Hi,

I'd like to ask fellow PhD students about their use of the uni library (this is to help me with a job application, but it might be useful and interesting anyway...).

Basically, my questions are:

- what advice would you give to new PhD students about using the library?

- what do you find useful or not useful about the library?

- what things would you like the library to offer that they don't do at the moment?

If you have anything to say about libraries which doesn't relate to my questions, I would be very interested to hear about it too.

I'm just after some general ideas - I won't be quoting anybody or anything like that!

Thanks very much,
L

Not sure how much help this will be - I hardly ever use my uni library or at least the building - I go in to pick up books, take books back but other than that I avoid it like the plague as it is always full of undergrads texting and talking.  Also i like to have a cup of tea when I am working. I tend to work either in my office at the uni where I work (not the same uni as my PhD), if I am in my PhD uni, at my desk in one of the (overcrowded) PhD corridors (sorry that should say rooms but it is a glorified corridor with a door on it).  Most likely I am at home in my dining room surrounded by piles of books, articles etc.

What I do use extensively is the on-line journal, database etc access (and the on-line library access for my subject was a key factor in my selecting the uni for my PhD).

What would I like the library to offer - silence, space, more books (but then doesn't everyone want that), free photocopying etc etc.
I would recommend new students to get to know their subject librarian - they can be great for lit searches - sometimes a conversation with one of them can throw up a synonym that you haven't thought of and which opens up a whole raft of articles.

I'd also recommend browsing the shelves as occasionally books in a close classmark can also throw up a new strand of enquiry.

Oh and most of all I would love (but this is never going to happen) for little elves to reshelve books overnight so that the books that sneaky students have hidden in an obscure corner get returned to where they belong.

I don't work in my university library, partly because of the aforementioned dominance of undergrads using Facebook, but mainly because I live over an hour away and it's not worth the frequent travelling. If I'm not working at home, I go to one of several specialist libraries and institutes (in central London) where I know they have the books I need, and I know it will be quiet!

hi Louisa
Q: what advice would you give to new PhD students about using the library?
A: tell them about the library facilities (where the photocopiers are) and available support (finding articles, workshops for referencing software, librarian's email, how to make inter-library loan, how to top up their student card in case they need to print something in the library)

Q: what do you find useful or not useful about the library?
A: Useful is all the stuff in the library (books, computers, people etc)
Not useful is the wasted space or space not properly utilized; arrangement of group-study that might not be a good location

Q: what things would you like the library to offer that they don't do at the moment?
A: Library should also offer dvds of educational movies, art films, concert dvds, language dvds (there are none at my uni library :-) ) And ALSO lending laptops to students (this is not available but in SPAIN, yes)

anything else about library: I dont like people eating in the library. I always see this. Speaking on the phone is ok for me, its still tolerable. Sips of water are still ok. but not crisps and sandwiches smuggled in.

hope you get the job!!!! post us the GOOD NEWS
happy satchi

New PhD students? Find out who is the academic librarian in your area, and introduce yourself. Find time at the beginning of your research to get to know the library, where thigns are, how the system works, what journals they stock, what other facilities they have to offer. Try a few searches for books, so you can get help if you have a problem finding your way round. Try some journal searches using the online facility and make sure you know how that works. Check upon interlibrary loans, how to request them etc.

I don't spend much time in the libray, and definately not as much as i used to as they have gone down the party route, there is eating of cold food, drinking of cold drinks and the noise is horrendous, except during the breaks when the undergrads have gone home! I miss the formal atmosphere, there was always talking, but it was never so loud that it interfered with concentration. There is a supposed silent area, but the open plan nature of the place means that sound travels even into this area

sometimes it is annoying when you find the very article you were searching for, only to find that your library doesn't subscribe to it, so you have to request it, or, most usually in my case abandon it.


I wish they would stop moving things around - it was nice to be able to go straight to the bit you wanted, to find it has been replaced by the photocopier that used to be elsewhere is not good!

Hi,

Thanks for your responses - don't know about the job yet!

I think you all raise some interestings points - and I agree that libraries have become more noisy, and there is too much eating! I also agree with satchi that it would be nice to have more course-related films etc, or audio. I have in the past borrowed quite a few DVDs - but only for entertainment purposes! This can be quite useful, particularly if they have a large cultural studies department..

jepsonclough - re more books. In the past I have made recommendations for books for them to buy and they have bought them! So maybe that's something you could try?

NapoleonofCrime - yes, using other libraries can be a good idea, I do that too.

joyce - a suggestion for when your library doesn't subscribe to the online journal you want - I ask a friend from another uni to get it for me. This is probably illegal though! Quite often I get what I want in the end!

L