University of Queensland researchers have launched a digital library that focuses the mine closure conversation on people.
The library is the first of nine research projects to be delivered under the Social Aspects of Mine Closure Consortium, an industry-university collaboration between UQ’s Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI) and six mining companies.
The consortium, hosted by SMI’s Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining (CSRM), was established to conduct research that challenges accepted industry norms and practices.
Dr Sandy Worden, a CSRM researcher, says the library is an important first step in profiling the social dimensions of mine closure, an under-resourced field of practice.
At its core the work is about equipping stakeholders with the latest research and thinking. To accomplish that, the library had to be more than just a private server or physical catalogue; it had to be accessible to everyone,” she said.
“When you visit the library, you have the opportunity to read through more than 220 items, including the most recent papers and journal articles, which represent the latest thinking in the space.
“The library is not something that we have just ‘ticked-off’ the list as completed; it’s going to be regularly updated with the latest data, policies and theory coming out of academia and industry.”
Dr Worden said CSRM was committed to working with its industry partners to drive the integration of social dimensions into mine lifecycle transformation in the transition towards closure and beyond.
BHP, Rio Tinto, Anglo American, Newcrest Mining Limited, Newmont Goldcorp and OceanaGold are partners in the consortium and are investing in a number of projects led by CSRM researchers, which can be viewed at www.mineclosure.net
