New carpet!

The carpet fitters have now gone, and we have a lovely new carpet on the ground floor of the Library.  The colour is a bit darker than the previous carpet, so we hope this will look better for longer - surprisingly, we also think it makes the space look bigger!

There is still a little bit of work to be done on the first floor, but the work to replace the carpet on that floor will also be completed very soon. 

Let us know what you think of the change!

Carpet fitting on ground and 1st floors of the Library starting on Monday 7 July

Dear Staff and Students,

New carpets will be fitted and electrical sockets installed on the ground and first floors of the Library, starting on Monday 7th July and finishing around the 18th July.  Although the cafe will be open as normal throughout this period the rest of the ground floor will be closed for the first week of the work and staff and students should use the 2nd and 3rd floors for study.

Please note the following temporary arrangements:

• Study space on ground floor will be unavailable from 7 - 11 July
• There will be no access to Library laptops from 7 - 11 July
• There will be no fixed PC availability on Ground Floor from 3 July - 16 July 
• Study space on first floor will be unavailable from 14 - 18 July
• The Library Datastream PC will not be available from 11 July - 22 July (students will need to ask to the ABS PG office if they can use Datastream in the trading room)
• LDC appointments will take place in L209 (second floor group study room) 14-18 July

We apologise for any inconvenience caused.  Please bear with us whilst this work is undertaken and email library@aston.ac.uk if you have any questions.

Best regards
Library Public Services Team

Looking for a PC?

The 2nd and 3rd floors of the Library will be unavailable to students for a few more days.  If you're looking for PCs elsewhere on the University campus, you can find out where they are and check availability on the ISA website.  There are details of both open access labs for all students (mainly on the 4th floor of the Main Building) and for labs specific to your School.

You can also check PC availability around campus using the brand new myAston smart phone app.  Don't forget to check out the Library section of the app while you're there!

Library Refurbishment 10 June - 28 October 2013

Library Refurbishment - 10 June - 28 October 2013

Please bear with us whilst we complete the refurbishment of the 2nd and 3rd floors of the Library. Study space will be limited until these floors re-open.

Alternative study spaces in Main Building:

• MB561, 563 and 565 (60 spaces)
• MB606 (80 spaces) 
• MB Sky Lift Lobbies (60 spaces). 

Postgraduate students can also use the MB PG suite:

• MB225, 227, 229, 231, 234 and 246 (200 spaces) 

The MB PG suite can be used for study during the evenings and weekends when not in use for teaching.

Library Refurbishment, Phase 2 - Decorators are now in!

As you can see from the photographs, taken by our contractors Overbury, decorating has begun! To maintain the colour theme throughout the library, the 2nd and 3rd floors will also have feature walls in the now familiar orange, red and pink. 

Both floors will have new grey carpet which we hope will cope with the extensive footfall expected over the years.

To see the latest photographs of the study rooms on floor 2, the flexible teaching spaces and the roof plantroom ready for action, please view the Aston University Library Flickr account

Kind Regards
Library Photography Team
Kerstin, Nicola and Val

The Library will be closed on Saturday 7 September

The Library will be closed on Saturday 7 September for electrical work associated with the refurbishment of the second and third floors.

The Library will be open on Sunday 8 September from 12.00pm to 5.00pm as usual.

Alternative study spaces are available as follows:

MB561, 563 and 565 (60 spaces); MB606 (80 spaces); SW309 (30 spaces); NW109 (60 spaces); MBG8 (40 spaces) and the MB Sky Lift Lobbies (60 spaces).

The MB PG suite, i.e. MB225, 227, 229, 231, 234 and 246 (200 spaces), is available to postgraduates for study during the evenings and weekends.

If you have any queries about this closure, or about any other implications of the refurbishment, please email library@aston.ac.uk.

The Library will be closed on Saturday 7 September

The Library will be closed on Saturday 7 September for electrical work associated with the refurbishment of the second and third floors.

The Library will be open on Sunday 8 September from 12:00 to 17:00 as usual.

