Highlights 2025

Special Collections 

Our Special Collections were featured in a variety of activities that opened up our heritage to a broad and interested audience. During the ‘Heiligdomsvaart’, our curator Odin Essers guided visitors through the cultural and historical treasures in our care. We also welcomed families and young explorers during the ‘Weekend van de Wetenschap’, where we demonstrated how heritage and science come together in engaging ways. 

Through the ‘Door Erfgoed Verbonden’ fellowship, a researcher and artist-in-residence explore the Special Collections of Radboud and Maastricht Universities to create a joint artistic project inspired by their research. During ‘Open Monumentendag’, the historic Bonbonnière theatre provided a fitting stage to share the stories behind some of our most remarkable items. 

A further highlight this year was the Netwerk Digitaal Erfgoed (NDE) podcast Paulus en De Nijs op Reis, which featured UM Library and opened up our digital heritage to a wider audience. In this episode, our colleagues discuss how the library preserves, presents, and shares its digital treasures in accessible and meaningful ways. 

Our Special Collections were further showcased in two publications: an article reflecting on the ‘Hugo and the Law’ exhibition, examining themes of justice, law, and literature through items from our holdings, and also two contributions to ‘De Boekenwereld’, offering an academic perspective on book history and material heritage and Bernard Reith’s artistic legacy. 

Together, these highlights show how our Special Collections continue to connect people, heritage, and research in meaningful ways.

Research support

​This year marked an important step forward for research support at the University Library, including the launch of the Research Project Services (RPS) platform as a new one-stop shop for research-related administrative processes. Alongside this, an interview with one of our data stewards illustrated how support at UM is not about providing ready-made solutions. It is about thinking alongside researchers, asking the right questions, and offering guidance on data management plans, privacy, storage, and more. 

The growing use of central research tools is clearly reflected in the increased adoption of UM’s survey tool Qualtrics, as demonstrated by the figures in the data story. 

Our Research Computing Support (RCS) team also continued to evolve. As part of its further development, the team expanded its expertise and organised the Maastricht Computing Day and Autumn HPC School. These sessions focused on practical guidance on the computing resources available to UM researchers, as well as an introduction to high-performance computing. In an interview with one of our RCS colleagues, we explored the range of services the team offers and clarified the key terms used within research computing. 

We broadened our systematic review support from search strategy development to screening guidance, introducing new tools and modules (eligibility criteria, screening, screening with ASReview) and validating the active learning-based screening tool ASReview. In addition, Covidence, a web-based software platform that streamlines the process of systematic and scoping literature reviews, has been made available to the entire UM community. 

Together, these developments reflect our ongoing commitment to strengthening research support, improving access to expertise, and ensuring that UM researchers receive the guidance they need at every stage of their work. See the separate highlight on how Open Science also plays an important role in research support. 

Education support

The UM Library provides a range of services to support teaching and learning across the university. Teaching staff are supported with advice and practical tools for course design and the effective use of the digital learning environment. Students can make use of study spaces, subject-specific guidance and training aimed at developing academic and information skills. 

As part of this broader support, the library developed a new instructional video in 2025 to help students prepare for digital exams. To gain better insight into how the full digital exam set-up performs under peak conditions, the Digital Exam team, in collaboration with ICTS, previously carried out a large-scale simulation in the MECC using 1,800 Chromebooks. 

Another important development was the introduction of the Dexum Portal, which supports the organisation and management of digital assessments. The portal streamlines key steps in the assessment process, offers greater transparency for assessment coordinators and administrators, and contributes to a more reliable and secure digital exam environment for students.

Following the university-wide transition from Zoom to Microsoft Teams last summer, the UM Library provides support for using Teams in education. To ensure a smooth transition, the Digital Learning Environment team created an extensive Teams FAQ, based on questions submitted by UM colleagues. 

