You Said We Did

We understand how important it is for you to have access to the textbooks you need for your studies. That’s why we work closely with Schools to ensure the latest module reading lists are added to our online reading system and we acquire copies of any new titles.

We are committed to providing accessible resources. Where appropriate and affordable, we acquire e-books—currently offering access to over 800,000 titles. When suitable e-book licences are not available, we may digitise book chapters and journal articles from our print collections to support your learning.

Library Search allows you to reserve books that are currently on loan, helping ensure materials are available to more students when they are in high demand. The reservation system is also one way that we can identify where high-demand items so we can respond quickly by purchasing additional copies where possible. Last academic year we purchased an additional 181 copies of in-demand books.

We also encourage students to let us know when a title they need isn’t available via our Recommend a Book service. In 2024/25, we purchased 1,220 new titles based on student recommendations.

We have installed eight new single person booths on level 3 and six on level 4 of Philip Robinson Library. These booths offer a quiet, focused environment designed to support individual study.

We understand how important it is to find a comfortable and quiet space to study, especially during assessment periods. That’s why our staff are on hand to help you locate available study areas when things get busy. We closely monitor occupancy levels, and we’re pleased to say that since 2020 our libraries have never reached full capacity.

To make planning easier, you can book study spaces in advance or check how busy each library is in real time via our website.

We’re also working closely with other parts of the University to improve how study space availability is signposted across campus — making it easier for you to find the right spot when you need it most.

We’re expanded our “Bring Your Own Device” provision by increasing the number of docking stations across our libraries. This means you can connect your own laptop to a larger monitor for a more comfortable and productive study experience.

We hope this also helps free up PC-equipped study spaces for those who need them — making better use of all available resources for everyone.

We’re committed to making our study spaces both practical and inviting. That’s why we regularly refresh popular areas using your feedback, usage data, and insights from our User Experience studies.

Over the summer, we transformed the social learning space on Level 2 of the Philip Robinson Library — giving it a vibrant new look with contemporary furniture and a layout designed to support a range of study styles. You asked for more of what works — and we delivered: tables with integrated power and charging ports, warm natural colours, comfortable seating, and modern design. The new space now includes built-in group desks with low seating and task lighting, as well as individual high stools with counter-style worktops ideal for laptop use.

The Walton Library’s Glen space has also been updated with a mix of different furniture including individual study booths for individual study and informal furniture configurations for collaborative working. We've also upgraded the windows with secondary glazing to provide a warm, safe and cosy environment for study, year-round.

Height adjustable desks are also available in all our buildings. We have just installed six new height adjustable desks on Level 4 of the Philip Robinson Library, increasing options to tailor desk height to your comfort. All our operator chairs feature fully adjustable height, back and seat options.

We’ll continue to monitor how all our study spaces are used and gather feedback to inform future refurbishments. So please keep sharing your thoughts — they help us create spaces that work better for everyone.

We gathered the existing online referencing help from our hidden Referencing Guide and added it, along with new information, to the Academic Skills Kit, making it easier to locate.

We organised additional toilet checks during busy periods and exam time. 

HDMI to USBC cables purchased for all libraries to enable collaborative working. USB to USBC adapters also purchased to allow students use of library headphones with apple laptops.​

We suggested you look at our Study Skills page, as well as our Academic Writing page and our Good Academic Practice page.

Within these pages, they will find further links to more specific aspects of all these skills, e.g. within 'Academic Writing' they will find guidance on writing introductions, main paragraphs and conclusions, and within 'Study Skills' they will find some strategies for reading and note-taking, critical thinking etc. The 'Good Academic Practice' page contains links to resources on plagiarism, refencing and AI.

We also said "Beyond ASK, they could also look at the Academic Phrasebank".

And for more individual support, students can of course also book an appointment with the Academic Skills Team.

Finally we offered a group-level Academic Skills session which we coudl provide either online via Canvas or in-person.