About the Library
Newcastle University Library is a multiple award winning service consisting of four buildings on campus and one off campus facility.
Philip Robinson Library
Opened in 1982, the Philip Robinson Library is the main campus Library and has resources for all subjects except medicine and law. It was named after Philip Robinson, a bookseller in the city and benefactor to the Library.
- over 1,680 study spaces
- over 420 desktop PCs
- 24 group study rooms including 8 accessible study rooms, all bookable online
- two research spaces on levels 3 and 4
- postgraduate study room
- media room with audio and microfilm collections
- Print Services located on Level 1
Marjorie Robinson Library Rooms
Situated a short walk away from the main campus Library, the Marjorie Robinson Library Rooms is a truly digital Library, offering a variety of spaces to study, think, learn, collaborate and consult. Opened in January 2016, it is named after Marjorie Robinson, the wife of Philip Robinson.
- over 760 study spaces including 11 study booths
- 16 group study rooms and 2 boardroom-style workrooms
- 1 Chatterbox – a place to Skype and video conference
- over 260 desktop PCs
- Academic Skills Room with 40 computers
Walton Library
The Walton Library is the faculty Library for Medical Sciences. It serves the Schools of Medicine, Dentistry, Psychology and Biomedical Sciences as well as the Graduate School and research institutes of the faculty. It is named after Lord John Walton, former Dean of Medicine at the University and renowned neurologist.
- opened in 1984 and located in the Medical School
- over 590 study spaces
- over 120 desktop PCs
- over 150 individual spaces with power
- 15 group study rooms including accessible study room
Law Library
The Law Library is located in Newcastle Law School and provides extensive resources for all those engaged in learning and researching law.
- first opened in 1925 and then located in Newcastle Law School in 1977
- over 125 study spaces
- over 80 individual spaces with power
- cluster PCs and laptop loans
- group study rooms
- use of common room area in Newcastle Law School
Research Reserve
Newcastle University Library has access to state-of-the-art off campus storage facilities, meaning we can hold less used material for much longer than some other academic libraries. The Research Reserve currently houses back runs of journals and books as well as music scores and other material.
- situated five miles from the main campus on the Team Valley Trading Estate in Gateshead
- around 400,000 Library items stored all fully catalogued
- Wi-Fi connectivity to the University network
- shelving capacity is 26 kilometres (spreading our stock in a long line from Newcastle University Library, up the A1 to Morpeth!)
- researchers can visit by appointment.
Awards
Newcastle University Library is a multiple-award winning service. We are the only University Library in the UK to have received the Charter Mark five times, and now hold the Customer Services Excellence award which replaced it. As the following awards and achievements illustrate, we are committed to developing and delivering innovative services as stated in our Library strategic plan.
Sandford Award
The Sandford Award is an independently assessed, quality assured assessment of formal, curriculum-aligned and site led heritage learning programmes. It is is managed by the Heritage Education Trust in partnership with Bishop Grosseteste University. Over 500 heritage sites and services, found in all parts of the British Isles, have received the Sandford Award since they were first made in 1978. Newcastle University Library were awarded the Sandford Award in 2023 for their Education Outreach provision. The award lasts for five years. The assessment report concluded: "The archives really are alive at Newcastle University Library! Using archives and special collections as a jumping off point for explorations into all manner of curriculum related topics, staff offer opportunities for students to 'touch history' and be inspired."
Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE)
Twice in recent years, the creative and impactful ways Library staff work with others to improve the students’ educational experience have been recognised nationally through our winning of The Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE). This award recognises collaborative efforts that have had a demonstrable impact on teaching and learning. In 2021, a CATE was awarded to the PG Cert in Research Training team. The project involved Library Liaison staff working with the Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty and other Professional Services staff to transform postgraduate researcher training to be delivered online, in more active and engaging ways that better met their diverse needs. It was recognised that a major contributing factor to the project’s success was the bringing together of the creativity and expertise of different staff. In 2023, the School of Natural and Environmental Sciences’ Employability and Enterprise Working Group, which includes academic staff, their Liaison Librarian, together with colleagues from the International Office and Careers Service, won a CATE award. This was for their new and collaborative way of working together in a "Pizza Model" which brings together Champions from across the University’s Schools, Professional Services and industry partners to help students develop the skills which will enhance their employability prospects, such as problem solving, digital and information literacies and enterprise.