To promote the effective use of digital tools in education, the library also develops informative resources. A new Deep Dive video was created to raise awareness of Qualtrics as the university-wide tool for conducting surveys, highlighting its potential for both students and staff. 

Together, these developments underline the UM Library’s continued commitment to supporting teaching and learning at UM. See the separate highlight on how Open Science in education continues to play an important role in this support.

Open Science in research 

Over the past year, UM Library has continued to support the development of Open Science. Together with People & Development, a project was launched to explore how Open Science practices can be recognised and rewarded in general, and within researchers’ annual evaluations specifically. The aim is to provide a framework for more transparent and sustainable research practices by creating an evidence base through the research information system (CRIS) and offering training for selected staff with Recognition and Rewards responsibilities, and managers. The theme Recognition and Rewards is also featured in the interactive Open Science video series, designed to help researchers, educators, support staff, and students understand what Open Science is all about. 

The library contributed to the ‘How to flip your journal’ guide for journal editors wishing to transition to Diamond Open Access, enabling publications to be freely accessible to both authors and readers. Maastricht University also joined a national open-access agreement with PLOS, enabling researchers to publish in selected PLOS journals without paying article processing charges. Together with the library’s journal support, this facilitates wider open access to research outputs. 

Maastricht University Press, part of UM Library, has further advanced barrier-free scholarly publishing by releasing several open-access books over the past year. Discover the latest titles and more information on our Maastricht University Press page. 

Together, these activities reflect the library’s ongoing commitment to integrating Open Science principles into research, while providing practical guidance and infrastructure for researchers. 

Open Science in education ​

Open Science is increasingly recognised as a foundational principle in modern higher education, shaping how knowledge is shared, reused, and co-created. Within the national GO OPEN campaign—part of the broader OpenUP initiative—educators are encouraged not only to share their own Open Educational Resources (OER) but also to adapt and build upon existing materials, thereby fostering a sustainable culture of collaboration and continuous educational improvement. 

The awarding of a national grant under the Npuls Get Connected scheme reinforced Maastricht University’s commitment to this agenda. This funding supports the further development of the institution’s OER infrastructure, including the implementation of an AI-driven “SmartOER tool” designed to increase the discoverability and reuse of open resources, as well as a “ShareControl Pilot” aimed at improving metadata quality and responsible sharing practices. 

A pilot at the Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE) explored how open education and digital literacy could be integrated into the BKO/UTQ, with most changes consisting of small text edits and no extra workload. The next step is to work with other faculties to adapt their BKO/UTQ and CPD routes in the same way. 

Citizen Science 

UM Library is strengthening its commitment to Citizen Science, both locally and nationally. As a participant in the Citizen Science Hub De BRUG, the library collaborates with other hubs to support Citizen Science initiatives and make research more accessible to the public. Building on this engagement, the library will also, for the first time, develop its own Citizen Science activities, offering members of the public opportunities to contribute directly to research. 

At the end of last year, the library hosted the Citizen Science Matchmaking Event at Theater aan het Vrijthof, connecting researchers and citizens across Limburg. The event combined a science fair with a ‘speed-dating’ format, allowing participants to explore ongoing projects, engage in hands-on activities, and build connections with local researchers. The after movie captures the event’s highlights and vibrant atmosphere. 

These initiatives reflect the library’s broader commitment to Open Science and participatory research. By combining national collaboration, public engagement, and in-house Citizen Science projects, the library fosters scientific literacy, trust, and active involvement in research. 

Information services 

Our colleagues from the Information Services team are the face of UM Library, welcoming students, employees, researchers and other visitors on our library locations and helping them navigate our facilities, resources and services. They secure the first line of information services on site as well as online and process lending request and (inter) library loan. Together with our student assistants, they join forces to make every visitor feel supported and at home. 

To give an insight into their daily work, we’ve created a video following one of our team members throughout the day. The video showcases the wide range of tasks they handle, from answering questions at the information desk to helping students find the right materials for their research and study needs. 

