Author Archives: Rachel Redrup

Help stop desk hogging in Library@URS

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Library's 'Looking for study space?' card in red and greyAlthough your study space has moved into the URS Building, we all still think it unfair for students to try to reserve desks by leaving their belongings behind.

If this affects you, please go to either the URS Reception desk by the main entrance or the URS Information Desk next to the Course Collection on the ground floor and ask Library staff for support. We have warning cards you can place on unattended stuff.

Put the belongings to one side and sit down. If the owner returns within the hour, they are entitled to the space back. If not, you can sit there instead. Also ask staff to help explain if anyone returning after an hour complains.

Where unattended stuff hasn’t been moved overnight, staff will remove it to URS Reception. If it is not claimed by the next morning, it will be taken to Palmer Reception, the centre for all lost property in the University  (open in exam-time Monday to Friday, 13:00-14:00 only).

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

Noisy chat in Library@URS? Text us!

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Lower part of face with forefinger placed to lipsAre others chatting too noisily in the Library’s URS Building? Alert us by text, without identifying yourself to others or leaving your seat!

First check your URS study area really is designated as ‘quiet’ or ‘silent’, or that noise in a ‘group study area’ is excessive. If it is, text:

  • ‘NOISYCHAT‘ and your location to 07796 300114 
  • eg NOISYCHAT 2n19 Silent Study.

We’ll come and investigate. We support your right to to work quietly, as protected by Library Rule 13.

For more information, and a list of URS Building locations, see our Noise in the Library webpage.

Rachel Redrup, Marketing Co-ordinator
for Robin Hunter, Facilities Manager

 

Library refurbishment works: 5-22 May

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Image of refurbished University Library surrounded by seating, trees and hedges.Between 5– 22 May the following work is expected to be carried out inside the Library building:

  • Mechanical and electrical works will carry on across various points throughout the building.
  • Ground, 1st and 3rd Floors work will continue and there may be concentrated activity around the staircase enclosed behind the white hoardings.

Study space across campus

Including the study space inside the URS Building, there are approximately 1,700 spaces available for study on campus (subject to teaching timetabling and departmental use).

Stay up-to-date

Keep checking the Library blog for the latest news and updates.

See our dedicated URS Building page for details of Library services here, maps and opening times.

All of the above can be easily accessed through our Library refurbishment project page: www.reading.ac.uk/library/refurb.

Rachel Redrup, Marketing Co-ordinator
for UoR Communications

 

Study space at Whiteknights this Bank Holiday weekend

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For students looking to study on Whiteknights campus this weekend, Saturday 29 April, Sunday 30 April and Monday 1 May:

  • Study space in the URS Building will be open 24-hours (except Saturday night). Please speak to Library staff if you need help finding a space.
  • The Library Building is also open 09:00-22:00 for access to books.
  • RUSU’s The Study will also be open 08:00-21:00 on these days.
  • If you want access to a computer, you can access 24-hour labs in other buildings with your Campus Card:
    • Agriculture (GL20) – 30 PCs
    • Meteorology (GL68) – 20 PCs
    • Palmer (G09) – 20 PCs

For further information about weekday alternative study spaces, check out the ‘FIND STUDY SPACE BEYOND THE LIBRARY’ section on the Library Refurbishment Project page

Rachel Redrup, Library Marketing Co-ordinator

Library study space now located in URS Building

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blue sofas and tables and chairs

One of the new group study rooms relocated to the URS Building.

Much of the study furniture from the Library has relocated to the URS Building. It now provides students with a contemporary and versatile space to work and study – including around 800 spaces (145 computers), work areas for collaborative, quiet and silent study, and several key facilities from the Library Building.

Including URS, students can now access over 1,700 study spaces across our Whiteknights and London Road campuses.

URS Building key features

  • Library Information Desk: For general and registration enquiries, located on the Ground Floor.
  • Study space: A variety of study areas – group, quiet and silent – are available on the Ground and 2nd Floors.
  • Study Advice and Maths Support: Get help with study skills and maths on the Ground Floor.
  • Course Collection: Find key texts for your modules in the Course Collection on the Ground Floor.  Holds are also available to collect here.
  • IT Service Desk and facilities: PCs and printing facilities are available on the Ground Floor.  If you need help, just ask at the IT Service Desk there.
  • Café Libro: The Library’s popular café is located on the 2nd Floor of the URS Building.
  • Opening Hours: The URS Building will adopt the 24 hour opening during term (except closing 21:00 Saturday to 08:30 Sunday) as is currently the case in the Library.

Take a look at the map and floor directory to see what’s been moved where.

Preparation of space

Furniture being moved form outside the Library, passing hoardings

Vitra staff moved and reassembled our modern study furniture in URS

The relocation was carried out over the Easter vacation – during this time, several new improvements were made to the URS Building in order to make its study environment as welcoming as possible:

  • Rooms have been configured to meet a wide range of study needs – you’ll find individual study booths, group areas, quiet study spaces and more.
  • We have improved several of the building’s existing features in order to make it a better place to study – new lights have been fitted to make studying easier, and south-facing windows on the Second Floor have been tinted to deflect heat.
  • We have balanced creating a maximum number of spaces with ensuring that students can study in comfort and safety. Health & Safety guidelines recommend that URS holds a maximum capacity of 800 students.
  • Our job as a University is to provide students with comfortable spaces to study, and we believe that URS will prove to be a popular home to Library study space until summer 2018, when facilities will move back into the Library Building.

