This FAQ offers the answers (as far as possible) to the most frequently asked questions concerning research issues during the corona-crisis. The list will be updated continuously. 

How can I:

• search for/find literature in the digital library?
• publish?
• check authenticity?
• use PubMed?
• distribute questionnaires?
• share files with fellow researchers?
• collaborate online with fellow researchers?
• generate publication overviews or improve my online impact?
• verify my identity on the internet and with publishers using an ORCID?

This information (and more) is available in the University Library’s researcher portal.

Where can I find support for processing or storing research data?
Al relevant information for UM as a whole and pertaining to its various supporting units (DataHub, IDS, UL, MEMIC, ICTS) can be found in the RDM portal: 

Where can I find support for specific, decentralised research support and IT services?
Please contact the local providers.

How can I reach the databases, E-books and E-journals of the digital library (https://library.maastrichtuniversity.nl/​) from home?

• by clicking on the links in the Online Library
• by using the Library access browser extension https://library.maastrichtuniversity.nl/services/library-access-browser-extension/​.

Also see:  https://library.maastrichtuniversity.nl/services/remote-access/.

I have a different question.
For general questions not covered above, researchers are advised to contact the University Library support team.

The University Library (UB) received feedback from lecturers and staff that quite a few students suffer from loneliness. They miss the social contacts during physical education and studying together in the University Library. As a result, they do not feel good about themselves, which does not help their study motivation. In order to offer students some support, the University Library has therefore decided to create an attractive, hospitable and easily accessible virtual library location with a library look & feel, where you can study together online. Heidi Blezer (UB) is project manager of the Study2gether Online project: “We have added the Virtual Library to our offer of library locations. In January 2022, we will see if we want to continue the project, also after times of corona. If so, we can experiment with the expansion of spaces and functions. The Virtual Library fits in very well with the concept of permanently changing education, of which studying at home will probably become a fixed element. How great is it that you can then visit the library live, online on your screen.”

Blezer: "We have elaborated the idea to offer a nice, motivating and inspiring online environment where you can study well concentrated and meet each other. This is mainly intended to support students in studying at home, which is increasingly becoming the new normal. Even though you are at home, you can still see your fellow students, just like in a real library. Under the guidance of a host you can, for example, follow a study rhythm of 50 minutes study and 10 minutes break. You can share study tips and drink virtual coffee. If there is a down moment, the host can keep the spirits up or take someone aside. We absolutely want to make sure that we offer something that our students really click with, benefit from and enjoy, conceived as much as possible from their familiar UB world.

It is important that the Virtual Library becomes better known as a library location. We have added the Virtual Library to the flyer about our library locations. You can see it as an innovation that is still in at an early stage and that now hopefully will be found by our students during the corona crisis.  At the Virtual Library you are very much invited to give feedback! Only that way can we improve the environment and adjust it to the needs of our students. During the pilot, there were regular visitors, but we strive for more familiarity with this option.”

The Virtual Library is the place to meet each other virtually (safely and comfortably) and to study together, collaborate, take breaks and play games together. The Virtual Library is freely accessible to everyone with a UM account. When you log in for the first time, you will see a short introduction. After that, you enter the Virtual Library.

Rachelle van Andel is a university chaplain at the InnBetween, a place created for and by students where vulnerability and resilience are practiced. A place where together you eat, study, relax, play, and of course, meet people. An open-minded community that brings people from different backgrounds together, also during the lockdown. ‘We offer students professional counselling with the two chaplains, but also opportunities to mean something to one another. In doing so, we are building a community that students are a part of - and responsible for. Being part of a community and feeling at home somewhere is very important for the mental health of students.’

Stas Witkowska

“Beginning of December, I decided not to visit my parents in Poland due to the pandemic. A quick interview among students made us realize there were more people around who would spend the Winter Holidays in Maastricht. We immediately concluded it would be important to create a space where we could allow people to connect with others during this special time.

And it turned out a success: about 100 students joined us at various events during the holidays. Of course, the Cosy Walk-Ins had specific security requirements, but our doors were open for two hours almost every day. During one hour, we could host a maximum of five people and registration was required. Probably not a day came when someone would not visit us for a coffee or cookies. The online events had full seats each and every time. Participants were very open about the importance of these gatherings are to them and how much they appreciated being able to leave the house, even for one hour, or meet others at Zoom.

