Study Environment
Welcome to the University for the 2013-14 academic year. Whether you are a new or a returning student, I am sure you will spend a lot of time in the McClay Library over the months ahead and we want to make sure that your time here is as comfortable and productive as possible.
Below is a summary of our policies in relation to control of noise, food and drink and reserving seats.
Control of Noise The Library is divided into zones (whisper and silent study) and the location of these zones is well signposted. You are asked to respect the needs of fellow students by observing these clearly defined zones and choosing the appropriate one for your study. Mobile phones should routinely be set to silent and used only in stairwells.
Food & Drink While we are happy for you to have drinks with secure lids (both hot and cold) in any area of the Library (except the Special Collections Reading Room), food (including snacks such as crisps and fruit) should only be eaten in the student lounge area on the ground floor.
Reserving Seats To ensure that study and PC spaces are fully utilised at all times, spaces should not be left unoccupied for more than 30 minutes. As there are significant PC and study spaces available, it should not be necessary to tie up spaces and deprive others of the opportunity to use them while you are away. Staff will be happy to help you to find a PC or study space if you experience any difficulty when the building is busy. As well as staffing the enquiry desks on each floor, Library staff operate a roving support service on all floors. They offer help with Library services and resources and will remind you about these policies where necessary. Please support Library staff and help us to create the environment you have asked us to provide.
McClay Library Enhancement Project (Summer 2013)
A significant number of additional study seats and new PC spaces have been made available on the ground floor as a result of a major enhancement project over summer 2013. The atrium has been enlarged and two new silent study rooms created. Two new 6-person group study rooms (Group Study Room 1A and Group Study Room 2A) were made available on the ground floor on Monday 30 September. Both have been added to the group study room booking system on Queen’s Online. The Student Lounge has been significantly extended with the addition of two new water fountains.
Returning Books – New Book Sorter You can now return all your books using our new book sorter on the ground floor. Simply place the books into a return slot one at a time and follow the instructions on screen if you would like a receipt. Please remember to leave the book closed!
Access to the Library Please remember to bring your student card with you when you visit the Library. If you forget your card, you can obtain a temporary card for the day from the kiosk close to Reception. You will only be able to get three temporary cards each year.
Self-Service Book Loans We have also speeded up self-service book loans! You no longer need to open books when checking them out. Simply place the books into the cradle on the self service unit one at a time. Remember that you can use the My Account facility on QCat or Queen’s Online to manage your library account.
If you have any comments or queries on the content of this document or wish to comment on library services more generally, please e-mail: library@qub.ac.uk