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Library Services Service Level Standards

The following information outlines the level of service Library Services agrees to provide to registered students and staff employed by the University, organised into a number of key areas of service provision.

Availability of Services

Library Services will:

  • Provide a full service during core hours (8.15am - 7.00pm Monday to Friday; 11.00am - 5.00pm on Saturday, 9.00am - 5.00pm Monday to Friday during vacations.
  • Provide out of hours access to IT and study facilities.
  • Provide advance notice of variations to core hours.
  • Ensure services are available until 15 minutes before the advertised closing time.
  • Provide access to information regarding services and resources and to the library catalogue and library accounts via this website and Primo.

Enquiry Service

Library Services will:

  • Provide a first line enquiry service in person during all staffed opening hours.
  • Provide a telephone and email enquiry service during the core opening hours. Telephone enquiries should normally be resolved within 24 hours; email enquiries within two working days.
  • Provide access to advice and support from information professionals.
  • Provide bookable 1-1 appointments with the Liaison Librarian team, up to a maximum of two appointments per student per assignment.
  • Reply to straightforward enquiries as soon as possible and normally by the end of the working day.
  • Ensure that complex enquiries involving significant amounts of time are referred to a relevant member of staff (Liaison Librarians, technical support staff or other departments within the University).

Lending Service

Library Services will:

  • Maintain an accurate record of borrower circulation transactions.
  • Ensure the maximum availability of resources by providing a fast turnaround of reserved items.
  • Provide an online renewals and reservations service via Primo
  • Ensure returned items are shelved on a daily basis.
  • Ensure the Library stock is shelved correctly and tidied on a regular basis.
  • Offer a Document Supply service for items not held by the Library.

Customer Feedback

Library Services will:

  • Provide a system for comments to be dealt with and responded to, by means of a comments form or by email.
  • Publicise to customers how comments and suggestions can be made.
  • Respond to comments within three working days.
  • Log all comments received detailing the content of the comment with the date received, date of reply and the response.
  • Consider suggestions and act on them where possible, using them to shape and improve service developments.
  • Regularly gather formal feedback from students and staff by employing methods such as surveys, focus groups and polls.

Access to Study Space

Library Services will:

  • Provide access to individual, group and IT equipped space within the Libraries.
  • Maintain the learning environment by providing clear information to users of expected behaviour and by conducting regular patrols of the buildings.
  • Provide, as far as possible, advance notice of any restriction or reduction of study space.

Assistance for Users with Additional Support Requirements

Library Services will:

  • Provide assistance for users with additional support requirements, specifically:
    • Provide assistance with accessing stock for students who are unable to retrieve material from the shelves or for whom areas of the Libraries are inaccessible for safety purposes.
    • Offer advice and information on access to the Libraries and use of their services.

Collection Development

Library Services will:

  • Provide existing undergraduate and postgraduate programmes with a range of resources in printed and electronic form catering for a wide range of full or part-time students at different levels of intended award. 
  • Match increasingly diverse and innovative pedagogical practice and cater for different learning styles.
  • Meet the requirements of new and revised taught programmes, including foundation degrees and distance programmes.
  • Provide general resources for cross-curricular use.
  • Provide adequate stock levels as appropriate to the number of students and resources available.