation in March 2012