Apologies for the technical problems we were experiencing with the study space bookings system this morning. The situation has been resolved, and the bookings form should be working as usual again.
If you have any further issues, please email library@reading.ac.uk, and we will try to get back to you as quickly as possible.
Library User Services
We hope you found some time to relax over the Easter vacation.
We’re looking forward to continuing to support all students this summer term, whether you’re on campus or studying remotely. Remember our expert teams, including Academic Liaison Librarians, Study Advice and Maths Support are all available to provide advice and support online.
If you’re studying on campus this term, we’ve summarised some important developments for you to be aware of when visiting our building.
New Library Study Space Assistants
We’ve recruited a team of 10 new Study Space Assistants to help keep you and our colleagues safe this summer term. They’ll be available to help you find your pre-booked seat, provide advice about alternative study space at busy times, and ensure you’re aware of the safety measures currently in place (see below). You’ll notice them in Study@URS too.
Keeping our Library safe for everyone – what you need to know
Remember hands, face, space to keep all Library members and staff safe
While the positive progress of the government’s roadmap out of lockdown is welcome news, it’s vital that we do not become complacent and risk a worsening of the pandemic in the UK. We all have a role to play to take the necessary precautions to keep those around us as safe as possible.
In the Library, as well as our usual ‘Code of Conduct’, you must:
and
We would like to thank all of you who have been continuing to follow these rules to help protect us all.
If, however, a member of staff or one of our Study Space Assistants notices that you are not following these rules, they will let you know and you will be asked for your details. If this is the first time you have been spoken to, we will record your details but no further action will be taken – we understand that accidental lapses happen from time to time. You will be given a short letter to explain why your details have been taken.
If you breach the rules a second time during the current academic year, we will issue a formal warning in accordance with our Student Disciplinary Procedures. If your details are taken for a third time, you will be issued with a fine of up to £200 (again, in line with our Student Disciplinary Procedures). For further incidents, a higher fine or other penalty (such as a ban from the Library) may be imposed.
Thank you for taking the time to read this update. We wish you every success for the summer term ahead.
Your Library Team
With the Easter vacation approaching, make sure you know our upcoming opening hours and borrowing policies for the break!
The Library building will be closed for the University Easter Closure from Thursday 1 April to Tuesday 6 April.
Between Monday 29 March and Wednesday 31 March the Library Building will be open from 08:30-19:00.
From Wednesday 7 April until Friday 16 April, the Library will be open 08:30 – 19:00 Monday to Thursday and 08:30-17:00 Friday to Sunday.
Remember that there will be no Closed Access or Store collections on Bank Holidays. The last Closed Access collection before Easter will be Wednesday 31st March.
Outside the University Easter closure, the PC Labs in the Palmer and Agriculture buildings are also open 24/7. They are accessible with your Campus Card and you do not need to book them.
Please see our opening hours web page for more information. Opening hours for the Summer Term are not yet confirmed – we will post them as soon as possible.
Christine Milne, Library User Services
The Library continues to remain open for bookable study space and for Click & Collect for those of you here on campus.
Following the announcement of the national lockdown earlier this month, and the risk of increased transmissibility by the new strain of COVID-19, we’ve been reviewing current health and safety control measures.
We’ve updated our face covering guidance which includes a change about how they should be used in the Library. You’re now expected to wear a face covering (unless you are exempt) throughout the duration of your visit, even when sat at your assigned desk.
Remember hands, face, space to keep all Library members and staff safe
This is the only change we’ve made to our current safety measures in the Library so the rest of our previously published guidance remains the same.
The Library is designated as a ‘common area’ along with other spaces on campus as there is a relatively high number of different people using the space each day.
During the Autumn Term and the start of this year some people, understandably, were forgetting to replace their face covering when moving around the building. Due to this, and as the current transmissibility of the virus is heightened, this additional safety measure will help minimise the risk for all Library users and staff.
Please comply with the new guidance and the existing measures to help us keep you and our staff safe so that we can continue to provide effective library services through this time. Our staff have been working throughout the pandemic to provide a vital service to support you. Please show them the respect they deserve and comply with their instructions – they are there for your safety.
Breaches of our guidelines are being taken very seriously, and may result in fines and/or expulsion from Halls and/or the University, in accordance with our University disciplinary procedures
We will, of course, keep our policy under review and adjust it as necessary in the coming weeks and months, in line with the wider situation.
See our Current Library Services guide and the Library website for further information about all the services available to you on campus and online.
Your Library team
The Library is open – stay safe!
During the new national lockdown the Library is open every day for bookable study space and to collect print materials via our Click & Collect service.
