You asked, and we listened!
We received feedback asking us to extend opening hours in the library at the weekend to offer greater flexibility for students with caring or work commitments. We are delighted to say that from now on for Trimesters A and B, we will be open from 10am until 11pm on Saturday and Sunday. In Trimester C the library will be open until 6pm at the weekend.
https://www.gcu.ac.uk/currentstudents/essentials/library/usingthelibrary/openinghours
Image of two people sitting and talking. Image contains three arrow shapes that contain text: 1 Join the conversation… Research Cafe, Relax and Renew; 2 Introducing… a new opportunity to share your research, 3 Nurture connections and generate ideas in a relaxed environment.
Next week sees the launch of a series of Research Cafés at GCU. A Research Café is an informal opportunity for staff, students, and the public to meet and talk about GCU research.
Each Café will have two contributors, who will each give a short talk and then lead a discussion about their area of research. The other participants – other researchers, staff, students, or members of the public – can join the conversation at any table, choose to change to another table, or leave at any time. Research Cafés are informal events that won’t bring any additional admin to contributors or participants – you need only turn up for the hour, and enjoy a free coffee, or tea, and biscuit!
The Cafés are part of a wider University ‘research sandscape’ initiative intended to seed and nurture connections between researchers from different disciplines and encourage them to generate novel ideas for the Mission Oriented Research support call MORE@GCU.
The Cafés will be held in the Relax and Renew Space in the Sir Alex Ferguson Library and the dates and times for the first 4 are:
The way in which students and staff login to the WiFi network ‘eduroam’ has now changed in order to provide further security.
For more information on the process for this please view the IT Webpages.
We also have IT Helpcards at the Library Desk which will take you through the process step-by-step.
If you have any issues, please reach out to the IT team avia MyService.
We are installing new study spaces on Level 2 and 3 of the Library on Saturday 2nd October and Sunday 3rd October. There will be some noise associated with this work. If you feel that this noise may affect your use of the Library, please feel free to use another area in the building. Level 0 has space for both individual and group study, and Level 4 is available for silent individual study.
We look forward to seeing you this weekend, and if there is anything we can assist with please contact us using the chat function on the Library homepage or by email at library@gcu.ac.uk.
After a year of booking spaces, swiping cards and social distancing we are thrilled to be opening the Library back up again for all. There are just a couple of things we need to be mindful of as we continue to keep each other safe.
Masks
Masks must be worn at all times in the library unless you are medically exempt. They must be worn even when working at your desk. They can be removed when taking a bite of food or a sip of drink, but must be put back on when finished.
Hygiene
Wipes and hand sanitiser will be freely available throughout the floors and we encourage all Library patrons to use these when working in the building. Our domestic staff will be conducting an enhanced cleaning regime throughout the day.
Respect
While there are no social-distancing rules in place, we ask you to be respectful of the boundaries of other library users. Library staff will be working hard to keep the building safe so please ensure you treat them with the same level of respect.
Following these three simple guidelines will help ensure the Library is a safe and comfortable place to work for all. If you choose not to follow these guidelines then you may be asked to leave.
If at any point you feel uncomfortable you can speak to a member of the Library team using our chat service on the Library homepage or on our smart tables.
If you require books but do not wish to enter the main Library floors then please use our Click and Collect service.
We also have a limited number of bookable PCs if you wish to secure a study space in the Library before you arrive.
If you’d like to discuss any of these guidelines then just reach out to us at library@gcu.ac.uk or 0141 273 1000.
We can’t wait to welcome you back!
From Monday 26 April until Wednesday 12 May the library will provide a number of designated desk spaces for students sitting online exams. Online exam desk space is bookable from 10am – 5pm, Monday to Sunday, during this period.
Bookable online exam desk space within the library is available under the heading Level 2 (Exam Space) on our Book a study space webpage.
In response to Scottish Government guidance regarding the relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions, the Sir Alex Ferguson Library will introduce the following changes:
With effect Monday 29th March, space will be available on level 4 for students to eat their lunch if they are returning to the library after the lunch time clean that takes places between 1pm and 2pm. These must be booked. You will not be permitted to stay without a valid booking. Users must leave the space via the one way system in operation to check in for afternoon study space bookings at the library entrance. Please note that access to the building is unavailable between 1pm and 2pm. If you leave the building for any reason during the lunch booking, you will be unable to access the building until 2pm. Please ensure you take all personal belongings with you. Food delivery services are not permitted to access the building.
