Christmas is coming!

Posted on December 13, 2016 by jmt29

The festive period is nearly here. The library will be open until 12.30 midday on Friday 23 December and will be closed for the holiday season. We open again on Monday 2 January 2017 at 11am, when we will be open 24/7 until midnight on Friday 13 January.

We have made a lot of changes to our service over the last year – from our new book sorter and carpet, to the LapSafe system in the Pilkington Building.

Let us know what you think, whether negative or positive, on ServMetric – the icons are on every computer screen. If you leave your contact details, we will get back to you.

We wish you all an enjoyable Christmas holiday period and hope you come back refreshed and raring to go in the New Year.

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Coming up this autumn in your library!

Posted on October 20, 2016 by jm464

The term has truly started and it’s great to see an increasing number of students coming through our doors again!

There have been some further final touches to our services and we have lined up some events and awareness weeks throughout the term. There is also a range of study skills workshops running in the library to help you with your studies.

Here are some top picks of what’s new and coming up in your library this autumn.

Medway Researchers’ Room

We have declared our brand new dedicated Postgraduate Researchers’ Room officially open! This newly designed and refurbished room is situated on the first floor of the library, accessible through the Group Mezzanine, and is available for research students from all three universities. It provides an excellent space to study, network, practice presentations and meet those with similar research interests. If you are a Medway PhD student, Masters by Research student or an academic, and would like to use this facility, please enquire at the Reception Desk.

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Have you tried the new book return machines?

You can’t miss the biggest addition to our services. All books are now returned by the easy to use new machines. Just feed books into the machine one-by-one as shown on the video below.  These self-service book return machines, surrounded by glass screen, are located in the library foyer right next to the borrowing machines and the reservations shelf.

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Click on the image below to play video:

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Library laptop service

We have 70 library laptops that you can use anywhere within the Drill Hall Library. You can now also borrow a day loan laptop from the self-service laptop cabinets located in the Pilkington Building.

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Your feedback matters

Are you smiling today?  You may have seen our new feedback station by the library exit with these faces on it. Please have a go and let us know what you think. Soon you will see these faces on our website and on the library PCs too. smileys-2_1

What’s on this autumn

We are running a range of awareness weeks and pop-ups at the library KeyPoint by the Archibald Hay Mess Café.

piggy2Fines Awareness Weeks 17-21 October and 5-9 December
Don’t let library fines creep up on you! Take part in our Lucky Dip competition and get help and advice on how to check your library account and renew books online.

 

Medway Local Libraries pop-up – Friday 28 October
Find out what Medway Libraries can offer for you.

 

laptop2Discover your E-books! – 21-25 November
Get help in how to access e-books via Library Search.

 

Study skills in the library

Maths and Stats Help

During your University studies you are likely to be working with numbers and data. If you are having difficulties, whatever the level, help is available! These clinics, organised by the University of Greenwich Maths Centre, are available for Medway students from all three universities. The drop-in sessions run each week in the Drill Hall Library at the following times.

Mondays 1-3pm in room DB033
Tuesdays 1-3pm in room DB033
Wednesdays 1-3pm in room DB034
Thursdays 1-3pm in room DB033

Study skills workshops

The Student Learning and Advisory Service from the University of Kent offers a range of free study skills workshops in the Drill Hall Library in room DA015 (Learn Higher Room), which are available for students from all three universities. These workshops provide practical academic advice, guidance and help focused on specific stages of your university studies.

Some of the workshops are drop-in sessions and some require pre-booking. Students from the University of Kent can book via the Student Data System. Medway students from the University of Greenwich or Canterbury Christ Church University can book by emailing learningmedway@kent.ac.uk

See our Library Events Calendar for a list of autumn term workshops:

http://campus.medway.ac.uk/about/library-events.html

Academic writing help

Students from all three universities can see Diana Evans, Royal Literary Fellow from the Royal Literary Fund. She is based in an office in the Drill Hall Library on Mondays and Tuesdays and can offer useful advice on academic writing skills. You can book one-to-one sessions with her by emailing learningmedway@kent.ac.uk.