The Library will be open for study space; Monday – Thursday, 08:30 – 19:00 and Friday – Sunday, 08:30 – 17:00
Click & Collect is open; Monday – Thursday, 10:00 – 19:00 and Friday – Sunday, 10:00 – 17:00.
For more information about how the library is operating during the pandemic, please look at our Current Library Services guide
Natalie Guest, Document Delivery Co-ordinator / Academic Liaison Librarian
The Library is open – stay safe!
During the new national lockdown the Library is open every day for bookable study space and to collect print materials via our Click & Collect service.
The Library will be open for study space; Monday – Thursday, 08:30 – 19:00 and Friday – Sunday, 08:30 – 17:00
Click & Collect is open; Monday – Thursday, 10:00 – 19:00 and Friday – Sunday, 10:00 – 17:00.
For more information about how the library is operating during the pandemic, please look at our Current Library Services guide
Natalie Guest, Document Delivery Co-ordinator / Academic Liaison Librarian
Through feedback from Library users and observation we have noticed that it’s sometimes unclear for users where they should sit and that spaces are booked but not occupied. So in order to improve your experience when visiting the Library to study and ensure that we can continue to operate in a Covid safe way we’re making some changes to our study space booking system and allocating a numbered space to each booking and sending you a reminder the day before. During the Autumn term we’d already started checking your bookings on our system when you arrive at the Welcome Desk to keep study areas from becoming over-populated. It’s important that we have plenty of space for you to effectively social distance in the building, and to guarantee only people who have a genuine booking gain entry.
Sit at the desk labelled with the number and area in your booking confirmation email
From 4 January 2021 all study spaces in the Library will have a number. When you book a Study space you’ll be allocated a specific desk to sit at – yours for the duration of your booking. The desk number and area will be on the booking confirmation email you receive. Desk areas are indicated by signage in the building and desk numbers by a label on each space.
You’ll receive a reminder email the day before your booking, if you don’t need the space any more the email will contain details on how to cancel it to make it available for another user. The same option is available in the original booking confirmation email too.
To book and use a study space please follow these steps
Not received your confirmation email? Don’t book again! Please contact us and we can check your booking is there and re-send the confirmation email. If the space you booked is unavailable, please ask us for help either in person at the Welcome Desk on the Ground Floor or call us on 0118 378 8770.
We want the Library to continue to be a welcoming and safe space for you to study – please continue to help us by following our study space etiquette guidance. We know space is limited but with your help all Library members can have a fair chance to use our facilities.
Sue Egleton, Associate Director (Systems and User Services)
Be like our book angel and stay on top of your library books this Christmas!
Whether you’re heading home soon or staying on campus over the vacation, this summary of available Library services can help you plan ahead. We wish you happy holidays and effective studying – stay safe everyone!
Term ends on Friday 11 December, so after this date the Library will be operating reduced opening hours. This will affect the times that you are able to book study space, Click & Collect loans, book IT Service Desk appointments and use the Library Cafe.
From Saturday 12 December till Monday 21 December, the Library will be open from 08:30 to early evening on weekdays only. There are no weekend services available.
Along with the rest of the campus, the Library closes completely on Tuesday 22 December until Sunday 3 January for the University Christmas closure.
From Monday 4 January till Friday 8 January, we resume vacation-hours opening, and from Saturday 9 January we’ll be open for term-time hours again.
To help borrowers heading home early due to UK government guidance, we’re lending everything to all Library members until Tuesday 12 January. Any items borrowed or renewed from Monday 30 November will issue until 12 January. These vacation loans include standard, 7-day, overnight loans and journals.
If you need materials from the off-site Store or from our Closed Access shelves, be aware of the final dates of collection and make sure you place your request in time.
We will next collect from Closed Access on 4 January and from Store on 7 January (these dates might be subject to change if there is a shortage of available staff). For more information, see Requesting items from Store and Closed Access.
All our expert staff are available online to help and advise you throughout the vacation (except during the Christmas closure period).
If you have a general enquiry, email library@reading.ac.uk or phone 0118 378 8770.
Check our Current Library Services guide for up-to-date information, especially if there are changes to current government guidelines.
Library User Services
Book ahead to visit the Library daytime or evenings in lockdown, but not overnight.
Due to the new lockdown period in England, 5 November to 2 December 2020, the University Library opening hours will be changing. We will close overnight and reopen again at 08:30 each morning, except Saturdays when we’ll close at 21:00 as usual.
Starting from 00:01 Thursday 5 November our revised opening hours will be:
Any study space bookings already scheduled for nights affected will be cancelled – we apologise for the inconvenience.
However, all our services and facilities remain operating as normal during our opening hours so you can still use the Click & Collect service, book study spaces, and book an IT Service Desk appointment. All our online services remain unchanged. See our Current Library Services guide for further information.
