Author Archives: Rachel Redrup

What’s going where in URS and Library

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We’re getting ready to run Library services and facilities from two buildings from 18 April: the URS Building (no 33 on the Whiteknights campus map) – further away from construction noise – and the Library Building (no 2 ). We are preparing URS signage and our webpages will show where everything is from this date but here’s a preview!

Services moving to URS BuildingThree femal studetns walk infront of orange building with protruding sturts and undercroft on a sunny day

URS Study space and IT facilities

We will move modern study furniture (with power sockets) currently on 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Floors of the Library Building into the the URS Building 2nd and Ground Floors, mainly over the Easter vacation. Some of the 16 large 2nd Floor rooms will be designated as group study space, some quiet study and some silent study space. The silent study rooms will contain some more traditional desks and some individual workbays.

The URS Ground Floor will mostly consist of 145 fixed PCs, with printing facilities nearby.

URS Course Collection and Self-Service Points

Our Course Collection of in-demand texts on reading lists will move to the URS Ground Floor, along with study space and Self-Service Points to borrow and return Course Collection items. You may also save yourself a short walk and return Library Building items here too.

URS Services

  • CaféLibro will transfer to the 2nd Floor of the URS Building.
  • On the URS Ground Floor, you will be able to get help from:

URS Building 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.

URS Security

For security reasons, everyone will enter URS by the one main entrance, closest to Whiteknights House, by the pond. We will adopt the same security that we employ now for the Library and transfer this to the URS building.

Library Building

Univeristy Library in springYou will be able to borrow all printed material (other than Course Collection items in URS) from the University Library, open 09:00-22:00 in term.There will be no study desks in the Library Building so you will need to take them either to the URS Building or find alternative study space on campus (see top right of Library Refurbishment Project page).

We recognise this is less convenient than having printed books in the same building as study space but hope that the Library hours we have been able to achieve will serve the majority of students – our usage statistics show that almost all borrowing activity occurs before 22:00.

Library staff will be on duty to help you during core hours.

Construction work will continue during weekdays 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.

Further details

For further information, see the Library Refurbishment Project page at www.reading.ac.uk/library/refurb.

If you have a disability and have any concerns about using either the Library or URS Building facilities, please contact Matthew Holtby, Library Disability Co-ordinator.

If you have any other queries, please email library@reading.ac.uk.

Rachel Redrup, Marketing Co-ordinator for
University Library Director and Associate Directors

Help stop Library study desk hogging!

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Library's 'Looking for study space?' card in red and greyIt is so unfair when students try to reserve study space by leaving their belongings behind. You think so and so do we. If this affects you, please ask Library staff to support you by placing warning cards on unattended stuff. If it is not moved after an hour, you will know you can sit there. Just ask us to help explain if anyone returns after this time and complains to you.

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  (open 10:00-14:00 or in exam-time Monday to Friday, 13:00-14:00 only).

For more information, see our ‘Help stop study-desk hogging’ post from when we initiated this service in exam-time 2016.

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

Library study space: relocation to URS

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Image of refurbished University Library surrounded by seating, trees and hedges.From Tuesday 18 April, a significant amount of study space furniture will have moved from the Library over the Easter Vacation into the URS Building and there will be no study space available in the Library Building. This means that:

  • Moving study space from the Library to URS will provide a quieter environment for study.
  • It’s still close to the Library, so you won’t have to travel far for a quieter place to study.
  • The Course Collection will move into URS to enable easy access to essential materials.
  • Other resources will remain in the Library for borrowing as usual.
  • The majority of Library staff will move into URS, but there will still be staff in the Library to help you. Information Desks will be set up in each building.
  • Opening times for URS will be the same as the Library is now – URS will be open 24/6+ during term time (closed Saturday nights).
  • The Library will open for additional 24/6+ hours during the Easter vacation from Monday 3 – Tuesday 11 April for revision purposes. From Tuesday 18 April the Library will open from 09:00– 22:00 seven days per week during term time.
  • These arrangements will be in place until August 2018, at which facilities will move back into the Library.

Library access – Easter vacation and Summer term 2017

As part of the moving preparations over the Easter vacation, study space inside the Library building will gradually reduce somewhat until Tuesday 11 April. Please note, on this day, there will be no IT available in the Library building.

See our Library opening hours page for details, but note:

  • The Library will be closed on the weekend of Saturday 1 – Sunday 2 April (closing at 17:00 on Friday 31 March) and over the University closure days at Easter (Wednesday 12 – Monday 17 April), with the Course Collection moving into URS during this time.
  • The Library will open for additional 24/6+ hours during the Vacation from Monday 3 – Tuesday 11 April for revision purposes.
  • From the beginning of the summer term, Tuesday 18 April, 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).

Alternative study space across campus

The Library refurbishment is a complex project – we’re doing everything we can to minimise disruption to you and your studies wherever possible. Besides URS, there are many other spaces across our campuses for quiet study, subject to teaching timetabling and departmental use. 