At The InnBetween we continue to organize as many events as we can, of course online for now. We do our best to stay in touch with our community and reach out to new people to provide them the space where they are supported, and do not feel alone. It is a challenge to connect with people through Zoom, and we are spending a lot of time trying to come up with ideas that could help all of us be more engaged, present and connected with one another.

I would advise all students to reach out. It may seem scary, or you may not want to bother anyone. But you are worthy of attention, love and support. You're not the only one with your thoughts at all, and as recent weeks have shown, each of us faces the same thoughts, demons, and loneliness. And each of us needs the same: company and warmth. We are all more or less literally in the same situation, and we don't need to isolate ourselves further from each other. You're not alone. So ask for help or join some community. UM offers a wide variety of free psychological help, and you can also sign up for counselling at InnBetween.”

Iida-Maria Juutinen

“I arrived in Maastricht in January 2021, as an exchange student from Finland to take courses of Health Sciences at UM. Even though I arrived here in the middle of the pandemic and its restrictions, I have never regretted the decision to travel here.

Without knowing what to expect, I joined an online workshop at The InnBetween called ‘(In) Readiness for Resistance’.  We learned several techniques to relax and calm down, to let go of emotions such as anxiety and fear, and to feel connected not only to ourselves, but also to others around us. Even if we were physically distant, we felt close and connected, sharing our feelings in a safe, loving and caring environment.

For me, The InnBetween has provided an open community, where I feel welcomed, respected and cared for. It has helped me to feel home here in Maastricht. One of the most important experiences has been that even in moments of despair, when it might feel like  the pandemic will never end, I've felt that I am not alone, but part of this loving community, which faces these difficult times together. And I believe, together we can also make through this."
 

Text: Margot Krijnen 

Are you between 12 and 25 years old and having trouble dealing with something? Heartbreak, problems with school or university, loneliness or depression? Whatever it is, @ease provides free and accessible psychological support. You can speak with young volunteers, completely anonymously, at the @ease location or via chat. You will not be asked for your name, your background, your education or your age; no file will be created. The volunteers you speak to are all thoroughly trained and coached. And there is always a team of mental healthcare professionals present. Advice from @ease: are you worried about something or is something bothering you? You can't talk to friends about it? Don't wait, get in touch with us. You'll see that you're definitely not the only one with your problem or question. Talking helps.

The @ease foundation is an initiative of Prof. Dr. Thérèse van Amelsvoort (full professor of transition psychiatry at Maastricht UMC+) and Dr. Rianne Klaassen (child and adolescent psychiatrist at Levvel (formerly De Bascule) in Amsterdam. @ease was created with the help of Maastricht UMC+, VUmc, and various healthcare and welfare institutions and local municipalities, among others. Working hours of professionals from different fields are donated by the cooperation partners in order to make @ease possible.

@ease finds it important to be well connected to what young people want. That is why academic research is part of @ease. Sophie Leijdesdorff is a psychologist, PhD candidate at Maastricht University and dedicated researcher at @ease. In this vlog, she will tell you more about it. She recently published an academic article on her first findings. You can read this article here: Full article: Burden of mental health problems: quality of life and cost-of-illness in youth consulting Dutch walk-in youth health centres (tandfonline.com). On 9 April, she will defend her dissertation at Maastricht University.
 

Text: Margot Krijnen

In June 2020, the organisation Caring Universities distributed a questionnaire to all students from four universities (VU Amsterdam, Leiden University, Utrecht University and UM) to gauge their mental health and to offer them tools to work on their own mental wellbeing. In January 2021, the questionnaire was sent again; this time to all the students who had not responded last year and to all new first-year students. The questionnaire also addressed the theme of loneliness. Maastricht University’s approximately 1800 responses yielded the following results: in 2020, 32.7%  of those who responded indicated they were lonely often to very often; in 2021, it was 36.7%, more than 1 in 3 students and an increase of 10%. Additionally, 27.3% of those who reported loneliness described their feelings as serious to very serious in both questionnaires.

