Open Science NL has awarded five grants of €400,000 each to expand citizen science hubs across Dutch research institutions. These hubs aim to professionalise citizen science by strengthening knowledge exchange, improving support systems, and encouraging public participation in scientific research.
As of 14 July 2025, EBSCOhost, the platform used by Maastricht University (UM) researchers and students to access multiplelicensed databases, will introduce a redesigned interface. This update brings new features including personalised dashboards and new ways to share and save resources.
We are proud to announce that our Open Science in Education team has been awarded funding under the national Get Connected scheme by Npuls. This initiative supports educational institutions in the Netherlands in implementing and adopting digital sector services to foster accessible, agile, and future-proof education.
The University Library is in the process of transforming its multimedia facilities into Digital Labs. The Digital Labs are living, collaborative spaces that foster digital literacy and equitable access to technology for students, teachers, and researchers, reinforcing the Library’s role in supporting their digital academic goals.
At the end of June, we concluded our Talking about Books series, in which enthusiastic readers and authors promoted their favourite books. To mark the end of the series, we have created a special compilation video. In this short reflection, we look back on some memorable moments and extend our sincere thanks to everyone who contributed to Talking about Books.
Watch the special compilation of the series in the video below.
Working towards the academic library of the future
The Digital Exam team at the UM Library, part of the Education, Content & Support department, is continually improving the digital examination service. At the different exam locations, they work closely with ICTS colleagues. Each team is responsible foran essential contribution.The Digital Exam team manages, among otherthings, the digital examination software TestVision, the Network team ensures Exam Wi-Fi, and the Digital Workplace team manages the laptops for students.
During the last major exam week of the previous academic year, the teams took an important step towards optimisingthe digital examination service. With up to 1,800 students taking a digital exam simultaneously, disruptions can occur, but pinpointing the cause within the chain is not always straightforward.To localisepossible disruptions after major IT updates, the teams created a large-scale exam simulation using 1,800 laptops to replicate real conditions in the MECC west hall, allowing us to test our maximum on-site testingcapacity. The simulation provided valuable insights, leading to concrete improvements that are now being implemented, for instance the repositioning of a Wi-Fi access point.
Watch the video below (sound on) for an impression of the simulation.
Did you know...
... that the University Library provides two dedicated pages to support both staff and students as the academic year begins?
For students: Study information, an overview of study places, borrowing materials, digital service and support for developing academic skills. Please feel free to share this link withyourstudentssotheyknowwheretofindreliableand practical information.
For staff: Teaching support, information on course materials, digital resources and how the library can assist in embedding information literacy and skills training in your curriculum.
By sharing these resources, you ensure students andcolleagues start the year off right.
