Thanks for telling us how unfair you think it is when students try to reserve study space by leaving their belongings behind. From Monday 18 April, we are cracking down. Look out for our cards – but we need your help too!

Need study space? Move stuff after an hour!

Have you ever been looking for somewhere to work, seen empty seats, but been put off by unattended property there? You don’t know whether someone has just stepped away for a moment, or deliberately left stuff there during a long lunch, a whole afternoon or even overnight…. No longer!

During the exam revision period, Library staff will place cards on unattended property, noting the time. If the owner does not return within one hour, you are entitled to occupy the study space yourself, carefully putting items to one side for the owner to collect later.

Library staff will support your need for space, so just tell us if the returning student complains.

Don’t leave your stuff beyond an hour

Although you should always keep valuables with you, it’s OK to leave your things on your desk whilst you fetch a book or visit the toilet for instance. However leaving belongings at a study space beyond one hour is unacceptable and deprives others. Leaving things overnight is particularly underhand.

Between midnight and 08:00, staff will remove property left unattended for more than an hour to ‘lost property’ at Library Reception. If not claimed, the next morning it will be taken to Palmer Reception, the centre for all lost property in the University  which is open during exam-time Monday to Friday,  13:00-14:00 only (although other times, 10:00-14:00).

Rachel Redrup, Marketing Co-ordinator for Sue Egleton, Head of Systems and User Services.