Options are on the top right of the Library Refurbishment Project page including our:

  • List of alternative space across our Whiteknights and London Road campuses.
  • Live list of available PCS – helpful in choosing where to study.
  • The Study@TOB2 – a new area created at Earley Gate as sister to RUSU’s The Study, it provides an additional 64 spaces for individual and group study, a printer, full Wi-Fi and plenty of plugs for laptops.
  • Need a room quickly? The Free Room Finder lets you find rooms available for immediate use – simply choose an area of campus and let the finder do the rest.

Several of the spaces marked as available will be used for teaching and other departmental activities at certain times, so please be sure to treat each space with respect. Please read our Classroom Rules before using alternative study spaces. Spaces within each building will be available on a first-come first-served basis; however, priority will be given to students wanting to use alternative study space within their subject-area building.

Further details

If you have any queries, please email library@reading.ac.uk. If you have a disability and have any concerns about using either the Library or URS Building facilities, please contact Matthew Holtby, Library Disability Co-ordinator.

Further information on the Library refurbishment project can be found at www.reading.ac.uk/library/refurb.

Rachel Redrup, Library Marketing Co-ordinator for University Communications

Library refurbishment works 6 – 27 March

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Image of refurbished University Library surrounded by seating, trees and hedges.Between 6–27 March the following construction/internal work is expected to be carried out:

  • 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 resume around the glass-fronted staircase (behind the white hoardings). Later in this period furniture from the 2nd and 4th Floor group study areas will start moving into the URS Building – we’ll be sharing more details of the URS move very shortly.

For details of alternative spaces and the latest project news, please visit our Library refurbishment project page.

Rachel Redrup, Marketing Co-ordinator for University Communications

Bibliotherapy for Mental Health Awareness, 2 March

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Have you seen the Library’s bibliotherapy display on our Ground Floor promoting a new Bibliotherapy online reading list. It is just one of several initiatives promoting University Mental Health Day on Thursday 2 March include themed talks and walks – which begin at the Chaplaincy behind the Library.

‘Bibliotherapy’ means therapeutic reading to help us understand our mental and emotional troubles, and how to cope with them. The Library holds a selection of self-help books on a variety of challenges including stress, anxiety, addition, bereavement and insomnia, to name but a few.

Reading students can use our Talis Aspire Bibliotherapy online reading list to see which books are available to them online or are loanable from the Library. Alternativly pick up a leaflet from the display or check out the useful resources, including guides and bibliotherapy lists, produced by UoR Counselling and Wellbeing.

Maybe one of these bibliotherapy books can help you begin to turn your world around – after all, 2 March is also World Book Day!

Rachel Redrup, Marketing Co-ordinator

Suggest titles to diversify Library stock

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Drawing of books piled up and swathed in chainsIn celebration of RUSU’s ‘Liberate my curriculum’ conference on Wednesday 1 March, we’re asking students to suggest books, DVDs or CDs to help Library collections support a more diverse curriculum. 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, Head of Academic Liaison and Support

Library refurbishment works 20 February – 13 March

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Image of refurbished University Library surrounded by seating, trees and hedges.Between Monday 20 February and Monday 13 March the majority of refurbishment work will focus on re-cladding the Library’s exterior and will involve drilling – students may wish to use alternative study spaces if they are not comfortable with the noise around the Library.

The following construction work is expected to be carried out around the outside of the Library:

  • Re-cladding the outside: The majority of work will focus on re-cladding the Library’s exterior – these works will involve drilling and so may be noisy. The work will move around all sides of the Library. Students may wish to use alternative study spaces if they are not comfortable with the noise around the Library.
  • Ground works: Ground works will be evident around all sides of the Library.

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

Library study space moves to URS Building

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Three femal studetns walk infront of orange building with protruding sturts and undercroft on a sunny dayThe University will shortly be able to offer the URS Building instead of studying in the Library during its major refurbishment. We will be moving furniture and IT equipment from the Library into URS so that students can study in a comfortable and quiet space away from construction works.

What we are doing

  • Studying in URS will be quieter as it is further away from Library building works.
  • The URS Building will be open 24 hours in term (except Saturday night) just like the Library is now.
  • Course Collection will move into URS to maintain full access.
  • Books will remain in the Library and will be borrowed as usual.
  • Although Library staff will be based in URS, they will also run an information service in the Library building to help you find and borrow books there.
  • Using URS means the refurbishment will be finished earlier than originally planned.

838 study spaces (including 145 computers) will move into URS along with Library staff – so there’ll always be someone on hand to help. Cafélibro will also relocate to URS.

All books (excluding the Course Collection) will stay inside the Library and will be available to use and borrow as usual. The Course Collection will move into URS and will continue to be accessible for 24 hours in term-time, as the Library offers now.

As well as providing a quiet and convenient alternative space for students, using the URS Building will mean that the length of the refurbishment programme will be shortened by approximately six months, ending mid 2019 as opposed to late 2019 / early 2020 as originally planned.

The URS Building was vacated in December 2016 in preparation for the building’s own major redevelopment – as the programme is still under revision in light of the URS Building’s grade two listing, the University is now in a position to offer it up as relief space to students. We expect URS to be available until at least August 2018.

