On Thursday 6 May from 21:00 to 22:00, the Library Catalogue, Enterprise, will be down for routine maintenance. This means that some services will be unavailable during the down period:

You will still be able to…

• Use Summon for online access to journal articles, book chapters, and much more!

But you won’t be able to… 

• Access the Library catalogue.
• Request a book through our Click and Collect services.
• Access your online Library account to renew your loans or pay fines.
• Place an Inter-Library Loan request.
• Request items from Closed Access or the Store.

The upgrade is planned to have finished by 22:00, but we will still designate the system as ‘at risk’ on that day. We will let you know if Enterprise will be unavailable for longer than initially planned.

If you have trouble accessing e-resources you can contact the E-resources Team at eresourceshelp@reading.ac.uk, or you can fill in a Problem Report Form.

If you want to talk to someone about your account you can contact the Library at library@reading.ac.uk.

Sophie Dorman – E-resources Team 

On Thursday 12 November from 22:00 to 22:30, the Library Catalogue, Enterprise, will be down for routine maintenance. This means that some services will be unavailable during the down period:

You will still be able to… 

• Use Summon for online access to journal articles, book chapters, and much more! 

But you won’t be able to… 

• Access the Library catalogue. 
• Request a book through our Click and Collect services
• Access your online Library account to renew your loans or pay fines. 
• Place an Inter-Library Loan request. 
• Request items from Closed Access or the Store. 

The upgrade is planned to have finished by 22:30, but we will still designate the system as ‘at risk’ on that day. We will let you know if Enterprise will be unavailable for longer than initially planned. 

If you have trouble accessing e-resources you can contact the E-resources Team on eresourceshelp@reading.ac.uk or you can fill in a Problem Report Form. 

If you want to talk to someone about your account you can contact the Library at library@reading.ac.uk. 

Sophie Dorman – E-resources Team 

From today you can make bookings for Library study spaces for Monday 14 September and going forwards. We hope that being able to book your slot will help you organise your time, and help us ensure that our study space can be shared as safely as possible.

One of the available study spaces.

We’ve tried to label all the zones and types of furniture in the Library as descriptively as possible so you can choose to book the space that suits you best. We’ve created a document with a list of the labels and pictures of the furniture to help you make your choice. Once you’ve chosen the type of space you want you can opt for a one, two, or three hour slot within the restrictions of the building’s opening hours. You can make a booking up to 7 days in advance.

To make a booking you can use the widget in the ‘booking a study space’ section of our Current Library Services LibGuide or you can use a booking form via this direct link.

Please make sure you make the booking in the same name that is printed on your Campus Card and bring your card and booking confirmation email with you when you come to the Library. You will need both to access the building. Please note that from Monday 14 September you’ll need to have made a booking in advance of coming to the Library and we will not be able to give you access without one.

Please observe the following points of etiquette when visiting us:

• Bring your booking confirmation email and your Campus Card.
• Observe the one-way routing around the building by following signage and checking out the floorplans. (You may move freely in the bookstacks when fetching books, please maintain social distance when doing so).
• Use the stairs if possible. Lifts are for individual use only.
• Sanitise yourself and your workspace using the hand gel and wipes provided on every floor.
• Sit where chairs are sited. They’ve been laid out to ensure everyone can study 2m apart.
• Eat elsewhere to help us keep your study space hygienic and clean for everyone.
• Stick to your booking slot, someone else will have booked the space after you.
• Maintain your social distance from other Library users.
• Be kind and patient with other Library users and staff as we navigate these unusual circumstances

If you have any questions please email library@reading.ac.uk and we will do our best to help you.

Sue Egleton, Associate Director (Systems and User Services)

The Library’s one-way system is signposted throughout the building

Exciting news! The Library will be opening for access to study spaces from 08:30 on Monday 7 September. The building will be open for our normal summer vacation hours of 08:30 – 17:00 Monday to Friday. As usual, opening hours will increase during Welcome Week and return to 24/6+ in term time. Keep an eye on our opening hours page for details of our opening hours over the coming weeks.

It will be no surprise that there are fewer study spaces available in the Library due to social distancing requirements. To help manage these spaces we’ll be implementing a booking system. This is being worked on now and we’ll share information about it as soon as we can. In the meantime we’ll operate a first-come-first-served access to the spaces followed by a one-in-one-out policy. You can browse and borrow the books whilst you’re in the building for your study session. We’ve moved the self-issue machines to the print hubs on floors 2, 3, and 4 so you can borrow where you are and more easily stay within the one-way system.