Additionally, from Monday 29th March there will also be 29 spaces on level 2 for silent individual study to meet the growth in demand for spaces. Please note that social distancing guidelines must be observed in both spaces and face coverings are mandatory when not eating or drinking.
With effect Tuesday 6th April, the library opening hours will be 10am – 8pm Monday to Friday and 10am – 6pm Saturday and Sunday. The library will continue to be closed between 1pm and 2pm for cleaning purposes.
Please note that that library will open 10am – 1pm and 2pm – 5pm over the Easter weekend (Friday 2nd April – Monday 5th April) for students requiring access to the click and collect service and study spaces
From Monday 26th April space will be available on level 2 for students to sit exams should they have limited space at home.
From Monday 26th April the lunchtime closure will cease.
We are pleased to announce that the Library will be open during the winter holiday period.
Please note, the Library is only open for pre-booked study spaces and to collect books via the click-and-collect system. For further guidance please see our guidance Covid-19 services webpage.
| Saturday | 19/12/2020 | Closed |
| Sunday | 20/12/2020 | Closed |
| Monday | 21/12/2020 | 10am-4pm |
| Tuesday | 22/12/2020 | 10am-4pm |
| Wednesday | 23/12/2020 | 10am-4pm |
| Thursday | 24/12/2020 | Closed |
| Friday | 25/12/2020 | Closed |
| Saturday | 26/12/2020 | Closed |
| Sunday | 27/12/2020 | Closed |
| Monday | 28/12/2020 | 10am-4pm |
| Tuesday | 29/12/2020 | 10am-4pm |
| Wednesday | 30/12/2020 | 10am-4pm |
| Thursday | 31/12/2020 | Closed |
| Friday | 01/01/2021 | Closed |
| Saturday | 02/01/2021 | Closed |
| Sunday | 03/01/2021 | Closed |
| Monday | 04/01/2021 | 10am-4pm |
| Tuesday | 05/01/2021 | Normal hours resume |
Please remember to bring your student/staff card for access into the building.
We look forward to welcoming you over the festive period!
Pure and the Research Online portal will undergo a major upgrade from Monday 23rd September 2019. Pure will be unavailable to users until 2nd October 2019; Research Online will remain accessible during this period. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.
The upgraded system will bring the following benefits to users:
For enquiries regarding the upgrade or system downtime please contact librarysystems@gcu.ac.uk
For urgent enquiries relating to REF eligible outputs please contact repository@gcu.ac.uk
Big changes are coming to the library this summer, making it easier for our students and staff to find the books and journals they’re looking for.
In response to student feedback, the mobile shelving on levels two, three and four of the Saltire Centre will be converted to static shelving. The books and journals currently held on the mobile and existing static shelves will also be integrated, meaning library users will no longer have to go to different sets of shelves to see all of the material on any one subject.
Robert Ruthven, Director of Library Services, said: “Our students have told us that they find the mobile shelving off-putting and difficult to use. This is also reflected in the low usage of the material that’s held in this shelving.
“We’re, therefore, moving these books and journals to static shelving, meaning the material that’s currently ‘hidden’ in the mobile shelving will be easy to find by users as they browse.
“This is a huge project for the library, which involves moving almost every book and journal in our collection.”
The work will be carried out over the summer months, which is typically a quieter period for the library.
To keep disruption to a minimum, work will be carried out on one floor at a time, starting on level four in May, after the exams have ended. Each floor will be closed and the material held on that floor will be unavailable to users for about four weeks while the work progresses. The work is due to be complete by early August.
Robert said: “To give our users as much access to our physical collection as possible, we’re encouraging them to borrow early in advance of the floor closures. We will not charge fines on items borrowed over the summer period and we’re investing in additional e-books. Our inter-library loan service is also available to all students and staff.”
The mobile shelving on Level 0 of the Saltire Centre will not be converted to static shelving. Instead, its electronic-management system will be upgraded and it will be used to house low-use items that have not been borrowed for more than ten years. At the end of the project this material will be available on request and will be fetched by library staff.
The mobile shelving in our Archives Centre, which holds the University’s archives and special collections, is also being upgraded to securely house these resources for many years to come.