Why has the space moved?

Relocating study space and facilities from one to building to another posed several benefits.

Moving study space from the Library into URS will provide a quieter environment for study while still being close enough to borrow and use materials. It also means we can carry out more work inside the Library than previously planned, and so will complete the refurbishment around six months earlier.

With URS in such close proximity to the Library, you won’t have far to take the materials you’ve just borrowed from the original Library building for studying.

Library Building key features

The Library remains open for use – inside you will still find:

  • Printed materials: All printed material (other than Course Collection) will remain inside the Library for borrowing or reference.
  • Library staff: Although Library staff are now based in URS, they will still offer a Help Point by the Library entrance and Information Desks on the 2nd and 4th Floors.
  • Opening Hours: The Library Building will open 09:00-22:00 seven days per week during term time. URS will be open 24/6+ during term time (closed Saturday nights).

Construction work will continue in the Library Building whilst we strive to complete the project as soon as possible, so you may experience considerable noise whilst using this building.

Alternative study space across campus

Including URS, there are approximately 1,700 spaces to study on campus (subject to teaching timetabling and departmental use).

Keep in touch

While we have taken great care to ensure that URS meets your needs, we appreciate that there may be more to improve over the coming weeks. Please pass on any feedback or comments to library@reading.ac.uk.

Further information

A dedicated URS Building page has been created to help clarify exactly what has moved from the Library. It will be kept updated by our Library team, who will also share regular news and updates via the Library blog. The Library opening hours page lists opening times for both the Library and URS buildings.

Further details of the Library’s major £40 million refurbishment can be found on our Library Refurbishment Project webpage: www.reading.ac.uk/library/refurb.

Rachel Redrup, Library Marketing Co-ordinator
for University Communications

UoR Staff! Suggest titles to diversify stock

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Drawing of books piled up and swathed in chainsThe Library is now opening up to UoR staff the chance to suggest books, DVDs or CDs to help Library collections support a more diverse curriculum. Students were given first choice in March to celebrate RUSU’s ‘Liberate my curriculum’ conference. But hurry, the deadline is 30 April 2017.

Would you like more on your specialism representing more ethnic or LBGT groups or geographical areas? Complete our new Diversify my curriculum suggestion form to help us spend a special £1,000 fund, over and above resources supporting existing reading lists.

It’s great if you can suggest specific titles, but we still want to hear from you where you feel we just need more in a certain area. For example:

  • [name] is underrepresented in your collection, can you buy more of her novels/poetry?
  • I would like more books on the construction industry in Africa – are there any that can be bought?
  • there aren’t any books on the history/political situation in [country]
  • can you purchase some more books on LBGT issues in higher education?

Your subject Liaison Librarian will be dealing with your suggestions. She or he can also help you with other Library matters, including queries about items on reading lists.

If you would like to suggest other items for the Library, please complete our regular book suggestion form.

Rachel Redrup, Marketing Co-ordinator
for Helen Hathaway, Associate Director (Academic Liaison and Support)

Out-of-hours virtual enquiry service

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It’s fine to contact UoR Library staff during staffed service hours, but what can you do out-of-staffed-hours overnight, or when the Library Building is closed (such as during the University Easter Closure 12-17 April)? From today, you chat online via the blue ‘Virtual Enquiry Service’ box appearing on the Library webpage at these times!

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.

UoR Library has subscribed to this service in the third tranche of UK higher education libraries to join under a SCONUL agreement with OCLC.

Rachel Redrup, Marketing Co-ordinator for
Sue Egleton, Associate Director (Systems & User Services)

Restricted Library/URS entry for exam-time

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Rows of small tables and chairs set out for examsFrom Monday 3 April until Friday 9 June, overnight and all weekend Library space is reserved for University Campus and Library Card holders only. This is to prevent disruption to our own revising students from non-University members, right until their last exam is over.

Restrictions apply to both our buildings:

  • Library Building (Monday to Sunday 17:00 – 22:00)
  • URS Building (Monday to Thursday, 17:00 – 08:00; Friday 17:00 – Monday 08:00)

We operate a ‘no card, no access policy’ and reserve the right to refuse access to anyone, including University members, who cannot identify themselves adequately.

How card-holders get in

University of Reading Campus Card-holders and Library Card-holders are welcome at all times. However, during restricted times, when other doors are locked, please enter by the right-hand doors of both the Library and URS Buildings.

  • University members gain automatic entry by placing their Campus Card on the ‘proximity reader’ beside the right-hand door.
  • Library Card holders must show their card to staff to gain entry. Please knock for attention if staff are not right beside the door.

