The summer vacation is finally here! From Saturday 10 June until Friday 15 September, the Library Building and URS Building will be operating summer vacation opening hours. Wherever you are this summer, there are still a number of Library services and resources available.

Out-of-hours virtual enquiry service

During staffed service hours, you can contact UoR Library staff to help with your enquiries. But what about when the Library and URS Buildings are closed (evenings and weekends over the summer vacation)? During these times, you can chat online via the blue ‘Virtual Enquiry Service’ box on the Library webpage.

This service is staffed by professional librarians working remotely to answer your queries from our website and other information we’ve supplied.  You can keep an email transcript of the chat. If they can’t resolve a particular issue they’ll refer you back to us during staffed hours.

Going away this summer?

If you are travelling further afield this summer, there is still a wealth of information available right at your fingertips. Check out our tips for searching and accessing a wide variety of e-resources from off-campus.

Don’t forget, summer vacation loans also give undergraduate and taught postgraduate students the opportunity to borrow standard loan item all summer! You may even be able to borrow from a university library nearer to you by registering with the SCONUL Access Scheme.

Lucy Shott, Library User Services

From Thursday 1 June to Tuesday 5 September the standard loan period for undergraduate and taught postgraduate students is extended until Tuesday 26 September or until the end of your course, whichever is earlier. Standard loan periods for other Library borrowers remain unchanged.

All other loan periods and fines for late return remain the same! So please take care when borrowing 7-day loans, Course Collection items and journals. Make sure you check your University account regularly for due dates.

Remember

• Standard loans – yours all summer if you are an undergraduate or Masters student!
• 7-day loans – remain the same so keep renewing! If an item cannot be renewed or is recalled, be prepared to post it back to us.
• Course Collection items and journals – remain the same so keep checking your account!
• Fines – pay online via the Campus Card Portal or call us.

Lucy Shott, Library User Services

It will soon be time to close one account… and maybe open another?

Settle up before you go!

If you are graduating this summer then please don’t forget to return your loans and clear your account before you go. If you have any outstanding fines or bills you can pay online via the Campus Card Portal or at the Ground Floor Information Desk now situated in the URS Building.

Before you leave don’t forget to return:

• Standard loan, 7-day loan and journal items to the Library Building
• Course Collection items to the URS Building

Money left on your card?

Save the pennies and avoid having any leftover money on your Campus Card at the end of your course. When you top-up your card via the Campus Card Portal there is now no minimum amount you have to spend. This means you can top-up exactly what you need to see you through to the end of term!

Membership after you graduate

If you are interested in borrowing from the University Library after you graduate, annual Library membership is half-price at £45! Alternatively, if you are beginning a new course at UoR next session you can apply for membership over the summer for a reduced charge of £20. Registrations for membership can be made at the Ground Floor Information Desk in the URS Building.

Lucy Shott, Library User Services

Revising this Easter vacation? It’s not all bad! The Library makes getting those crucial textbooks even easier for you. It will be ‘business as usual’ with all loan periods remaining the same in vacation as all term.

So keep checking your account and renewing your loans unless or until someone else recalls them. If your loans are recalled, we’ll email you! You can return items at the Library or you can even post them back to us.

This also means you can still place holds on books on loan in vacation. The threat of fines on non-returned books should help Library users return them for you!

Extra time for closure days!

We know the short Easter break also spans public holidays and the Easter University Closure (Wednesday 12 April to Monday 17 April – see our Opening hours page for more information), so we’ve made some special allowances.

Any journals or 7-day loan items borrowed from Wednesday 5 April until the Easter University Closure will be due back on Tuesday 18 April. Any Course Collection items borrowed after 16:00 on Tuesday 11 April will be due back by 10:00 on Tuesday 18 April.

Where do I return items after vacation?

Remember! When you return for the beginning of Summer term (Tuesday 18 April) many Library services will have moved to the URS Building.

From Tuesday 18 April you should return:

• Course Collection items to the URS Building
• Standard loan, 7-day loan and journal items to the Library Building

Lucy Shott, Library User Services

With textbooks in increasingly high demand even after the end of term, we’ve made sure our policy ensures fair access to all. It will be ‘business as usual’ with all loan periods remaining the same in vacation as all term. This means that items will not be issued to cover the whole Christmas vacation.

So just keep renewing your loans unless or until someone else recalls them. If the book needs to come back, we’ll email you … so keep checking your University account! You can even return loans by post if you prefer. If your account is blocked please contact the Library and we will discuss the situation with you.

This means you can place holds on books on loan in vacations. The threat of fines on non-returned books should help Library users return them for you!

What about Christmas holidays and Uni Closure?

We know the short Christmas break also spans public holidays and the Christmas University Closure (Friday 23 December to Monday 2 January – see our Opening hours page for more information), so we’ve made special allowances. Any journals, 7-day loans or Course Collection items borrowed from Friday 16 December until the Christmas University Closure will be due back on Tuesday 3 January (by 10:00 for Course Collection items). No items will be due back between Friday 23 December and Monday 2 January.

Happy holidays!

Lucy Shott, Library User Services