Library News

The library is pleased to announce an extra 24/7 opening period for the first two weeks of January 2017. This new 24hr opening is offered in addition to our usual 24/7 opening period of 20 March to 9 June.

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We are social!

To be the first to know about all the events in the Drill Hall Library and get the latest news and updates, please follow us on Social Media:

Twitter: @drillhalllib
Facebook: Drill Hall Library
Instagram: @drillhalllibrary

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Hello from your library!

Posted on September 8, 2016 by jm464

We have been busy all summer preparing the library for the new term and improving the library facilities and services in time to welcome our Freshers and all our continuing students and users of the library!

What’s new?

New Carpet
After the mammoth task of moving most of our book collections, we now have a brand new carpet running through the Quiet and Silent Zones and teaching rooms.

Book return machine
Our major investment this year is an automated book return machine. This will make returning books a more efficient process and get them back on the shelves quicker ready for loan again.

New signage
We have new and improved digital signage to inform you of our facilities and services.

Zone and printer signage has also been updated, making it even easier to find a printer and to understand the guidelines for each zone.

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Loanable laptops
There is a new LapSafe cabinet based in the Pilkington Building.  LabSafe is a self-issue laptop loan cabinet that allows students to borrow a laptop for a same day loan and use it in the Pilkington, the Drill Hall Library and the new Student Hub.

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Researchers’ Room
We now have a dedicated Postgraduate Researchers’ Room. This newly designed and refurbished room is available for postgraduates from all three universities. It provides an excellent space to study, network, practice presentations and meet those with similar research interests.

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code_2Library induction with a twist
This year we have planned something different for our new student library inductions – we will be running a light-hearted murder mystery themed library orientation. Students will be invited to help our mascot, Swanley Bear, solve the case and crack the code, while learning about our services.

hook-a-duck_1Freshers’ week
Meet the library team at Medway Freshers’ Fair on Wednesday 21st September in the Pilkington Building. We have lined up some fun activities during the week, including Hook a Duck and Wheel of Fortune. Come and have a go at winning some great prizes, such as library keep cups, USB memory sticks and earphones.

 

Art in the library
We have a couple or exciting art exhibitions coming up this autumn.

portraitPortraits of Europe – A series of paintings of EU citizens by British artists is brought to library by a local charity the IMOS Foundation under its founder and creative director, Bryony Kapoor, in conjunction with the University of Kent and hosted by the School of Music & Fine Art. The exhibition will be displayed on the Group Zone mezzanine from 19th September until 7th October.

 

Black-History-Month-300ppi-11The Black History Month exhibition will be held in the library café from 19th September until the end of October. The free launch event will take place on Tuesday 4th October at 12-1 pm. The exhibition celebrates Black History Month and includes art works by students from the School of Music & Fine Art, University of Kent.

To find out about events in the Drill Hall Library and get the latest news and updates, please check our Social Media sites.

Twitter: @drillhalllib
Facebook: Drill Hall Library
Instagram: @drillhalllibrary

 

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Summer improvement works

Posted on May 12, 2016 by jm464

The Drill Hall Library will be carrying out some essential improvement works from 20th June until 9th September.

This summer we are replacing the carpet in the Silent and Quiet zones as well as in the side rooms and back offices. Due to major stock moves in the library some of the library areas will be temporarily unavailable during the works, but all your resources will still be available to you.

How can we help you during this time?

  • If you reserve books online we can have them ready when available for collection
  • We will provide a book ‘retrieval service’ from our Welcome desk
  • The Group zone will be available and we are creating a ‘Silent zone’ in some of the study rooms to aid all types of study
  • There will also be an extended loan period over the summer

New Book Return machines

We also installing  automated book return machines in the library this summer. To find out what book return machines are and what they do see videos below:

 

 

We would like to thank all our users for your feedback and votes on the best possible location for the new book return machines.

