Harper in Times Higher Education Awards finals

Posted 23 September 2010

Harper Adams has today been revealed as one of the finalists in the Times Higher Education Awards 2010 for its ‘OpenFields’ initiative.

The hard work put into creating the library that supports research, technology transfer and open learning for the land-based industries, has earned the University College a place on the shortlist in the ‘Outstanding ICT Initiative of the Year category’.

The winner will be revealed during an awards ceremony on November 25 at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London.

Harper Adams Principal, Dr David Llewellyn, said: “We are delighted to be featuring in the final of the prestigious Times Higher Education Awards for OpenFields.

“To be shortlisted is recognition in itself, considering that the Awards received more than 500 entries from more than 120 HE institutions.”

In its first operational year, www.openfields.org.uk sourced more than 2000 quality assured items from 30 organisations and unlike a physical library, it is interactive, making advanced use of Web 2 technologies. Items include research papers, open learning materials and ‘technical and business information.’

OpenFields Chairman, Eric Howell, said: “There is no tradition of Open Access publishing of research for the land-based industries, so we have drawn on the excellent models available for the medical professions, such as PubMedCentral and the Cochrane Library. 

“We feel that the science-based challenges of food security, climate change and sustainable development deserve similar open-access support and it is fantastic that we have now been recognised for our efforts.”

Although OpenFields is led by Harper Adams University College, contributions are welcomed from any organisations supplying authoritative materials which are of help to the landbased industries.

This short-listing follows similar success in May 2010, when Harper reached the finals of the Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Award in the ‘Outstanding Admissions Team’ category.