Team Information Services combines expertise, approachability, and dedication to create a welcoming environment on location. They are often the first point of contact for visitors, helping them make the most of the library’s services and collections. Whether it’s guiding someone to the right study space, demonstrating how to access digital resources, or providing advice on research tools, our colleagues are committed to supporting the academic community at every step. 

Digital information literacy and AI 

In 2025, Maastricht University advanced a coherent Digital Literacy Vision for Educators, positioning digital competence as a core element of high-quality, future-oriented education. The vision articulates how educators are supported to design, deliver and assess education in a digital society—grounded in UM’s educational principles, academic integrity, and responsible innovation.

Our Digital Literacy Team helps students and teachers develop the skills needed to navigate an increasingly digital and AI-driven world. During the Month of Digital Fitness, the team published a series of blogs, exploring topics from library technology through the years to practical tips on digital literacy. One notable blog is the “Throwback Tech” post, which offers a fascinating look at how library technology has evolved.

In addition, the AI Prompt Library has found a new home on the University Library website. This resource provides carefully curated prompt templates to help users craft effective instructions for generative AI tools, supporting learning, writing, and research. The library now manages and expands the collection, ensuring it remains a valuable tool for the UM community.

The team also organises a variety of digital literacy workshops, giving participants hands-on experience with digital tools and GenAI technologies for students and teachers. This year, we launched our AI for Higher Education: Train-the-Trainer workshops. Participants learn to support colleagues across their faculties by raising AI awareness, sharing practical strategies, and developing AI-informed teaching materials. With the rapid developments in this field, we must continue to evolve our offering of digital literacy workshops and lectures. We have therefore updated and expanded our digital literacy offer accordingly.

Together, these initiatives reflect the library’s ongoing efforts to equip the UM community with the skills and confidence to engage critically and effectively with digital information.

Learning Spaces including Digital Labs 

Behind the scenes at the UM Library, our Building Management Team works hard to ensure that our Learning Spaces are safe, welcoming, and well-maintained. In our video, we follow this team to show how they support the comfort and safety of students and staff on a daily basis. 

Our Digital Labs continue to evolve as a hub for innovative projects. Communication and Multimedia Design (CMD) students of Zuyd University conducted research into the possibilities Virtual Reality (VR) and Extended Reality (XR) offer for promoting student wellbeing. They designed experiences for UM students and staff using the library’s media facilities. We’ve captured their work and reflections in an aftermovie, highlighting their ideas and approach. In late 2025, significant efforts were already underway to realise XR spaces.

Several VR pilot sessions have taken place, allowing us to explore how users experience these services. Based on these insights, plans are being developed to create new VR spaces at both of our main library locations, expanding opportunities for interactive learning and wellbeing initiatives. 

Usage figures show that the Digital Labs are intensively used, highlighting how both the Learning Spaces and Digital Labs are central to the university’s mission, supporting diverse study and working styles while fostering collaboration, innovation, and independent learning.

Linked Open Data 

In 2025, we further refined our Digital Collections website (Omeka-S) by adding new collections such as the UM Photo Project and by  enriching the metadata of existing ones. With improved search and faceted browsing, and metadata increasingly linked to authority sources like Wikidata and GeoNames, these collections  fall under the Linked Open Data (LOD) umbrella: they are RDF-native by design, structured as Linked Data, and link-ready even if external connections are still in preparation.  

First steps in interoperability:  Rather than pursuing large-scale interoperability, 2025 focused on small, exploratory trials. We experimented with the free version of GraphDB and built internal expertise on how SPARQL endpoints can be used to connect our data. The flagship project in this area is Open Topstukken, which demonstrates cross-university collaboration and marks the first ETL pipeline into Wikidata.  

LOD in research:  In parallel, we are connecting with frontrunner researchers. Together with Radboud University, this resulted in a cross-university steering committee on Linked Data & Interoperability in research, steering future literacy initiatives, community building, and service development.