The growth of the Internet and self-service information has led many to question the value of libraries. So it is great to see a report, The value of libraries for research and researchers, that spells out in detail the benefits a good library adds to universities and research institutes.

The benefits include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Convenient access to high-quality research content remains a key foundation for good research
• Good libraries help institutions recruit and retain top researchers
• Libraries help researchers win grants and contracts
• Libraries promote and exploit new technologies and new models of scholarly communications
• Specialist staff work in partnership with academic departments
• Dedicated spaces provide a better work environment for researchers

The report includes a map of the value libraries provide.

This jointly commissioned RIN and RLUK report presents the findings of a systematic study of the value of the services that libraries in the UK provide to researchers, and of the contributions that libraries from a wide range of institutions make to institutional research performance.