Share and share alike

Nearly 90 higher education libraries in the UK are participating in a reciprocal access and borrowing scheme which will benefit lifelong learners. UK Libraries Plus enables part-time, distance, and placement students to borrow from other libraries close to where they live or work. It also offers staff and full-time students access to each other’s libraries for reference. It is just over a year ago since a meeting of representatives from 19 libraries in membership
of the Coalition of Modern Universities (CMU) took place at the University of Derby. The meeting was convened within the context of the increasing challenge posed in providing adequate support for off-campus learners. In particular, all of our libraries were grappling
with the issue of supporting distance learners. How do we help students on courses, that do not require regular attendance at the University, gain access to the information resources that they need for their studies?