Student led change

Building on strength

We thrive on feedback and love to hear from our clients about what is going well and where we can do better.  The National Student Survey was no exception and we are really grateful to all our students for helping shape the developing library service.  We have held prestigious Customer Service Excellence Standard recognition continuously since 2016 and continue to deliver a higher level of satisfaction than our national competition in the National Student Survey, delivering a client-centred service and empowering staff to “go the extra mile” and embedding improvements to the student experience across the board.

 

Creating a warmer welcome in person and online

You told us that you appreciated the range of foods that helped you stay well while studying for long hours but asked us to help you make your money go further.  We understand the impact of the cost of living crisis on students and were pleased to introduce microwaves so you can reheat economical, home-cooked food and sustain yourself while you study sustainably on a budget.

We completely refurbished the foyer and the adjoining toilets to create a lighter, brighter, more welcoming entrance to the Library.  New entry doors have an intelligent management system that works with a new energy-efficient heater to banish the winter winds and keep the entrance area and Atrium comfortably warm while continuing to support our ambition to act responsibly and achieve carbon neutrality.

You told us that the Library was much larger than any you were used to, so we made getting to know the Library easier with a welcome video, an overview of library services for new students, a redesigned virtual tour and a separate self-guided audio tour. 

 

Reimagining library spaces

Feedback from students continues to tell us we are your favourite study space on campus but that space can be at a premium at peak times of the year.  We have worked hard with our colleagues in Information Services to develop our space and are delighted to have expanded and refurbished our postgraduate study suite offering a space apart for all our postgraduate research students, relieving pressure on the rest of the Library for everyone else.

While most people comment on the diverse range of study spaces and can always find somewhere to study that they enjoy, some people need complete isolation to concentrate.  Being inclusive is at the heart of everything we do and so we were delighted to be among the first buildings on campus to receive individual study pods with adjustable lighting that allow you to close the door on the rest of the world and study in splendid isolation.  These pods have proven so popular and we have had to buy more and introduce two-person pods to meet demand!

We reimagined, refurbished and repositioned the Book Nook, taking a once drafty space beneath the stairs and turning it into a warm, naturally lit, relaxing sofa corner nestled next to the Library Café and the attractive Outside In World collection of children's books in translation.  We are now looking at how we can refurbish this space once again into a relaxation corner to support your wellbeing, while the Book Nook finds a new niche outside the turnstiles where it can serve the public as readily as our own students.

Staying hydrated is important for your study and wellbeing, so we replaced our drinking fountains with modern water bottle refill stations in addition to our café and 24/7 vending machines.

 

Resourcing you to go further

Every year, you tell us that our resources were one of the things you like most about your courses.  We are excited to empower you to fulfil your potential and go further, and have spent nearly £3 million on resources to ensure you have everything you need to succeed.  We have also worked hard to make it easier to understand how to find and use our electronic resources.  We turned our Subject pages into tailored learning paths taking you from first steps to final projects with library teaching, support, and the best resources for your subject and then launched a new look Discovery Service that makes it easier than ever to find what you need from a simple search and then apply powerful tools to pinpoint the evidence most relevant to your research question.  

 

A library that comes to you

You told us that you did not all enjoy reading exclusively from a screen, and not all books are available electronically, so we began posting books to everyone on request and scanning articles and book chapters if they were only available in print.  Now everyone can read our print books, no matter where in the UK they are staying.  We still strive to offer ebooks for all your required reading and everything recommended for distance learning courses so that you can read or listen to your core materials at home or on the go.

 

Art and recreation

You told us you enjoyed being surrounded by attractive works of art so we expanded our display space and turned much of the Library into an exhibition space.  We have been proud to buy and display our students’ competition-winning art to stimulate and inspire future generations and host exhibitions by local photographers, including our students and alumni as well as hosting smaller displays by our staff, students and other local artists, showcasing their talents, hobbies, interests and projects.  There is nothing like the feeling when we see the burgeoning confidence of students seeing their work exhibited in public for the first time. 

 

Tell us what you think

We are tremendously grateful to our graduating students for telling us what they loved and where we should focus on making change to support our future students.  We pop up around campus for an informal chat with anyone who will stop and talk with us and we look forward to your feedback in the National Student Survey but you don't have to wait until you are leaving us to make your mark!  We are a student led service and almost everything you see was influenced at some point by student feedback.

Jot your ideas and suggestions down on a postcard and pop it into the red retro postbox on the ground floor of the library, share your ideas and suggestions with us by online chat or email, or just stop by and tell us your suggestions in person.  We’d love to hear what’s working well for you and where we can do better.  

We look forward to hearing from you soon!