IN DEPTH
Access to Research – a great, free digital resource for public libraries
Access to Research is the result of a unique collaboration between librarians and publishers that makes over 30 million journal articles available in public libraries. Robert Stein asks: “Is your library making the most of this free service?”
DO your library users have health issues they want to fi nd out more about? Are they concerned about the environment and want to see the latest scientifi c reports? Do students living locally need to access academic articles in their university holidays? Access to Research (A2R) is a great resource for any user to search, read and print out a copy of any of the more than 30 million journal articles available and an excellent way of encouraging more footfall into branches. The service is only available on terminals in public libraries and cannot be accessed remotely.
Accessibility, sustainability, excellence Access to Research began as a pilot service in 2014, one of the fruits of the recommen- dations from the Finch Group, a committee convened by the UK government to explore public access to publicly funded research and chaired by Dame Janet Finch. Their report “Accessibility, sustainability, excellence: how to expand access to research publications”1 was published in 2012 and includes the following observations – “Very few public libraries provide access to journals, for most members of the public, the only way in which they can gain access to journals is through the walk-in service provided by some university libraries. [So the] proposal is that the major sub- scription-based publishers should license public libraries throughout the UK ... to provide access to peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings at no charge, for ‘walk-in’ users on library premises. At a time when public libraries are under severe
20 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL
Robert Stein (
r.stein@
pls.org.uk) is Head of Communications at Publisher’s Licensing Services Ltd
pressure, such a move will help to strengthen their position in the communities they serve, and lead to increased usage and value. It would have an immediate eff ect in extending access to the great majority of journals for the benefi t of everyone in the country.”
At the launch of the pilot service in 2014, David Willetts, the then Minister for Univer- sities and Science said that A2R “will connect people to a wealth of global knowledge – maximising its impact and value. Neither the libraries nor the public are charged for access to this content.”
Broad parameters
Following the success of the pilot the scheme was re-launched to local authorities across the UK during 2019. As of January 2020, over 95 per cent of local authorities have signed up to off er the service.
The monthly reports circulated to all partici- pating libraries include the top 20 search terms for the month, revealing an idiosyncratic list of
March 2020
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