Sue Egleton, Associate Director (Systems and User Services)
Studying at home requires self-discipline, organisation and effective time management strategies. Follow our Study Advice top 5 tips to make the most of your study time at home.
Make sure you have somewhere dedicated to studying. Set up your desk and keep your device, books, paper and stationery to hand. Try to keep the space separate from where you relax, even if it is just a corner in your bedroom. Leave it tidy, so it is more inviting to return to the next day.
It’s important to allocate time to study (and time to relax and do exercise). Think about when in the day you’re more effective (for most this is the morning). You might want to consider, for instance, taking a couple of hours off every afternoon to take some exercise and return to your studies in the early evening. Make sure you add in regular breaks and rewards along the way. For more on creating a timetable, watch this short video.
It’s important to know what you hope to achieve each week – especially if you are working on a project like a dissertation or revising for exams. Goals help to ensure we stay on track but also help to motivate us to keep going and give us that sense of achievement. Work backwards from your deadlines to determine where you want to be at the end of each week. If you have a shorter deadline (like an assignment to write in a week), instead set yourself some daily goals. This video will help you do this.
During these times, it’s important to continue to connect with others. Keep in touch with peers and motivate each other. Arrange daily catch-ups, virtual coffee chats or perhaps some revision groups, where you can test each other’s understanding. Do share your study goals too, as you are more likely to strive to meet them once you’ve declared them.
It might feel that you’re on your own, but all the central services are still running.
Make the most of the support and expertise on offer and ensure you get the grades you deserve.
Dr Sonia Hood, FHEA
Study Advice Manager, Study Advice & Maths Support
In line with the University’s move to online teaching, the University Library moved services fully online with effect from Monday 23 March 2020. Please be assured that we will continue to provide you with our services. We will ensure that all online resources and additional online help are available to you during the current, unprecedented public health situation.
A significant proportion of our resources are already available online. There will be no change to this service and everything that you previously used will continue to be available. A simple way to find existing and new resources in your subject is to check our online subject guides: the new COVID-19 tab lists extra resources provided to UoR during the lockdown period.
Undergraduate and post-graduate taught course students: you can still access UoR online reading lists directly and via Blackboard. Many of the items on your reading lists are accessible online, with some lists fully available online.
For your research, you can still access e-resources through the Library website, to find our extensive collection of e-books, e-journals and databases. The following tools will help you:
All Library staff are still available to help and assist with your studies and research.
Whilst the Library building remains closed the printed book collection will not be available. If you currently have books on loan that are due back do not worry! We will automatically renew them for you so that you do not get fined. And if you incur any fines during this period of online working you will not be charged. Books that you currently have on loan will not be recalled and you will not be expected to return them whilst the building is closed. If you want to place a reservation (hold) on a book you can continue to do so and we will seek to satisfy your request. For loan and general enquiries, please email library@reading.ac.uk
You can still request Inter-Llibrary Loans in the usual manner, completing the online request form. If you currently have Inter-Library Loans (books) from another library do not worry, we will arrange for the return date to be extended for you. For Inter-Library Loan enquiries, please email ill@reading.ac.uk.
If you have any other enquiries or require any additional support, please email library@reading.ac.uk.
Look out for further Library service updates on the Library website, University Library News blog, Twitter and Facebook.
Stuart Hunt, Director
Enjoy the full range of study spaces the Library has to offer. Following a multi-million pound refurbishment we now provide around 1,500 study spaces, 200 more than we had before. Be sure to investigate all five floors and three types of study space to find what suits you best. Our contemporary, new environment is very popular so do check out the upper floors for places others may not have reached yet!
Study your way in the LibrarySee our study space video or plans of each floor and you will find that study space has been arranged into three different types:
Group study – where talking is required
To discuss your work in groups, or if you concentrate best with background noise, head to the front of the 4th or 2nd Floors, the back of the Ground Floor, or the 1st Floor PC area for a choice of individual rooms, group pods, diner-like seating or long tables. There are eight bookable group study rooms on the 1st Floor.
Individual, quiet study
To work quietly by yourself, use an individual desk by the windows around the books on the 4th, 3rd and 2nd Floors, or in Short Loan on the Ground Floor.
Silent study
To work in silence choose from individual comfy chairs or a desk in one of our enclosed study rooms on the 5th Floor.
Whilst the Library houses the largest single collection of study spaces on campus, at busy times you may wish to use other study areas. The Study Space Across Campus Essentials page includes both RUSU Studies, the ‘Free Room Finder’ showing which teaching rooms students can use, and the Study Space Map listing other study areas.
Rachel Redrup
Academic Liaison Librarian
