Hello and welcome back to our returning students! Whilst you’ve been away, we’ve been busy working to improve your experience when using library services.
Keep reading to find out what’s new:
What’s changed?
Library Search:
The biggest change over the summer has been our switch to a new Library Search! The new search will be a lot easier to navigate and will reduce the amount of time needed to find content. This means you can focus on your readings and essays instead of trying to find the right book or article.
We appreciate new systems can be an adjustment, so we’ve created a video explaining how to access e-books using the new search. Get in touch for further help.
7 day loans:
All books are now loaned for a period of 7 days. This doesn’t mean you’ll have to bring the book back any sooner than before, as books can stay on loan until someone else requests the book.
If another borrower recalls a book you have on loan, you’ll be notified via your Essex email and have 7 days to bring the book back. This is the same length of time as the last academic year, except even better because…
Auto-renewals:
Instead of manually renewing your books, the system will now renew these for you! You will no longer receive renewal reminder emails, as we’ll only email once an item you have on loan is requested by another borrower. So make sure you check your e-mail regularly! This means our system is more efficient, without reducing your time spent with the books!
Not all items will auto-renew, the full exceptions list can be found on our previous blog post.
Shelf-retrieval for accessibility:
Any student that is signed up with Student Wellbeing and Inclusivity Service (SWIS) will be able to Click & Collect items that are available on the shelves (Colchester and Loughton campuses). The Click & Collect option will appear on the library catalogue when you are logged into your account.
– Our Click & Collect service will include all items, not just items with no available copies.
– This service will be available for anyone who has signed up with SWIS, regardless of reason.
Using the new Library Search:
Don’t forget to sign in:
Once you begin searching our catalogue, don’t forget to sign in to access to the full range of resources we provide. You can sign in either by clicking ‘Sign In’ in the top right corner of the catalogue, or by clicking on the banner above the search results.
Southend students:
Southend students will also be able to use the new Library Search, making searching for resources easier than ever! At the moment this will simply mean searching for e-resources will look at little different and hopefully provide a better experience. Soon you will be able to search for Southend print books as well as e-resources using our new Search, but the feature has been slightly delayed. So please keep using the Southend search for print books until further notice.
Did you know?
- Loughton students: we’ve added a new resource, Creative Cloud, available to Loughton students. Access Creative Cloud for free via the Software Hub.
- Scan & Deliver is here to stay permanently! If you only require a single book chapter, journal article or set of pages (up to 5%) and the book is on the shelf, you can request these are scanned to your Essex email address without having to come onto campus. Full details can be found on our website.
- Get involved with the Library: The Library Advisory Group is your opportunity to shape the future direction of our services. It is a participatory forum to explore what the Library’s users want and how the Library can best provide it. Contact us if you’d be interested in finding out more.
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