Temporary restriction of the UKRR service due to Covid-19 outbreak:

In line with Government recommendations relating to the Covid-19 pandemic, both British Library sites are closed to both staff and visitors - this includes the UKRR team based at Boston Spa.

We are supporting the service remotely so please continue to contact ukrr@bl.uk, or if you prefer, contact the UKRR Team Manager jonathan.heath@bl.uk directly.

We would like to wish all our UKRR friends our best wishes during this challenging time.

What is UKRR?

The UK Research Reserve (UKRR) preserves the nation’s printed journal collections. Together with the On Demand service, we give quick and easy access for researchers and help libraries make cost-effective decisions.

UKRR allows libraries to de-duplicate their journal holdings and save space.

We check every issue against the national collection and libraries listed on SUNCAT. Two copies of a journal are always retained - an access copy at the British Library and one further preservation copy within the community.

Log into LARCH to submit the journal titles you want to de-duplicate. If you’re a new user, please contact us to register.

Log into LARCH

Find out more

Reader spaces in library

What is UKRR?

UKRR saves space in libraries by de-duplicating print journals.

Exterior of Boston Spa Storage Building

How we work

The British Library accepts offered journal issues to fill collection gaps and thereby enhance the national collection; ongoing access onsite in the Reading Rooms or remotely via British Library On Demand

Thesis documents

Scarcity

For access and preservation, the scarcity process ensures a copy of every print journal offered is held at the British Library, and another within the UKRR community.

On Demand - manage orders

Scope

We accept academic print journals, in a robust and stable condition, suitable for continued use.

Latest News

British Library St Pancras building

Coronavirus notice

26 May 2020

To keep our users and all our staff safe and healthy we’ve taken the decision to close our physical sites in London and Boston Spa for the time being, and suspend our public events.

UKRR Word Cloud

UKRR: A collaborative collection management success story

16 March 2020

UKSG Journal Article summarising the achievements of the UK Research Reserve

British Library, St Pancras

Accessing British Library online content and services

19 March 2020

Our Reading Rooms and public spaces may be closed for the time being but over the coming weeks we will continue to offer as many online services as we possibly can so that the British Library remains open to everyone, wherever you are in the world. And we will be working hard to maintain this access during these unprecedented times.

More news stories

Case studies

Reader spaces in library
…Using UKRR we have freed up valuable space so that we can upgrade the quality of our study areas…

Leeds University Library Joined the UKRR scheme in 2008 and the service is a key part of the stock management process. Jane Saunders explains how this is beneficial to the university.

St Andrews Library
…Being a member of UKRR has allowed us to free up physical space across the Library estate…

The University of St Andrews has been fortunate to be a member of UKRR since its inception and has found the process to be a fantastic collaborative initiative, vital in the rationalisation of the Library’s print journal holdings.