The recent online and library poll results were split between the two options (Option 1 inside the library by the Welcome Desk and Option 2 by the library entrance) with neither one taking a clear lead.

With this in mind we have carried out a site survey considering practicalities of both locations, weighing the pros and cons, and the decision has been made to opt for the location Option 1. We are currently looking at a suitable housing for the machines with the installation to go ahead later this summer.

See the suggested location options for the book return machines below:

Option 1

Book sorter option 1

 

Option 2

Book sorter option 2

 

Other maintenance work this summer 

The other maintenance work includes: draught proofing of the windows, commissioning of the over door heater and some external repairs to the roof.

Once all the works are complete it will make your library a more comfortable place for you to study in.

We will try and keep interruptions to a minimum and while works are going on extra staff will be around to help.

We would like to thank you in advance for your patience whilst the above works are completed. If you have any queries regarding this or any other matter please email us on dhl-feedback@greenwich.ac.uk

To find out the latest news and updates in the library, please follow our social media sites:

Twitter: @drillhalllib

Facebook: Drill Hall Library

Instagram: @drillhalllibrary

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You Said, We Did – update

Posted on April 15, 2016 by jm464

We have been listening to your comments and feedback, and have made some further improvements to our services. Here is the latest news update from the Drill Hall Library.

Based on your feedback, the Drill Hall Library has introduced the following changes to benefit all our users.

Extended 24/7 opening: unfortunately we can’t provide 24/7 all year round, but we have extended our 24/7 by two weeks to provide extra support to our students through the busy exam season.

Extended Café opening times: during most of the 24/7 period, the Archibald Hay Mess will be open at the weekends from 11am to 7pm to help keep those energy levels up for studying!

Online support videos: in response to your completed feedback forms, we now have a number of online library support videos to give you step-by-step instructions on the following!

Free print credits or a café voucher: you can earn yourself a £5 print credit or café voucher by attending our termly User Group meeting here at the Drill Hall Library. This is your chance to make your voice heard and to have your say: your views matter to us. The next User Group meeting is on Wednesday 20th April at 12-2pm – to book your place please email dhl-feedback@greenwich.ac.uk or see our website  http://campus.medway.ac.uk/about/meetings.html for more details.

Fines Awareness: a number of you mentioned that you were unaware of the library fines policy, so we have run several fines awareness weeks at the Key Point outside the Archibald Hay Mess Café in the Drill Hall Library. There is also more information about borrowing and fines on the Drill Hall website at http://campus.medway.ac.uk/using-the-library/borrowing.html?tab=charges

If you have any feedback for us, or ideas about how we can improve our service, please email dhl-feedback@greenwich.ac.uk

To find out about events in the library and get the latest news and updates, please check our social media sites:

Twitter: @drillhalllib

Facebook: Drill Hall Library

Instagram: @drillhalllibrary

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24/7 opening is back!

Posted on March 8, 2016 by jm464

Are you ready for the library’s 24/7 opening? The round the clock opening for exam period is back again! This means that the Library will be open 24/7 every day from Monday 21st March until Friday 17th June,  including Easter and all the Bank Holidays! (See detailed service hours here.)

Please read our 24/7 Facts and FAQs which will give you useful information on services available in the library and on campus during the 24/7 opening.

Students are kindly reminded to note our “No ID, No Entry” policy. Day Passes are not issued after midnight.

We wish you good luck with your exam revision. We are here to help you!

