Category Archives: Leisure Reading

‘Reading Ahead’ Launch – Book Reading Event

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The Student Union will be visited by an acclaimed literary guest at the launch of a new reading initiative next week in the form of alternate history, fantasy and contemporary crime author Rob Duncan, whose novels have been shortlisted for the Philip K. Dick Award, the East Midlands Book Award and the John Creasey Dagger of the Crime Writers’ Association. 

Rob will be reading an excerpt from his brand new novel The Outlaw and the Upstart King followed up with an exclusive interview and Q&A conducted by Loughborough University academic Deirdre O’Byrne.

Reading Ahead is an initiative spearheaded by the Reading Agency which is run in different workplaces by UNISON. The launch event will be a chance to browse their book selection, receive a complementary reading diary and meet other people from the challenge, plus the chance to enter a prize draw. There will also be literary-themed activities, a mystery book raffle and refreshments will be available.

All staff, students and friends and family are welcome to attend, though booking is necessary – check this link for further details: https://loughboroughuniversity.unison.site/events/unison-reading-ahead-2019-launch-event/

The launch commences at 12pm on Wednesday 9th January in Cognito at the Student Union. Rob will be presenting between 12:30pm and 1:30pm.

Borrowing Books Over the Christmas Vacation

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With Christmas and the end of term looming, we’ve already received several enquiries asking when our Christmas vacation loan period begins.

From Friday 7th December all Long, Week Loan and Leisure Reading books borrowed or renewed can be kept over the Christmas vacation.

1st & 2nd Year Undergraduate loans will then be due back on Wednesday 9th January.

Finalist & Postgraduate loans will be due back on Friday 11th January.

Book recalls will also be suspended from Friday 7th December, resuming again on 4th January, meaning as usual we will NOT be recalling books over the Christmas vacation, although please note that any books requested & borrowed from our Hold shelves with outstanding requests on them will still only issue for one week.

Beating Stress the Library Way!

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As today is National Stress Awareness Day, it’s a good time to remind you of the many ways the Library can help you to keep calm and carry on.

We offer a useful range of online advice sheets, covering everything from essay writing to revision skills – and stress busting!  We stock also stock an extensive range of self-help reading among the Mood Boosting and Books on Prescription range among our Leisure Reading section up on Level 4. To say nothing of the vast array of the latest fiction, biographies and graphic novels to help take your mind off your textbooks.

And if you’re getting stressed about finding information for your coursework, don’t panic – ask your Academic Librarian! Not only are they specialists in the knowledge areas for your particular Schools, they’re also very friendly and just love being asked questions! They also run, throughout the year, a series of Get the Know How sessions about practically every aspect of academic advice – sort of like our advice sheets, only with a friendly human face 🙂

Outside the Library, the University also provides specialist help with the mental rigours of academic life courtesy of the University Counselling Service, which offers a broad range of services ranging from one-to-one meetings with their experienced staff of fully trained counsellors, to online self-help resources and workshops tackling a variety of issues and topics including homesickness and meditation.

National Stress Awareness Day raises awareness about stress, how to prevent it and how to manage it once it occurs. Further resources on beating stress can be found on their website.

(Sadly Charlie the Cat isn’t available to borrow!)

Take Something Horrible Home This Halloween!

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Trick or treating not your thing? Then why not experience the spooky season from the comfort of your armchair by taking a dip into our very own Twilight Zone of horror & the supernatural here in the Library… if you dare!

We have an ever-expanding stock of horror novels among our Leisure Reading collection upstairs on Level 4, including Stephen King, Neil Gaiman and Iain Banks, as well as graphic novels such as Alan Moore’s From Hell and the first book in the ever-popular Walking Dead series, as well as a wide selection of more classic spine-chillers downstairs in our literature section on Level 2 including Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and a wide range of classic supernatural tales by M.R. James, H.P. Lovecraft and Algernon Blackwood.

If your taste for the macabre is more visual than textual, then we have a comprehensive selection of books exploring every aspect of the horror genre on the big (and small) screen among our cinema & television collection down in the 791 section on Level 2, ranging from Alfred Hitchcock to Hannibal Lecter and Dr Jekyll to Dr Who.

