Your new library: a very brief introduction

Need a helping hand getting through the door?

Many people find the University Library a little offputting. Perhaps it is the sheer scale of the building compared with the broom cupboard type libraries most students are used to at school or college and the great high ceiling of the Atrium reaching all the way up to the roof can overwhelm many a new student. If you find coming through the doors to be more than you can handle, you are not alone. Facing your fears helps make you more courageous and capable going forward but there is no reason you should have to face them alone! Drop the library an email or chat to us online and let us know you need someone to meet you outside and let you in, and we can arrange for a friendly member of library staff to meet you and show you around. Trust me – once you have seen the inside of the Library once and overcome your shyness, you will find it quickly becomes a very familiar place.

Finding printed books and ebooks

The Library offers a huge range of printed books for your subject but we also buy electronic versions of all required reading, wherever an ebook is available, so you can read on the move or from home if you prefer. Your reading lists will link to all the reading you need, either linking directly to eresources or telling you how many printed copies we have in stock and where you can find them. Once you have the classmark (also called the shelfmark or call) number for a book, you can look up exactly where to find it using our printed book finder tool (found on the Library website under Using resources > Books and ebooks > Printed book locations).

If you need any help or advice logging into electronic resources, please chat with a librarian in person or online (more on that later!).

If you prefer, you can reserve printed books in advance, and we will leave them for you to collect from the Atrium.

Computers galore

The Library is the largest open access computer suite on campus, with over 1000 desktop computers and docking stations where you can connect your own device and still enjoy a large desktop monitor, keyboard and mouse and over 400 full-size, high power loanable laptops that you can borrow and use anywhere in the Library building. You can also connect your own device to our high speed Eduroam WiFi network and plug in to charge it. Power sockets are under the tables on the ground floor and in the floor and walls on the upper floors.

Scanning and printing

You can scan, photocopy and print anything you need in the Library, including large format posters up to 2A0 size. IT Helpers are on hand to help solve any computing and IT challenges you might face.

Accessible computers and more

We have a small cluster of accessible PCs with adjustable height desks, ergonomic computer chairs, and additional accessibility software including screen magnifiers and alternative computer mice. These can be booked up to two weeks in advance. Please ask a librarian in person or online if you want to know more about this service.

We can loan out other ergonomic supports and equipment to anyone with a physical disability or injury. For anyone with a visual or print impairment, including dyslexia, we can offer accessible scans of printed materials and alternative formats through the RNIB Bookshare scheme. Please contact the Library and ASDAC as early as possible if you suspect you might have additional visual or learning needs that we can support. The earlier you tell us you might need a little extra help, the sooner we can ensure all the support you need is in place.

Library staff are here to help

As you might have begun to realise, library staff are here to help you. You can chat with a real live librarian (never an AI bot!) 24/7 online, email us and we will respond very quickly if someone is in the office, or stop by the Library Help Desk (near Reception) and chat with a librarian in person – great for eresource and software demonstrations and showing someone your work.

The other place you can find lots of great advice is your subject page. Under “Subjects” on the library website, find your subject area. Your subject page will walk you through finding everything for your assignments, from the first steps to referencing tips. Online chat is brilliant for getting referencing advice as well because you can share a link to those things you want to reference and a library referencing expert can point you to the specific advice to cite and reference it correctly.

If you have any questions I’ve not answered here, please chat to us online or in person and we will be delighted to answer them.

See you soon!