Alternative study spaces are available as follows:
MB561, 563 and 565 (60 spaces); MB606 (80 spaces); SW309 (30 spaces); NW109 (60 spaces); MBG8 (40 spaces) and the MB Sky Lift Lobbies (60 spaces).

The MB PG suite, i.e. MB225, 227, 229, 231, 234 and 246 (200 spaces), is available to postgraduates for study during the evenings and weekends.

If you have any queries about this closure, or about any other implications of the refurbishment, please email library@aston.ac.uk.

Library Refurbishment, Phase 2 - Drilling continues

The Library staff waved goodbye to Arthur and Annie, the infamous air conditioning units and everyone breathed a sigh of relief as the chillers were turned back on.  The Library environment is now much cooler and we hope that you are experiencing a better study temperature too.

The refurbishment work continues apace and the drilling has recommenced with vigour!  However, the library staff are soldiering on and you will be pleased to know that we are working hard on ordering reading list material, ensuring all online readings are available, planning library welcome sessions and teaching seminars for the start of term.

If you are struggling to study with the building noise, you may find it quieter in the following places MB606 (80 spaces) and MB 5th Floor study area (60 spaces). Also, the social study areas on the landings near the sky-lifts on each floor of the Main Building.

As always the latest refurbishment photographs are available on Flickr

Kind Regards
Library Photographic Team
Kirsten, Nicola and Val

The Library will close at 17:00 on Friday 23 August

The Library will close at 17:00 on Friday 23 August, due to refurbishment.

We will be open, as usual, from 12:00 on Saturday 24 August and Sunday 25 August.

The Library will be closed on Monday 26 August for the Bank Holiday and closed on Tuesday 27 August for the University Holiday

The Library will re-open on Wednesday 28 August at 09:00.

The Library will be closed on Saturday 17 August and Sunday 18 August

The Library will be closed on Saturday 17 August and Sunday 18 August for refurbishment work that will affect the ground and first floors, as well as the upper floors.

The Library will open again at 09:00 on Monday 19 August, as usual.

There are alternative study spaces available as follows:

MB606 (80 spaces) and MB 5th Floor study area (60 spaces). Also, the social study areas on the landings near the sky-lifts on each floor of the Main Building

We apologise for any inconvenience caused. If you have any queries about this closure, or any other implications of the refurbishment, please email library@aston.ac.uk

Library Refurbishment, Phase 2 - 2nd and 3rd floor progress

It has been another hot week in the Library and we apologise for any discomfit that you have endured while the chillers have been turned off.  Arthur and Annie have been working overtime in the Library Office trying to keep us cool.  Please assured that the builders are working hard on implementing the new air conditioning system as part of the refurbishment project and we should have a better temperature in the Library soon. 

The latest photos show the arrival of the conductors and the crane lifting them in place on the top of the Library roof.

The different study areas are now starting to take shape on the 2nd and 3rd floors including the Flexible Group Study Rooms.  To view all the latest refurbishment photographs please take a look at our Flickr page

Kind Regards
The Library Photography Team
Kerstin, Nicola and Val

Library refurbishment, Phase 2 - machines take over

There is a now a loud humming in the Library Office and no it is not the Library staff singing while they work.  We have been introduced to Annie and Arthur who have joined us for a short time to help cool the temperature down in the office.  Due to the next stage of the building work, the chillers have been turned off for a couple of weeks so the building contractors can work on the ducting.  However, they have kindly supplied us two air conditioning units to help with the rising temperature in the office.

There are no new photos of the refurbishment progress this week.  However, everything seems to be running to schedule.  Views of the contractor's base, behind the library, show a huge supply of plasterboard and ducting, which has been moving up to 2nd and 3rd floors in the external lift.

To the view the refurbishment photographs so far please access our Flickr site

Kind Regards
The Library Photography Team
Kerstin, Nicola and Val

Library Refurbishment, Phase 2 - New photos

Floor 2 - Raised floor installed

There was a flurry of excitement in the Library Office on Friday when it was announced that Ovebury had sent through a series of progress photos of the Library Refurbishment.  After days of drilling, loud bangs and some rather momentous crashes above our heads we finally got to see what they had been doing to the 2nd and 3rd floors.