Don’t forget that you can also explore the cobwebbed vaults of the British Film Institute and Box of Broadcasts (BoB) online if you’re looking for something creepy to watch… just don’t watch it alone!

Welcome to the Library

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So, you’ve made it to Loughborough – congratulations! At the University Library we take great pride in how we support all our new users – if you ever have a question about how we can support you, ask one of our friendly staff.

As a new student you are automatically enrolled as a member of the Library. your student ID card is also your Library card. Don’t lose it as you need to swipe in through the barriers to enter the Library and to use our self-service machines to borrow your books.

Getting the most of out of your Library

Academic Librarians will be out in the schools during induction week – look out for the Library session in your timetable. You don’t have to wait for the session to use us though – feel free to pop in when you arrive and have a look round, or just come along to one of the quick library tours & induction sessions we’re running over the first week of term.

We’ve also set up a dedicated web page for new starters full of handy tips about how to use the library and get the best out of us. Check it out here – http://www.lboro.ac.uk/services/library/students/about/welcome/

Get the Know How Library workshops

During the autumn term Library staff will be running workshops offering helpful guidance on a wide variety of academic practices including essay writing, note taking, time management and presentation skills. You can find more information about these workshops on our webpages.

Using the Library

Enquiry Desks

The Library offers an Enquiry Desk Service across all levels of the Library during standard office hours (Monday – Friday 9AM to 5:30PM).  User Services staff will be able to help you with most of your enquiries and if necessary will refer you to a colleague with more specialist knowledge.

The Enquiry Desks are staffed by a smaller team of Library staff until 10pm on weekdays, and throughout opening hours on Saturday and Sunday. The staff will be able to help you with most of your enquiries but may need to refer you to a daytime member of staff for detailed assistance.

Finding Information

For specialised help in finding information in your subject area, each School has its own Academic Librarian to offer support and guidance.

Academic librarians are available to assist all University staff and students to find and use information resources effectively, develop library collections to meet your needs and to be your contact point for any information related enquiry.  They have all developed expertise in the subject areas of their Schools and are very happy to help.

Study Spaces

The Library has a range of different study spaces, from silent and quiet spaces to group and social areas. There are also a number of spaces that you can book online including grpup study rooms, bookable booths on Level 4 and individual study carrels on Levels 1 & 2 . Ask at the Enquiry Desk to be shown how to book these rooms yourself.

IT Facilities

There are 250 PCs (excluding those dedicated to accessing Library Catalogue Plus) available in the Library with the majority of these located on Levels 3 & 4. The Library also has a wireless network throughout the building, enabling users to connect to the University’s network from their laptops.

The Library provides basic A4/A3 monochrome and colour printing/copying facilities. Before being able to print or copy you will need to purchase printer credits. You can pay for this at the main Enquiry Desk on Level 3 of the Library.

PC Clinic

The Student PC Clinic is now situated on Level 3 of the Library and is available to help with any IT queries you may have. It is staffed during standard office hours through until 6PM (Monday – Friday) and is open 12pm-2pm at weekends.

Library Café & Shop

We have a café situated on Level 3 which is one of the most popular on campus, not least of all because of their amazing breakfast cobs – as Library staff will testify! We also have a small shop situated near the entrance which sells a variety of snacks, stationary and basic essentials.

Leisure Reading

Here at the Library we’re championing leisure reading! Why? Well, not only is reading for pleasure a great mood enhancer, it’s also strongly linked to academic achievement. So, if you want to give your grades a boost, why not come and browse our dedicated Leisure Reading Collection? The Collection comprises a broad range of genres including contemporary fiction, graphic novel, biography, memoir, crime, fantasy, horror and science fiction – something to suit all tastes!

… And of course, look out for our favorite feline, Charlie the Cat. Your Loughborough experience isn’t truly complete until you’ve had a selfie with him!

Not Taking Your Novels Home with You? BookCross Them Instead!