Together with her colleagues, Liesbeth Mouha, Student Wellbeing Project Leader and Wellbeing Movement Coordinator at UM, expected a large influx of students seeking help at the onset of the corona crisis. This didn’t materialise: ‘What we have noticed is that the issues that students had before the pandemic have been amplified. If they were lonely, they are even more so now. If they already had symptoms of depression or feelings of anxiety, now they are even worse.’

These are difficult times for our social lives. This also applies to our students, who imagined life in another city, or even another country, so differently. Sitting alone in a room and partly studying online can lead to loneliness and, in the long run, even gloom and anxiety. In this collection of stories, we want to encourage our students with advice, a listening ear and activities that are indeed still possible.  The stories are also interesting for non-students, because they give insight in the world of our young people.

Read below the interview with psychiatrist Suzanne van Bronswijk or click through to initiatives against loneliness from: The Wellbeing Movement, @ease, The Innbetween, and the University Library.

Many of us suffer from it during these difficult times, loneliness. We can't see our friends and family as often as we would like; tutorials, lectures and work are almost entirely online, group exercise and team sports are banned and a beer in the pub isn’t possible. Basically, we miss our normal social interaction. But what exactly is loneliness, and more importantly, what can we do about it? Suzanne van Bronswijk, psychiatrist at MUMC+ and assistant professor at FPN, can tell us something about it: ‘Loneliness is a subjective experience. Even if those around you see you as a social person with many friends, you can still feel lonely. It is often not about the number of friends you have, but about the quality of your social relationships. You're lonely when you feel you're lonely. It’s not something anyone else can decide for you.’

Recent studies, including from Caring Universities, show that loneliness, depression and anxiety among young people have increased during the pandemic. Suzanne van Bronswijk also hears this in conversations with her students: ‘Fortunately, contact with students via Zoom can be done well. Students are often very open and aren’t afraid to be vulnerable online. In teaching sessions, I regularly ask the whole group about their experiences nowadays. We all have to give up something and deal with the consequences. How do they experience that? Sometimes I hear that they are less motivated and suffer from feelings of depression and anxiety. At the end of an online teaching session, I often stay online for students who want to talk a bit longer. Sometimes only for five minutes, but it's enough; and students regularly take advantage of the opportunity. If a student is absent from an online session, I send a personal email: You weren't there today, why not? Will you be there next time? This is a way I can stay engaged with them, even in this difficult time when I can't meet them in person.’

There are several risk factors which can be identified, and often there is a combination of these factors. A few examples: 

• A limited social network
  Good social contacts reduce loneliness. But remember the more contacts the better does not apply to loneliness. If you have good contact with just four or five people, that probably can help protect you from loneliness.
• An important social relationship has been lost
  You lost your partner, one of your parents died, or you moved to a new city to study and left your old life behind. Such experiences can increase the likelihood of loneliness.
• Personal characteristics
  You don’t have strong social skills, you have a negative self-image and low self-confidence, or you experience feelings of social anxiety and are very shy.

There are various methods to combat loneliness. One is to improve a person’s social skills. Other ways are to increase people’s social networks and provide opportunities for social interaction, for example by organising events. There are also techniques are aimed at combating unhelpful thoughts. What are those? Van Bronswijk:  ‘Unhelpful thoughts are related to social situations. When you have unhelpful thoughts, you often see the social world as threatening and you have a more negative view of others. These negative expectations cause you to behave more negatively towards others. As a result, you inadvertently push away the others you so badly need. This will eventually make you see yourself as a victim of your social life, rather than an active player in social interaction. You then find yourself in a negative circle that is hard to break out of. For example, unhelpful thoughts about others can be triggered by seeing bad things on the news or when you can't get a hold of a friend. Examples of negative thoughts about others are: people cannot be trusted, everyone always abandons me, or they are always together and I am always alone. Try to use positive thoughts to counteract negative ones, limit contact with things that trigger negative thinking. If you have trouble doing that on your own, talk to someone.’

Do you feel lonely? Then Suzanne van Bronswijk has some advice for you: “Take your feelings seriously and try the following:

• Think about what loneliness means to you: is it about the number of social contacts in your life or their quality? Is it about having a partner or not belonging to a group?
• Create a schedule for yourself in which you plan activities that make you feel good and are meaningful. Make sure you plan at least one of these activities every day.
• Examine your unhelpful thoughts about your social world. If you notice that the news reinforces your negative outlook, make sure you don't watch/read the news all the time. Try not to make negative assumptions about others. Are you having trouble managing unhelpful thoughts on your own? Then go talk to a psychologist. They can help you get out of a negative spiral.
• Don’t hesitate to ask for help if you notice that loneliness turns into psychological symptoms, such as depression and anxiety.

