Epsilon Open Archive

The SLU University Library has during 2012 run its activities in three main areas:
- Scientific Communication & Evaluation
- Scientific Information Management
- Information Literacy, Learning Resources & Customer Relations

The Library’s activities have a main focus on electronic literature and services on the internet that can be reached by all university researchers and students in all
campuses. We have campus libraries at our four main campuses, Ultuna, Umeå, Alnarp and Skara.

Focus in the area of scientific communication & evaluation are electronic and open access publishing, bibliometric analyses, publishing strategies and competitive
intelligence. The library is a competence center in these subjects and supports university researchers. The library also is responsible for development and maintenance of the open archive (Epsilon) and the university publishing database.
Services in bibliometric analyses and competitive intelligence are performed for researchers and research groups in commission.

Highlights during 2012 have been completion of the new university publishing database (SLUpub), the new service in competitive intelligence and development of bibliometric instruments for evaluation of SLU research.

Focus in the area of scientific information management is electronic literature and system maintenance for information retrieval. More than 90% of the literature
acquisition is electronic and the use of this resource is steadily increasing.

A highlight during 2012 has been introduction of the new discovery system Primo. We have also started a thorough survey of the area aiming at optimizing our working processes.

Focus in the area of information literacy, learning resources and customer relations are courses and support for basic and research students, and support to
teachers and researchers in the area of information literacy.

Highlights during 2012 have been revision of the electronic guide ‘Search and Writer’s Guide’, extended opening hours in all campus libraries (with staff certain hours and extended opening all day without staff), and the start of thematic seminars for SLU researchers.

The campus libraries have had about half a million visitors during 2012. The library website has had about 1 million visitors.

The library budget turnover is about 65 million Swedish crowns, which is about 2% of the university turnover.