Help us keep the Library Covid-safe by:

• Following the one-way system in place
• Using the sanitiser and wipes we make available
• Putting aside books you have used but not borrowed (look out for the trolleys set aside for this)
• Keeping your social distance from fellow Library users and staff
• Being patient and mindful with each other and with requests made by staff

Click & Collect is accessible from the side of the Library facing the Palmer Quad

Click & Collect is still running. You’re still welcome to ‘order’ your books online and we’ll collect them and make them ready for you. This service will remain operating from the Palmer Quad side of the building so that the main entrance and foyer can be used to provide access to the study spaces. This will help us manage any queues.

For more information on the one-way system, booking study spaces, Click & Collect, and how to get help (amongst other changes) bookmark our new Current Library Services LibGuide. We’ll be keeping this and our website up-to-date as we head into Autumn Term.

Thank you for all your support over the summer and welcome back to campus!

Your Library Team

From Monday 24 August Click & Collect is moving!

Your Library Team have been working hard planning and rearranging the Library services and spaces for Autumn Term so that we can continue providing you with the resources you need under socially distanced circumstances. To help with this we’re going to continue the Click & Collect service during the Autumn Term. As the service will be much busier in term time we needed to find it a new home where we could accommodate all the items you’ll be collecting. From Monday 24 August the Click & Collect service will be available from the Short Loan Collection area on the Ground Floor. This is the area that faces the Palmer Quad, opposite the Palmer Building.

You won’t have to come into the main entrance to access the Click & Collect service. You can enter (and exit) the area via doors from the path along the Library side of the quad. We’ll temporarily convert the existing fire doors there to accommodate this.

You’ll also be able to borrow your books yourself via the Self-Issue machines again. We’ve moved the machines in the Short Loan Collection so that you can use them after we’ve handed your books to you and before you leave the building. We will have sanitiser and wipes available for you to use.

The Click & Collect system itself remains the same so you can still place your holds in the same way. For more information on how to place holds, visit the Library website.

Moving the service allows us to adapt our queuing system in the foyer so we can provide one route to access the Café and another to access study space and the IT Service Desk. We are aiming to open for access to study spaces from Monday 7 September. More details about this will be available soon.

Library User Services

From Monday 24 August Click & Collect is moving!

Your Library Team have been working hard planning and rearranging the Library services and spaces for Autumn Term so that we can continue providing you with the resources you need under socially distanced circumstances. To help with this we’re going to continue the Click & Collect service during the Autumn Term. As the service will be much busier in term time we needed to find it a new home where we could accommodate all the items you’ll be collecting. From Monday 24 August the Click & Collect service will be available from the Short Loan Collection area on the Ground Floor. This is the area that faces the Palmer Quad, opposite the Palmer Building.

You won’t have to come into the main entrance to access the Click & Collect service. You can enter (and exit) the area via doors from the path along the Library side of the quad. We’ll temporarily convert the existing fire doors there to accommodate this.

You’ll also be able to borrow your books yourself via the Self-Issue machines again. We’ve moved the machines in the Short Loan Collection so that you can use them after we’ve handed your books to you and before you leave the building. We will have sanitiser and wipes available for you to use.

The Click & Collect system itself remains the same so you can still place your holds in the same way. For more information on how to place holds, visit the Library website.

Moving the service allows us to adapt our queuing system in the foyer so we can provide one route to access the Café and another to access study space and the IT Service Desk. We are aiming to open for access to study spaces from Monday 7 September. More details about this will be available soon.

Library User Services

LGBT+ Guide

LGBT+ is an area of research which can cover a wide range of academic disciplines.  Continuing our celebration of February’s LGBT+ History Month, the Library would like to highlight the online guide to support research into LGBT+-related topics.

Taking the same format as our subject guides this guide focusses on the range of materials available from the Library and Special Collections relating to LGBT+ topics.

It is one of a series of cross-disciplinary research guides we have developed to support research in areas such as disability and inclusion, gender, and race and ethnicity (forthcoming).

It has been created, in consultation with staff and student representatives, to help you find some of the key resources the Library can provide in this area, as well as point you towards other useful online resources, libraries and archives.

We’d love to hear your feedback on the guide, so let us know what you think!

Suggest resources to help diversify our collections

You can also help us to diversify the Library’s collections by putting forward your suggestions for Library materials to help support a more diverse curriculum.

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

You can see all the Diversity fund titles purchased in current and previous academic years on our dedicated Library Diversity fund reading lists.

Tim Chapman, Academic Liaison Team Manager

Library staff will not be able to print Campus or Library Cards from 15:00 on Wednesday 18 September until Monday 23 September inclusive.  

This is to facilitate the arrival and enrolment of our new students.

Normal service will resume at 09:00 on Tuesday 24 September.

Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience.

Rebecca Ashley, Library User Services