We are always looking for new ways to make learning more fun and interesting. To that end, one of our resident sci-fi enthusiasts has pulled together a reading list of science fiction books we have in stock that were all written by People of the Global Majority.

Celebrate World Book Day by going on a blind date with a book. All this week in the Library, you can borrow up one of our specially wrapped hand-picked books from the trolley in the Atrium and discover something you might not otherwise have ever read. Where might your date take you?

Anyone can injure themselves and find it difficult to carry books around, and while we make as many books available electronically as possible, a few books remain only available in print, while some people prefer to read from printed books, particularly when they study for extended periods. Often, academic books tend to be the sort of heavy book with which you can prop open a door or build a small bunker.

Happily, between our postal loans, wheeled book trolleys, and click and collect service, both our print and electronic books are easily available to everyone.

One reason ebooks are so popular is that they are always available but since print books renew themselves automatically once borrowed, if you want a print book that is on loan to someone else, you really want to reserve it! 

All books you or anyone else borrow are renewed automatically until someone else reserves them. As soon as you reserve a copy using the Library Catalogue, we will email the person with the book due soonest and ask them to bring it back within one week.  Once they bring it back, we will email you to let you know it is on the reservation shelves in the Atrium, waiting for you to collect.  Since the Library is open 24/7 and you can borrow books online, this means you can collect books 24/7.

We’re bringing back our ever popular referencing drop-ins! We answer referencing questions by email, online chat, face to face at the Library skills drop-in and you can even book appointments to sit down with a a librarian and a long list of referencing questions. Yet, what we’ve found, year in and year out, is that we see more of you when we pop up in another part of the Library than we ever get to come to us.

Whether it is the colourful banner, the smiling librarians in plain view, or the sight of so many other people stopping by to offload their referencing woes and come away feeling better, we’re not sure. What we do know is that you like them, so we’re popping up again next week! Look out for our stand in the Library Atrium from 11 am – 3 pm between 13 – 24 November.

There are many free downloads for the Google Chrome web browser. Some of the plug-ins and extensions available from the Chrome Web Store render the web easier to read and understand, particularly if you struggle with large blocks of text or distracting side bar images.

Libraries are for everyone. That’s why we make the extra effort to remove any potential barriers that might otherwise make it more difficult for you to use library products and services. We have introduced everything from book baskets to postal loans, and scanning to our click and collect service, all to make your life easier. Here is a potted overview of some of the ways we work to make your life easier.