For some people, crowds and noisy spaces are the stuff of nightmares.  If this sounds like you, there are some simple ways to get the books you need, use the library, ask questions when you need to and void all the noise and bustle and find a place to work quietly without distractions.  Simply follow these simple tips:

Quiet times to come and go

Arrive before 10.30 am.  Most students start drifting into the library from 11 am onwards.  If you arrive before 10.30 am, you will find it quiet and almost empty.  The Library usually quietens down again in the early evening, from around 6.00 pm onwards.

Quiet spaces to study

There is an Individual Silent Study Zone on the second floor (the top floor), which is marked out by purple pull-up banners near the entrances.  If you need to use a laptop, you can borrow one with a charging cable from any of the lockers on the ground floor using your student card, and take this with you to study anywhere in the library.

If the noise level in the Individual Silent Study zone is still distracting you, earplugs are usually available from the Library Help Desk.  It helps us minimise our carbon footprint if you retain and re-use these again as much as possible.

Getting help

Online chat

You can chat to a librarian by exchanging online chat messages through the Library website.  This means you can get help without speaking to anyone face to face or talking to anyone.  You might be better off sending an email if your question is particularly involved and complicated, but for the vast majority of enquiries, online chat gets you instant answers.

One-to-one consultations

Just how quiet it is depends on the time of year, but if you have difficulty bringing yourself to cross the threshold, you can always make an appointment to speak to a librarian for a one-to-one consultation.  Please tell us when you book your appointment if you would like to be met somewhere quiet when you make the appointment or you need us to meet you outside and accompany you into the library building.