UKB is a partnership of Dutch University Libraries and The Royal Library of the Netherlands (Koninklijke Bibliotheek). We are committed to supporting and accelerating scientific progress. We do so by developing and managing universal and sustainable access to knowledge for everyone. We are working towards open knowledge, anytime, anyplace, leaving sufficient scope for our own local colour.
What are we working on?
Sustainably accessible collections and their utilisation
1. Intensifying nationwide cooperation in facilitating education and research by finding relevant scientific information in digital and physical sources and making this information accessible in a sustainable way, as well as enhancing the (digital) information literacy of students (and scientists).
Innovation in shared knowledge infrastructure
2. Using smart search technology and a linked open-data infrastructure that helps students, lecturers and researchers to obtain the knowledge they are looking for. This ranges from sharing knowledge to jointly developing knowledge, and makes use of new technologies, such as AI and elastic search.
Promotion and facilitation of Open Knowledge for and by Dutch Universities
3. Promoting open science and education as well as supporting researchers, lecturers and students so that they can use this to its best effect. In addition, giving the outside world access to the scientific knowledge of Dutch universities, and demonstrating and highlighting the societal relevance of Dutch education and research.
Inspiration and innovation in user applications
4. Sharing knowledge and inspiring each other to work towards improving our users’ experience, for example by creating inspirational hotspots for learning, producing and research – both on campus and online – and by jointly developing and utilising new services.
Development of competences and skills
5. Working towards the sustainable employability of our employees and promoting our innovation role through knowledge sharing, direct collaboration and joint competency development. This is in line with the changing world of information and the changing function of libraries – including digital literacy, hospitality, agile working and multidisciplinary working – in order to achieve the ambitions mentioned above.
UKB, December 2020
The ambitions been drawn up in conjunction with the UKB working groups (in Dutch), which will work in different combinations to develop them in the period 2020-2024.
31 January 2019: UKB Statement Transformative deals: Open Access by UKB – Results, Outlook and Reaction to Plan S
3 February 2020: Dutch University libraries intensify cooperation with the launch of UKBsis