RUSU are supportive of the move as it helps provide a suitable environment for work and study in the wake of such a major project. Ben Cooper, RUSU President, said:

“RUSU is committed to campaigning for more study space and better facilities for students on campus. We highlighted that the University must do everything it can to mitigate issues such as noise from the building work and access to books, especially for students currently studying here.

RUSU believes that this move of study space to URS is a good option and will result in less overall problems for students to face. It means that some of the noise problems will be reduced and there will be adequate study space in the busy periods whilst the Library refurbishment is being completed.”

The University is working hard to implement these plans ready for the 2017 Quiet Period. Logistics are still being finalised – we will share final plans as soon as possible. If the move is at risk of affecting the exam period it will be postponed until after exams have finished.

Don’t forget that as well as the URS Building, there are many additional alternative study spaces around campus – a full list is available online and our Free Room Finder helps identify available rooms on a daily basis. For more details of additional study space available on campus, project benefits and the latest news, please visit the Library Refurbishment Project webpage.

Rachel Redrup
for University Communications

Law students! Learn LexisLibrary with Zoobia

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hammer-719066_640Unfortunately, University of Reading Law students will be unable to meet LexisNexis Student Associate, Zoobia Abbasi in the Library on Wednesday 1 February, as previously planned. However, please do get in touch with her about future training sessions.

Zoobia provides training in LexisLibrary, an online legal database providing legal cases and journals for law students as well as access to material used by professional lawyers. She also runs legal research certification sessions for law students, much sought after by employers, and which count towards the University’s RED Award.

At her weekly drop-in sessions, students can ask questions or attend demos. Demos are usually 5-10 mins long and cover for instance: how to search journals, EU Law, commercial awareness and Halsbury’s Laws of England using LexisLibrary.

Look out for her white and black flag!

Rachel Redrup, Marketing Co-ordinator
for Zoobia Abbasi

 

Ground Floor Reference works move upstairs!

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DariuszSankowski -phone-1052023_1920Wondering where any reference books you used to find in our Ground Floor ‘Knowledge Exchange’ might have gone? We recently integrated non-loan, ex-Ground Floor Reference items into our main collections, beside loanable books, across all subject floors according to their individual Call Number:

  • science and life sciences to the 2nd Floor (Call Numbers 000s, 500s, 600s)
  • arts and humanities to the 3rd Floor (Call Numbers 200s, 400s, 700s, 800s)
  • social sciences to the 4th Floor (Call Numbers 300s, 900s)

To find any particular title, just search for its new floor location on our Enterprise catalogue.

The Library also provides you with a range of prestigious online resources. See our Online dictionaries and encyclopedias page or search for titles in our Enterprise catalogue.

Rachel Redrup, Marketing Co-ordiator

 

Engage with Cengage primary sources event: 20 January

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Blue rectangles arranged in a circle next to the word 'Cengage'Looking for ideas for your dissertation? Drop in to the Library’s Ground Floor this Friday 20 January 2017, anytime 10:00-16:00, to explore some full-text, primary sources available via the Artemis Primary Sources Platform, from one of our main suppliers, Cengage. Cengage staff will be on hand to demonstrate these resources to help you discover primary sources and possible topics for your dissertation:

To see the full range of e-resources to which the University of Reading Library subscribes, see our Databases by subject or Databases A-Z lists.

Rachel Redrup, Marketing Co-ordinator

Find your Library microclimate, roll on refurb

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Hot, cold or just right in the Library? Here are some tips for finding your favourite Library environment, how to ask us for local adjustments and most importantly, news of University investment in the system.

Find your microclimate!

Grey desks with purple dividers and lamps beside windows and book shelvesDifferent people prefer different study areas and temperatures.

  • Dislike chills?Avoid sitting right under vents on the 5th Floor which alternately blow warm and cooler air.
  • Like it warm? Try open tables beside warm radiators on our 3rd Floor, north side (illustrated).
  • Like it bright and hot? If the sun is shining, sit on the south Pepper Lane side in the afternoon or the western Whiteknights House side late afternoon/early evening.
  • We recommend wearing layers to the Library so you can adjust to the day’s and each area’s conditions.

Request an adjustment!

  • Windows can be opened on the Library’s 1st to 4th Floors. Reach lower ones yourself or ask for help with high ones, either at a floor Information Desk Monday-Thursday 09:00-17:00 & Friday 10:00-17:00; or the Ground Floor at other times.
  • Heating and air conditioning is controlled remotely by University Estates and Facilities (E&F) according to heat sensor information. If you feel it is not working correctly, please use our new online heating & ventilation form to tell us exactly when and where you had a problem so we can pass it on.

Refurb opportunity

The University acknowledges our 50-year-old Library presents challenges to balancing energy efficiency against contemporary consumer demand. Its vast open spaces, surrounded by aging windows, are still heated with 196os panels plus an ambient air circulation system and radiators in the 1985 extension. A new but separate 5th Floor heat exchange system blows warm air when sensors register 18°C or cool at 24°C.

Forthcoming Library refurbishment will address heating and ventilation systems, window replacement, external cladding and roofing and should improve our environmental credentials by 40%.

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