Study Areas

Library Tower

Head to the Library Tower if you are looking for a quiet space to read, work on projects, or access PCs and study space.

The Library is a great place to find peace and quiet away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the Campus. It’s a good spot to settle down to some serious individual study so we ask for voices to be kept low and chat to a minimum. If it gets noisy, the library staff will have a quick word – just let them know.

We allow lidded drinks and cold food in the library, just take care not to spill!

Remember to keep your phone or other devices on silent and the volume on your headphones turned down low.

Group Study spaces

The Library is set up as a quiet and individual study space but we do have two group study rooms available. An alternative is the Student Union, located in the Riverside building, which offers a more relaxed environment. It has a mixture of individual workspaces, PCs, group spaces and bookable project pods and rooms. Please visit the Student Union website for more information.

Zoom and Teams in the Library

If you need to attend a lecture on Zoom, Teams or any other platform, then please consider your level of participation before using a desk in the open spaces in the Library.

If your level of participation requires you to listen only and not speak then you're welcome to use a library desk to attend the lecture. Please ensure you're using headphones so as not to disturb other students.

If you're attending a lecture, meeting or tutorial where you'll need to speak then the Library open desks are not suitable. The whole of the Library is a quiet space and we don't permit the use of mobile phones. Speaking on a Zoom or Teams call is considered very similar to mobile phone usage in terms of noise. Rooms in the Student Union or the communal areas of buildings such as canteens will be more suited to your purpose.

Books and Journals

Borrowing / Returning

Borrowing books is easy. The best way is to come to the Library and browse the shelves to find the most useful looking books. Library staff will be happy to help you find the right area of the library and search the catalogue. If all copies of a book are out on loan you can place a hold using Library Search and we'll notify you when the items are ready to collect, although obviously this may take some time depending on when it is returned.

Once you've chosen your book off the shelves or picked it up from our reception desk, just take it to one of the self-issue machines on Level 5, scan your student card and then the book. If you have several items which you would like to check out, put them all in. A receipt will emailed to you. This will confirm that the items have been checked out by you and the date they are due back. Everything is synced with your Library account which you can check at any time. Log in with your normal RGU username and password.

To return books you can drop your items off at the Returns slot when you come into the Library. It's located just to the left of the entrance door. Pop your items in one at a time to have them removed from your Library account. If you're not coming up to the Library there's also a drop-box available in the foyer of the Sir Ian Wood Building from 0700-2300 Monday to Friday and 0900-2100 Saturday & Sunday.

Renewing

Do you need to keep an item longer than its original due back date? No problem!

Unfortunately you will not be able to renew items that have been requested by someone else. We will always let you know, via your RGU email, if any of your loans have been recalled.

Finding Stuff

Searching the Library Collections

So you want to find a book or a journal? The first place to go is LibrarySearch! This is where you will find valuable information about books and journals which we have on shelves, such as the level and shelf number so you can track down the items easily. Can't find something? Don't worry, we have library assistants on each level and they would be happy to help.

Remember that not everything in the catalogue exists on our shelves as printed copies. We have an extensive collection of e-books and e-journals which are freely available for students to access in a few clicks.

LibrarySearch is not only about finding stuff, you can also log in to your account, see what items you have on loan, place a hold on something you really need but is already borrowed, renew items and more!

Referencing at RGU

Referencing is a critical aspect of writing any assignment and you will be asked to correctly reference all the sources and materials used in your work.

RGU Library provides support and guidance for RGU Harvard, Vancouver, APA and OSCOLAstyles. The style you will use depends on your course requirements but Harvard is the most used style at RGU.

We know referencing can be scary at first, especially if you haven't done it before, but not to worry! We are here to help with referencing and have developed detailed guides which include lots of guidance and templates for some of the most common media types. Full information can be cound on the Referencing and RefWorks pages.

How The Library Can Help You

Academic success is more than just mastering your field of study. Developing key library-related skills will enhance your academic pursuits, research and lifelong learning. We support this through workshops, drop-ins, individual and small group appointments. These take place online (via MS Teams) or in-person, at the library.

We would like to encourage students to sign-up to our workshops, as they are great for learning something new, upskilling, or having a refresher.

Explore our timetable to book a session!

Online Support

We are here to help you even when you are away from campus. Please see our contact details below:

Related Links

Printing in the Library

The Library has both black & white and colour printers on levels 6, 7 and 8. These are located in printing hubs just off the main floors. You can find out everything you need to know about the printers on the IT Helpdesk printing pages. These cover how to print, what the cost will be and how to add money to your online print account. The pages also give you advice on the photocopying and scanninig functions of the printers

If you need help with printing, photocopying or scanning in the Library please just ask a member of staff. We might have to refer you to the IT Helpdesk but we're always happy to take a look and see if we can help.

Library Opening Hours