Restrictions for visitors

3 April – 9 June 2017  Members of the public without cards are only admitted weekday daytimes:

  • Library Building (Monday to Friday 09:00 – 17:00)
  • URS Building (Monday to Friday 08:00 – 17:00)

Regrettably, they may not use study spaces here as these are required by our own students revising for exams. Visitors are encouraged to look to their own school, college or public library for study space.

As always, our policy is that children in the Library must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

We apologise to visitors unable to use Café Libro during restricted periods. Please try another outlet on campus or at Christchurch Green.

UoR campus card faulty?

Should your University Campus Card fail to open our doors with the card reader, please ask Campus Card Services to fix the fault via their Campus Card non-residential door access report form or email cardfinance@reading.ac.uk.

Alternative study space during Library refurb

UoR students can also use additional study space listed on the Library Refurbishment Project page.

Rachel Redrup, Marketing Co-ordinator for
Sue Egleton, Associate Director (Systems & Services)

Library refurbishment works: up to 10 April

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Image of refurbished University Library surrounded by seating, trees and hedges.Until 10 April the following construction/internal work is expected to be carried out on the Library Building:

  • Re-cladding the outside: Work around the outside of the Library continues as our contractors focus on re-cladding the Library’s exterior. These works involve drilling and so may be noisy – details of alternative study space are available on the Library Refurbishment Project page.
  • Ground works: Ground works continue around the perimeter of the Library.
  • Internal works:
    • Activity will continue around the staircase enclosed behind the white hoardings.
    • After the end of term, furniture will start moving into the URS Building. See our study furniture pack-up itinerary post for details.

For details of alternative spaces and the latest project news, please visit our Library Refurbishment Project page: www.reading.ac.uk/library/refurb.

Rachel Redrup, Library Marketing Co-ordinator for University Communications

Study furniture pack-up: remember alternative space

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Please be aware that contractors are packing up study Library furniture from some floors in order to reassemble it in the URS Building, ready for opening on 18 April. As study spaces in the Library building gradually reduce over the Easter vacation, please remember you can find campus study space beyond the Library listed on the Library Refurbishment Project page. This includes a list of spaces, the Free Room Finder and information about RUSU’s The Study and The Study@TOB2.

Study space within Library

If you wish to study within the Library, please note reduced availability of study space UNTIL MIDNIGHT, 11 APRIL 2017.

At times the main stairs may be cordoned off for your safety, whilst removers carry down large pieces. They may also requisition one lift. Please take care. The lift lobby, other lifts and other stairs will remain available.

The Library – with the rest of the University – will be closed for the University Easter closure, 12-17 April. On 18 April, the Library reopens for access to resources at 09:00, the URS Building opens for study space and services at 08:30.

Rachel Redrup, Library Marketing Co-ordinator

Library visitor arrangements change after 18 April

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Three femal studetns walk infront of orange building with protruding sturts and undercroft on a sunny dayArrangements will be different for non-UoR visitors to this Library from 18 April until at least August 2018 whilst we operate from two buildings: the Library Building (no 2 on the Whiteknights campus map) and the URS Building (no 33 ).

SCONUL Access users

Users of the SCONUL Access scheme for students and staff from other universities:

  • SCONUL members in Bands A, B and C: You can borrow materials from the Library Building and use study spaces in the URS Building. Please call at the URS Building Information Desk to collect your Library card.
  • SCONUL Band R full-time undergraduates from other institutions: You may view and copy stock in the Library Building, but you may not borrow or take material to any other building. You will be able to use your own resources in URS Building study space.

Visiting as a member of the general public

You may view and copy stock in the Library Building, but there will be no study space here. We are sorry, but whilst Library services are relocated to URS, we will be unable to provide guest access to e-resources as a ‘walk-in user’.

Children

Unaccompanied children will not be permitted in the URS Building, in line with current rules on children in the Library building. Unfortunately, we will be unable to accommodate school visits until after August 2018.

Further information

See why Library study space moves to URS in a previous news post. For further information, see our Library Refurbishment Project page.

Rachel Redrup, Marketing Co-ordinator for
Sue Egleton and Nick Hollis, Library User Services

Café Libro hours, Easter and Summer 2017

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CafeLibro logo reversed on window, red tree behindCafé Libro will move to the 2nd Floor of the URS Building ready to re-open on the first day of the summer term, Tuesday 18 April. (See the Library website for general Library and URS Building opening hours.)

Easter Vacation

Tuesday 11 – Monday 17 April 

  •  CLOSED – to allow us to pack and move to URS Building! (Library is open Tuesday 11 April but closed Wednesday 12 – Monday 17 April, for University Easter Closure.)

Summer Term – extra exam-time hours

We re-open on the 2nd Floor of URS at 08:30 on Tuesday 18 April and will be into our extended hours after that.

  • Monday–Friday        08:00–23:00
  • Saturday                     11:00–16:00
  • Sunday                        11:00–23:00

Alternative catering options

New self-service machines for snacks and drinks will be provided after the move to the URS Building. Your can eat your own cold food in Cafe Libro but hot food, including takeaways, are specifically excluded from Library areas by Library rule 14. Alternatively, check out University Catering’s other campus outlets.

Rachel Redrup, Library Marketing Co-ordinator, for Martin Batt, Catering