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If you’re packing up to go home soon and find you haven’t got room in your bag for any novels or fiction you’ve picked up for a little light reading, don’t sling them – give them to us and we’ll find them a good home via BookCrossing.

BookCrossing is the leisure reading phenomenon with the aim of encouraging us all to read more for pleasure. Designed as a ‘read me then release’ me scheme, the way it works is that you take any book you fancy, then, once you’ve finished reading it, pass it on for someone else to enjoy. To add to the fun, every book has been given its own ID number, so you can track its journey via the website.

However, to keep the scheme rolling we need more books to keep the baskets topped up! So, if you have any leisure reading books you’re happy to donate to the scheme, we’d really like to have them. Ideally we’d like good quality novels and biographies, autobiographies or memoirs. Please bring them to one of the Library desks, mentioning that they’re for the BookCrossing scheme, and we’ll do the rest!

Reminder to All Finalists – Check Your Library Account Before You Go

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If you’re a Finalist or you are nearing the completion of your course of study, we’d like to remind you that you should return all library material on loan to you, and clear any outstanding fines, as soon as possible after your last examination. You should also present your student card to be cleared at the Library, even if you have no material on loan.

The Library is required to notify departments of any students who have NOT returned books and paid any fines by the time their Board of Examiners meets. Any outstanding debts will be passed to Finance and could result in debt recovery action.

You may check your borrower record on any catalogue terminal in the Library or by accessing your Library record online through Library Catalogue Plus. Please do not leave it until the last minute, in case there is any query. Please also ensure your department knows where to contact you if necessary.

If you have any queries about your Library record or this process, please contact our friendly User Services Manager Matt directly via email: M.S.Cunningham@lboro.ac.uk.

You can also ring (01509) 222360 if you are not able to visit the Library and staff will be happy to check your account for you.

Borrowing Books During the Summer

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As summer hurtles by many of you may be casting your minds towards borrowing books over the vacation – and many of you may need to bring some of those books back before you leave!

As it stands at the moment, all Long Loan books for Undergraduates, Finalists, Postgrads (including CDS registered) are being issued until Wednesday 20th June – the very last day of term.

From Monday 11th June all Long Loan and Week Loan books will be issued over the summer vacation to either Wednesday 3rd October or Friday 5th October 2018 depending on your status.

All Long Loan and Week loan books borrowed by Finalists will only issue until Wednesday 20th June – we will be issuing reminders to Finalists about clearing their accounts nearer the time.

All External user and Alumni loans remain on a rolling 4-week or one week loan.

High Demand loans, as always, remain the same.

Leisure Reading books will also issue until the 20th June, up until 11th June when they will also issue over the summer vacation.

Please remember that all books are subject to recall over the vacation, so keep an eye on your emails unless you want a nasty surprise when you come back!

Easter Vacation Loan Period

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Our extended Easter vacation loan period begins this Wednesday, 7th March. All books borrowed from the Library or renewed after this date will be issued until the following dates for the following users:

  • Long Loan and Week Loan books for Undergraduates, will be due for return on Wednesday 18th April.
  • Long Loan and Week Loan books for Undergraduate Finalists and  Postgraduates will be due for return on Friday 20th April.
  • All Leisure Reading Books will be issued until Wednesday 18th April.

Please note we do NOT recall books over the Easter vacation, but any reserved books borrowed from our hold shelf which still have outstanding requests may only be borrowed for one week – as always, please check the issue date when borrowing or renewing a book to avoid any fines.

Book Loans Over the Christmas Vacation

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With Christmas and the end of term looming, we’ve already received several enquiries asking when our Christmas vacation loan period begins.

From Friday 8th December all Long, Week Loan and Leisure Reading books borrowed or renewed can be kept over the Christmas vacation.

1st & 2nd Year Undergraduate loans will then be due back on Wednesday 10th January.

Finalist & Postgraduate loans will be due back on Friday 12th January.

Book recalls will also be suspended from Friday 8th December, resuming again on 5th January, meaning as usual we will NOT be recalling books over the Christmas vacation, though please note that any books requested & borrowed from our Hold shelves with outstanding requests on them will still only issue for one week.