Here’s just a few tips to remember:

  • Save your work regularly on your network drive, cloud drive or USB stick. Be careful when you work on a document opened from an email; always save it first, by choosing “save as” and then selecting the correct location, before you start working on the document.
  • Remember to have regular study breaks to refresh your mind. Use the “Take a Break” icon on the desktop, which allows you a 30-minute break to have a walk around or get yourself a drink from the café or vending machines.
  • We operate a “Use it or Lose it” policy on unattended belongings and PCs, which means that any items left in the library for a more than 30 minutes will be removed by staff and PCs restarted for another user. Any unsaved documents and files may be lost in the process.
  • Please follow the library food and drink policy; cold, non-greasy food is allowed in the Group Zone, but no food is allowed in the Quiet & Silent Zones or in the 1st floor training rooms.
  • Respect everyone’s right to study and follow the zone rules; conversations in the Quiet Zone should be kept quiet and short and no talking or mobile phones in the Silent Zone. Please click on the “Noisy Neighbour” icon on the desktop if you experience any noise issues in the library.
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Treasures of Rochester Cathedral workshop

Posted on March 4, 2016 by jm464

On Monday 7th March the Drill Hall Library is hosting four workshop sessions (each running one hour) with staff from the Special Collections team at the University of Kent and volunteers from Rochester Cathedral. These workshops will provide students and staff with a unique opportunity to view and learn about some of the Cathedral Library’s most prized and previously hidden treasures.

The workshops will run at the following times: 10.30-11.30am, 12-1pm, 2-3pm and 3.30-4.30pm.

These workshops are open to all staff and students teaching or studying at Medway regardless of institution, no booking needed. Please bring your ID card with you to gain access to the library, and gather in the reception area in front of the Welcome Desk 5 minutes before the workshop is due to begin.

You can find out more information about the workshop here: www.kent.ac.uk/library/rochester

We look forward to seeing you there!

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Celebrating our 10th Anniversary

Posted on February 8, 2016 by jm464

The Drill Hall Library is celebrating its 10th Anniversary on Friday 12th February.

The state-of-the-art, award-winning £10 million Drill Hall Library was first officially opened by the Rt Hon David Miliband MP on Monday 13th February 2006.

The library building, at 184 metres long, is thought to be the longest library in Europe and contains 2.7 miles of shelving. It houses an extensive collection of books and journals and boasts an impressive range of other facilities, such as 400 personal computers, training rooms and discussion spaces for students.

The library is unique in that it provides a joint service for all institutions participating in the Universities at Medway initiative.

Over the ten years the library facilities and services have  grown to meet the increasing user demand with the introductions of new technologies, self-service, café, extended opening times and additional study rooms.

We would like to thank all our users, past and present, for being part of this incredible journey. We look forward to the many more years to come and are honoured to be able to play a role in your future as Your Library!

 

 

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You Said, We Did – Update

Posted on January 21, 2016 by jm464

We have been listening to your comments and feedback, and have made some further improvements to our services to benefit our users. Here is the latest news update from the Drill Hall Library.

Longer opening hours

The library is now opening earlier during term time at 8am – midnight on Monday to Friday and 9am – Midnight at the weekend. This gives you an extra 6.5 hours per week to study! The 24/7 exam opening will be back from the 4th April to 17th June.

Extra group study space

The extra group study rooms are now open during peak times also at the weekends from 9am to 5pm to give our users that extra space to get that group work perfected!

New Food and Drink Policy

We have revised our food and drink policy to allow certain foods and drinks into the library Group Zone.

Online library support videos

You can now find a range of videos on the Drill Hall Library Website giving step by step instructions how to reserve and renew books!

Easter Weekend

The library will be open over the Easter bank holiday weekend from 9am to midnight every day to help our users to get that bit of extra study time in during Easter break.

Microwave – the verdict

There have been some requests for a microwave in the library. As much as we would like to provide our users with a microwave, for health and safety reasons we are unable to fulfil this request.

 

If you have any feedback for us or ideas about how we can improve our service please email dhl-feedback@greenwich.ac.uk

To get the latest news in the library, please follow us on our Social Media sites.

Twitter: @drillhalllib

Facebook: Drill Hall Library

Instagram: @drillhalllibrary

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New opening hours

Posted on December 23, 2015 by jmt29

In response to your feedback, from Monday 4 January the library will be opening 30 minutes earlier Monday to Friday and two hours earlier Saturday and Sunday. So Monday to Friday you will be able to come into the library from 8am and on Saturday and Sunday from 9am.

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