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INFORMATION
OVERLOAD
It
doesn't take an Einstein or a Bill Gates to work out what
a library is used for. However, there's a whole host of other
facilities available that may make the difference between
a pass and fail. Keith Chapman took a trip down the newly
re-vamped Chester Road library to find out more…
Chester
Road Library is just one of four libraries spread across Sunderland
University campus. Once the main library, it is now mainly
for education and humanity studies.
The other three libraries offer pretty much the same facilities,
but subject matter varies. Hutton Library is mainly for engineering,
environmental, nursing and science studies. Ashburne Library
is dedicated to art and St Peter's Library hosts some psychology,
but is mainly for business, law and computing studies.
Chester Road Library has three floors, boasting a multitude
of facilities available for your use. Acting Deputy Site Librarian,
Joan Hetherington said: "The ground floor contains education
books, teaching practice material, as well as audio and visual
material you may find useful. Study areas are also available.
"The entrance floor is where the main issue desk is,
and also where the friendly staff are based to help you."
Handy hint: skip a massive queue to check out books and head
towards the self-issue and return machines. There's also the
quick reference section and the PC cluster. The top floor's
crammed with books and journals on humanities including media,
English language and literature, foreign language and history.
Silent study areas are also available.
basic
services & equipment
Some of the following invaluable services are available in
all four libraries and are essential to help you with your
uni work.
photocopying
Self-service machines are available on each floor. You'll
need a re-chargeable card available from the dispenser on
the entrance floor. Colour photocopying is also available.
24-hour
access
With 13 machines available around the clock, you've got no
excuse not to get that essay in on time! Get yourself a swipe
card (from Wearmouth Hall) for £5 returnable deposit.
on-line
catalogue
Available throughout all the libraries, look up all the books
on your reading list to find the exact location in the library
saving valuable time and effort.
pcs
There's a whopping 94 PCs available in Chester Road Library
alone, all for your use! Use them to type up your essays,
surf the internet and locate electronic journals. Any problems?
Simply ask a member of staff. "That's what we're here
for!" said Joan Hetherington.
audio
visual collection
Most items can be taken away for up to three days, so you
can listen, watch and learn on the comfort of your own settee!
Check first though, as some are for reference use only.
journals,
cd-roms and newspapers
There's loads of useful stuff here that can help you when
you're researching essays and projects.
Current journals can be found on the top floor while some
can be accessed electronically on the internet. Social Science,
Humanities and Education journals are also kept for reference.
CD-ROMs and other databases offer quick and user-friendly
ways of searching a huge amount of info by computer. For example,
Social Trends contains statistics from government departments,
as well as charts and texts.
National daily newspapers like The Times, The Observer and
the Guardian, are available and back-dated issues are also
available either on the shelves or electronically.
Last
summer saw changes at Chester Road Library, including the
issue desk, the introduction of more PCs, as well as smart
new furniture.
Joan Hetherington explained: "Among the changes, we have
re-located the main issue desk where students can now use
the new 'stand up and go' quick reference computers if they
want to access their e-mails quickly."
Finally, will there be any changes in the future? Joan said:
"In the pipeline the signs are to be completed on the
stairs, but no more changes are planned at the moment."
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