“Access to Research”: how UK public libraries are offering access to over 15 million academic articles for free

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to describe a unique service offering by UK public libraries that provides access to over 15 million academic articles for free.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach is descriptive.

Findings

The service has been a success with users, but more training for staff, as well as promotion, is needed.

Social implications

The study will be potentially important for enabling access to a vast amount of published academic articles for a wide section of UK citizens.

Originality/value

The first article on this service is aimed specifically at the LIS community.

Citation

Griffin, J. (2016), "“Access to Research”: how UK public libraries are offering access to over 15 million academic articles for free", Interlending & Document Supply, Vol. 44 No. 2, pp. 37-43. https://doi.org/10.1108/ILDS-03-2016-0012