LILAC - Information Literacy Awards
In April 2019, the creativity and teamwork of the Library staff was recognised nationally by our professional peers at LILAC (the information literacy conference). Learning developer, Terry Charlton, won the Digital Award for Information Literacy, which rewards an innovative and high impact digital resource in the field. Terry worked with the Library’s Academic Liaison team to produce a portfolio of online education resources, including a series of videos covering topics such as literature reviews, finding and evaluating information. In addition, the Academic Liaison team was runner-up in the Information Literacy Award, which recognises an outstanding achievement in the field of information literacy. The team was commended for its excellent work in transforming the credit bearing postgraduate information skills module into a high quality blended learning experience.
Credo Digital Award for Information Literacy
In March 2016, our Education Outreach team was awarded the Credo Digital Award for Information Literacy which recognises an individual or group who develop the best new digital educational resource for promoting Information Literacy. The winning project was the 6th Form Study Skills website. The judges' comments note that the website "approaches information literacy skills in a light-touch and engaging way, appropriate to the audience. The fact that it is also being used by university students demonstrates its wide appeal.".
Customer Service Excellence
Customer Service Excellence is the UK national standard for customer service delivery. The Library has held the standard since 1995, from its original incarnation as the Charter Mark to its recent Customer Service Excellence reaccreditation in 2023. It illustrates our dedication to delivering a friendly, professional and efficient service to all our customers and putting you at the heart of everything we do.
CILIP PPRG Marketing Excellent Gold Award for Popping up a Library
Awarded in 2014
The PPRG (Publicity and Public Relations Group) are a special interest group of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) which hosts the Marketing Excellence Award. The Library’s entry ‘Popping up a Library’ was a project to provide temporary extra study space to ease the pressure on our existing libraries at exam time, and showed initiative and creativity in addressing the problem.
Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Awards
The Times Higher Awards are open to all UK higher education institutions and seek to recognise examples of innovation, teamwork and enterprise. Since winning the award for Outstanding Library Team in 2011, Newcastle University Library has been shortlisted for a Times Higher Award in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2023 for a wide range of student and community focused initiatives.
Survey results
National Student Survey (NSS)
Each year the University takes part in the National Student Survey which gathers final year students' opinion on the quality of their courses and includes a question on learning resources and services provided by the Library. Our students consistently respond positively to and value the Library’s services and collections. As part of our commitment to continuous improvement we review all free text comments carefully and use to inform our service development. In 2021 our learning resources and services scored 71%.
Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES)
Launched in 2009, AdvanceHE annual Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES) is the only sector-wide survey to gain insight from taught postgraduate students about their educational experience. In 2021 the Library achieved a satisfaction rating of 67% for access to physical libraries, resources and facilities and 85% for access to online library resources.
Meet the team
Leadership Team
Director of Academic Services and University Librarian: Jill Taylor-Roe libraryhelp@ncl.ac.uk
Deputy University Librarian: Wendy Luker libraryhelp@ncl.ac.uk
Head of Business and Management Services: Jenny Campbell libraryhelp@ncl.ac.uk
Head of Collections Management and Digital Library Services: John Williams libraryhelp@ncl.ac.uk
Head of Learning and Support Services: Elizabeth Oddy libraryhelp@ncl.ac.uk
Senior Management Team
Academic Skills Team Manager: Liv Jonassen academicskills@newcastle.ac.uk
Head of Customer Services: Anne Middleton libraryhelp@ncl.ac.uk
Head of Digital Library Services: Stephen Harding libraryhelp@ncl.ac.uk
Head of Library Estates Service: David Errington libraryhelp@ncl.ac.uk
Head of Special Collections & Archives: Ian Johnson libraryhelp@ncl.ac.uk
Head of Content & Discovery: Pamela Dodds libraryhelp@ncl.ac.uk
Head of Research Publications and Data Management Services: Amanda Boll libraryhelp@ncl.ac.uk
Liaison Team
Arts and Humanities
- The Liaison Librarian for this subject is Rob McEwen-Orr.
- Email the team: lib-arts@ncl.ac.uk
Law
- The Liaison Librarian for this subject is Rob McEwen-Orr.
- Email the team: lib-law@ncl.ac.uk
Social Science
- The Liaison Librarian for this subject is Louise Masson.
- Email the team: lib-socsci@ncl.ac.uk
Faculty of Medical Sciences
- The Liaison Librarians for this subject are Linda Errington and Aimee Cook.
- Email the team: medliaison@ncl.ac.uk
Faculty of Science, Agriculture and Engineering
- The Liaison Librarian for Computing and Engineering is Emily Dott
- The Liaison Librarian for Natural and Environmental Sciences, Mathematics, Statistics and Physics is Julia Robinson
- Email the team: lib-sage@ncl.ac.uk