28 April 2010
Air Conditioning Problems in Library Building
There are ongoing problems with the air conditioning in the Library building today (28th April 2010). We apologise if the temperatures are not ideal during the examination period. Estates are working on the problem as a matter of urgency. If you have and queries or comments about this, please comment on this blog post.
23 April 2010
Silent study during examination period
The 2nd and 3rd floor of the Library will remain silent study zones until 12th June. Please remember that only single, silent study is permitted on these floors during this time.
If you have any comments or queries about this, please comment on this blog post.
If you have any comments or queries about this, please comment on this blog post.
16 April 2010
New media resource
We now have access to the following resource via the Aston e-Library:
The LBC/IRN Audio Archive
The London Broadcasting Company / Independent Radio News audio archive consists of 7,000 reel-to-reel tapes in a collection that runs from 1973 to the mid-1990s. It is the most important commercial radio archive in the UK and provides a unique audio history of the period.
You will need to log-in both off and on campus
The LBC/IRN Audio Archive
The London Broadcasting Company / Independent Radio News audio archive consists of 7,000 reel-to-reel tapes in a collection that runs from 1973 to the mid-1990s. It is the most important commercial radio archive in the UK and provides a unique audio history of the period.
You will need to log-in both off and on campus
15 April 2010
Changes to loans policy over vacation period: Feedback
Thank you for all your comments regarding the changes to loans policy over the vacation period.
It is true that the vacation is being treated the same as term-time, which means that fines will be charged on overdue loans that have not been renewed, and on any loans that are wanted by another reader and cannot therefore be renewed. Students who find that they cannot renew a book because it is wanted by another reader are advised to post the item back to the Library. This is responsible borrowing; it helps the widest possible circulation of resources; and it is the normal practice at a great many universities, including Birmingham University.
It is highly unusual for us to change an established way of doing things part-way through an academic year, however there was a lot wrong with the old system, which caused a good many problems at Christmas and resulted in unfair practices. In the light of this experience we decided to make changes now rather than wait until after the Sumer vacation.
Under the old system, students were able to borrow books for the whole vacation and incurred no fines, even when the books were wanted by other readers. It seemed to be unfair that some students could keep books – which they knew to be in demand - for several weeks without being fined accordingly. Moreover, many students, who did not realize that there would be no fines, asked staff what it would cost them to keep the book for a few weeks, knowing that they were depriving other readers. It is also the case that students who have a reservation to collect in the last week of term do not collect it until as late as possible so that they can have it for the whole vacation. This results in an in-demand book sitting on the reservation shelf for a week, unused by anybody. All these practices are counter to the sort of community spirit and sense of responsibility that should be fostered around shared – and scarce - resources. We therefore took the decision to change the parameters of the library management system so that all days when the Library is open are treated the same and only days when the campus is closed do not incur fines, giving us a much more equitable system.
If you have any further comments on this, please comment on this blog post.
It is true that the vacation is being treated the same as term-time, which means that fines will be charged on overdue loans that have not been renewed, and on any loans that are wanted by another reader and cannot therefore be renewed. Students who find that they cannot renew a book because it is wanted by another reader are advised to post the item back to the Library. This is responsible borrowing; it helps the widest possible circulation of resources; and it is the normal practice at a great many universities, including Birmingham University.
It is highly unusual for us to change an established way of doing things part-way through an academic year, however there was a lot wrong with the old system, which caused a good many problems at Christmas and resulted in unfair practices. In the light of this experience we decided to make changes now rather than wait until after the Sumer vacation.
Under the old system, students were able to borrow books for the whole vacation and incurred no fines, even when the books were wanted by other readers. It seemed to be unfair that some students could keep books – which they knew to be in demand - for several weeks without being fined accordingly. Moreover, many students, who did not realize that there would be no fines, asked staff what it would cost them to keep the book for a few weeks, knowing that they were depriving other readers. It is also the case that students who have a reservation to collect in the last week of term do not collect it until as late as possible so that they can have it for the whole vacation. This results in an in-demand book sitting on the reservation shelf for a week, unused by anybody. All these practices are counter to the sort of community spirit and sense of responsibility that should be fostered around shared – and scarce - resources. We therefore took the decision to change the parameters of the library management system so that all days when the Library is open are treated the same and only days when the campus is closed do not incur fines, giving us a much more equitable system.
If you have any further comments on this, please comment on this blog post.
9 April 2010
Graduation 2010
If you are graduating in July 2010, you must clear all outstanding Library charges by 12 June.
Failure to do so will mean that your graduation certificate will be withheld.
If you have any comments or queries about this, please comment on this blog post or email library@aston.ac.uk
Failure to do so will mean that your graduation certificate will be withheld.
If you have any comments or queries about this, please comment on this blog post or email library@aston.ac.uk
8 April 2010
Day Visitor Pass Scheme: temporary suspension
From the 19th of April until further notice we regret that we will be unable to issue Day Visitor Passes. This is due to the examination period (19 April- 12 June) being followed by refurbishment work until at least 22 October.
Holders of a Regular Visitor Card are unaffected by this arrangement. If you are a member of another university and eligible to borrow books under the Sconul Access scheme, please follow the instructions on this page: http://www.access.sconul.ac.uk/users_info/how_html
If you have any queries or comments about this, please comment on this blog post or email library@aston.ac.uk
Holders of a Regular Visitor Card are unaffected by this arrangement. If you are a member of another university and eligible to borrow books under the Sconul Access scheme, please follow the instructions on this page: http://www.access.sconul.ac.uk/users_info/how_html
If you have any queries or comments about this, please comment on this blog post or email library@aston.ac.uk
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