The student psychologists have a lot of experience with these problems and can definitely help you. They are also readily accessible online. Don't hesitate to talk with someone. If you feel your symptoms are getting worse, don’t just think they’ll go away on their own. Everyone needs a listening ear from time to time, and especially during this difficult time.
 

Text: Margot Krijnen

Want to read more about loneliness? Or looking for tips and advice on how to tackle loneliness? Here you can read more about (social) activities that are still possible or find initiatives that can offer a listening ear.

Much to our sadness we learned that last weekend our former colleague Hans van Mierlo passed away unexpectedly at the age of 67. From 1987 until his retirement in 2020, Hans was a member of the Department of Microeconomics and Public Economics - previously the Department of Economics - at the UM School of Business and Economics. The highpoint of his career was his appointment as a full professor of Public Finance in 2000, which he felt to be a great honour.

Teaching was his number one passion. He stood at the cradle of the bachelor's and master's programmes in Fiscal Economics, and for decades he was the person most strongly identified with them. The door of his office was always open, in particular to students, who much appreciated him. His archive was so large though, that it could be hard to spot him amidst the stacks of books, journals and theses in his office.

Apart from his teaching, he actively contributed to the various administrative duties within the faculty. As chair of the Board of Examiners and of the Programme Committees in Fiscal Economics and Fiscal Law, his contribution was always meticulous and conscientious. The same was true regarding his work on many other, larger and smaller, committees. He truly enjoyed his work and no one ever called upon him in vain. Hans knew everyone, and everyone knew Hans. This was true not only within SBE, but also within UM as a whole. Even before interdisciplinarity became a thing, Hans enthusiastically collaborated with political scientists, sociologists and legal scholars.

Outside the university he was a passionate contributor to regional and national debates on government organisation and functioning. As an expert in Public Finance and Public Administration, he contributed to various Eastern Europe missions of the EU and the World Bank, in the wake of the Fall of the Berlin Wall.

Hans was a high-spirited, inspired and engaged man, with a positive mindset. He had a sincere interest in the people around him, always asking how they were doing. He was a people person. Hans had joie de vivre as well; he liked drinking a nice glass of wine and smoking a big cigar and, above all, having a good conversation. If his temper would lead to a clash occasionally, his enthusiasm and cooperative stance ensured that no one was angry at him for long.

The stroke he suffered in 2006 was no reason for him to slow down. Hans did his utmost to return to work fully and he succeeded, even though health problems continued to bother him in recent years. Only several months ago he retired from his position at our university, but he did so reluctantly and not until he was promised the opportunity to give a farewell lecture followed by a party, scheduled for July 2021. Regrettably, we now know that is not going to happen. With his passing, we have lost a unique, involved and warm colleague. He has meant a lot to our university, his colleagues and his students. Throughout his academic life he was devoted to knowledge and sharing it with others.

The School of Business and Economics and UM owe Hans for all the work he did for our faculty. We wish his wife and family all the strength they need to go on without him.

Contact details:
Uitvaartzorg Hans Raaijmakers
t.a.v. familie Van Mierlo
Emopad 56, 5663 PB Geldrop

You can pay your last respects to Hans on Friday 29 January between 15.00 and 16.00 in funeral home Hans Raaijmakers, Emopad 56, Geldrop.

The Eucharistic celebration will take place privately on Saturday 30 January at 10.30 in the H. Brigidachurch in Geldrop. You can follow it online via www.memori.nl/hans-van-mierlo. You can also post your condolences or favourite memories of Hans here.

Maastricht University (UM) would have loved to celebrate its 45th anniversary with a traditional Dies Natalis celebration on 29 January 2021, at the St. Janskerk. Due to the extended lockdown, these plans had to be drastically changed.

The awarding of the honorary doctorate to prof. dr. Jaap van Dissel, as well as all other honours and awards, were moved to the Opening Academic Year, on Monday 30 August 2021. Instead, Rector Magnificus Rianne Letschert addressed the entire UM community on 29 January.