Floor 3 - Stripping out the brickwork

The second floor brick walls are covered in plasterboard and the raised floor has been installed.  The third floor has been stripped down and the sofits sprayed.  Installation of materials is now beginning and some interesting shaped objects are riding up the external lift past the Library Office window - we think it is the new ducting for the ceiling!




If you would like to view more of the photographs please view our Library Flickr page.

Kind Regards
Library Photography Team
Kerstin, Nicola and Val

The Library will be closed on Saturday 20th July

The Library will be closed on Saturday 20th July, due to refurbishment.  We will be open on Sunday 21st July from 12:00 to 5:00 pm, as usual.

There are alternative study spaces available as follows

• MB606 (80 spaces)
• MB 5th floor (60 spaces)
• Social study areas on the landings near the sky-lifts on each floor of the Main Building

We apologise for any inconvenience caused to you by this closure

The Library will close at 17:00 on Friday 12th July

See post below for details of other study spaces.

The Library will be closed on Saturday 13th July

Due to the refurbishment the Library will be closed on Saturday 13th July.

There are alternative study spaces available as follows:

• MB606 (80 spaces)
• MB 5th Floor study area (60 spaces)
• Social study areas on the landings near the sky-lifts on each floor of the Main Building.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused.  If you have any queries about this closure, or any other implications of the refurbishment, please email library@aston.ac.uk 

The Library will be closed on Saturday 6th July and Sunday 7th July

Due to the refurbishment the Library will be closed on Saturday 6th July and Sunday 7th July.

There are alternative study spaces available as follows:

• MB606 (80 spaces)
• MB 5th Floor study area (60 spaces)
• Social study areas on the landings near the sky-lifts on each floor of the Main Building.

If you have any queries about this closure, or any other implications of the refurbishment, please email library@aston.ac.uk 

The Library will be closed on Saturday 29th June

Due to the refurbishment the Library will be closed on Saturday 29th June.
We will be open 12:00 - 17:00 on  Sunday 30th June.

There are alternative study spaces available as follows:

• MB606 (80 spaces)
• MB 5th Floor study area (60 spaces)
• Social study areas on the landings near the sky-lifts on each floor of the Main Building.

If you have any queries about this closure, or any other implications of the refurbishment, please email library@aston.ac.uk 

Library Refurbishment, Phase 2 - Building work has started

A momentous occasion was captured this week.  Library staff witnessed the last remnants of the infamous 40 year old green carpet disappear in to the external lift and thrown in to the skip in a cloud of dust.  It is the end of an era!  Further library refurbishment photos are available on Flickr.

 

The Library Catalogue is now updated with all the correct locations for our items.  Please view our Blog post for further details.

 

Please note: The Library will be closed on Saturday 29th June.
We will be open 12:00 - 17:00 on Sunday 30^th June

If you have any queries about this, or any other implications of the refurbishment, please email library@aston.ac.uk 

Kind Regards
Library Photography Team
Kerstin, Nicola and Val

Book locations during Refurbishment

During the refurbishment of the upper floors of the Library we have had to relocate all items previously kept on the 2nd and 3rd floor.  The new details, which are shown on Library SmartSearch are:

• Books/DVDs at class numbers between 0 and 531 SMI can be found on the 1st floor
• Books/DVDs at class numbers between 531 SPI and 999 can be found on the ground floor
• Selected reference items and law journals can be found on the 1st floor
• Short loan items can be found in the Short loan collection on the ground floor
• Projects and Theses are kept in the Library Store

All other stock is inaccessible until the end of the refurbishment and is identified with the location Currently unavailable please contact Library staff.  If you need one of these items please speak to Library staff or email us on library@aston.ac.uk

We also have ebooks available so you may find that although the print copy is unavailable there is still an electronic copy for you to access, as in the example below: