The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Libraries is helping local non-profit organizations gain access to the latest research. At a half-day event in the John C. Hodges Library, East Tennessee non-profits will receive research assistance and access to peer-reviewed journals. Participating non-profits were selected by lottery. The participants include a dozen United Way and Community Shares member agencies.

Peer-reviewed journals publish the most authoritative research and scholarship. However, access to articles in those journals typically requires costly subscriptions or high per-article fees. That paywall can be a significant barrier to accessing the latest and most reliable information – especially for non-profit agencies trying to fund community services.

The UT Libraries subscribes to thousands of databases that give university faculty and students entrée to this scholarly literature. On July 29, the library will provide open access to the scholarly literature and share the research expertise of its librarians with these local non-profit agencies: Appalachian Community Fund, CASA of East Tennessee, Centro Hispano of East Tennessee, Community Shares, Disability Resource Center, Knoxville Area Urban League, Knoxville-Knox County Community Action Committee Office on Aging, Metro Drug Coalition, The Salvation Army, United Way, Volunteer Ministry Center, and YWCA Knoxville.

For more information, contact Rachel Caldwell, Scholarly Communication Librarian, UT Libraries (rachelcaldwell@utk.edu or 865-974-6107).