Library Support

Where are the accessible study spaces? 

This space is located on the ground floor of the Arts and Social Sciences Library. This is a non-bookable space that is first come first served.

Accessible Technology Room (ATR)

The Accessible Technology Room (ATR) is a shared room for silent study. It houses PCs with software and adjustable furniture and ergonomic equipment.

• 6 PCs
• Height Adjustable tables
• Ergonomic chairs 
• Adjustable monitor arms
• JAWS software
• Auto-door 
• CCTV magnifier
• Height adjustable colour printer/scanner 
• Silent study 

How do I access the Accessible Technology Room (ATR)? 

This shared room is prioritised for users who may need to use it as part of a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP).  You will need to use your UCard to access the ATR - it takes approximately 24 hours for your UCard to be enabled for access once requested. 

You will need to press the exit button in the room to get out as the door cannot be manually operated. Please let us know if would like a quick tour of this space and if you have any questions regarding this. Please tell us about any access requirements you have and if you want to discuss a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP). This is to ensure you can leave the building safely in an emergency. 

Are there any accessible study rooms for a meeting or individual study?

Yes, the Accessible Study Room (ASR) is next door to the ATR and is a bookable room suitable for individual use, or for meeting with a study buddy or support worker. There is more information about this room in the dropdown 'Augmented study rooms'.

Accessible Study Room (ASR)

The Accessible Study Room (ASR) is a bookable room on the ground floor which is for individual or shared study. This space is suitable for meeting a study buddy, for group study, or for meeting a support worker or mentor.

• PC
• Ergonomic chairs 
• Adjustable monitor arm
• JAWS software
• Dragon dictation software
• Auto-door 
• Individual study or share with up to 3 other people

Meet & Speak room

The Meet & Speak room is a bookable room on the first floor which is for individual or shared study.

• PC
• Flatbed scanner
• Dragon dictation software
• Individual study or share with one other person   

Rooms 15 and 16

Rooms 15 and 16 are bookable rooms on the first floor for individual silent study.

• PC
• Flatbed scanner (Room 15 only)
• Individual silent study 

How do I book? 

You can book up to 30 slots in the above spaces per week, equivalent to 30+ hours (Sunday to Saturday).

Please see information below: How to book a Library Support space or visit: https://librarybookings.bristol.ac.uk/reserve/library-support-study-room-bookings 

Can I share the augmented study spaces with a study buddy or study support worker? 

Only the Accessible Study Room (ASR) and the Meet & Speak room are suitable to share with another person. Please ensure that you have arranged library access via Library Support for any study support worker who does not have Ucard access.    

The Library Support first floor study spaces are only available to students who are registered with our service. These spaces are for students with a disability or learning difference who require a low-distraction or private study option.

We expect demand for these rooms to be very high. Booking times will be limited to a fixed amount per week so you will need to plan your study activities around this and consider alternative options for study. 

Rooms A, B C and D

Rooms A, B, C and D are bookable rooms on the first floor for individual silent study.

• Monitor screens for use with personal devices
• Individual silent study 

Rooms 2-12

Rooms 2-12 are bookable rooms on the first floor for individual silent study.

• Individual silent study 

Booking limits and availability of Library Support study spaces

You can book up to 30 slots of study space per week, equivalent to 30+ hours (Sunday to Saturday). This will be reviewed depending on demand.

Please see the Arts and Social Sciences Library opening hours.  

Can I share the first floor rooms with a study buddy or study support worker? 

Only the Accessible Study Room and Meet and Speak room (see 'Augmented Study Rooms') are suitable to share with another person. Please be aware that all other Library Support rooms are not sound proofed and will disrupt others studying around you. Please ensure that you have arranged library access via Library Support for any study support worker who does not have Ucard access.   

You need to register with Library Support. To book a study seat visit: 

https://librarybookings.bristol.ac.uk/reserve/library-support-study-room-bookings 

Once you have submitted your booking it will be reviewed by library staff to ensure eligibility.

• Bookable slots are 1 hour long, with some variation to factor in opening/closing times.
• Seats can be booked up to two weeks in advance.
• You will receive a booking confirmation via email.
• If your booking has not been confirmed before arrival you will need to contact staff at the Welcome Desk to get your booking reviewed and confirmed. 

I want to book a seat in a non-library support space as well

You will need to make these bookings first before booking library support spaces.

If you wish to guarantee your spot in a subject specific library or in a study centre then please use the Library Services booking system.

We advise users to book their library wide spaces first as if you do it the other way around, the booking system subtracts the Library Support hours from your total. 

On the day of your seat booking

• Please collect key from the Information Desk (ground floor- ASSL) when you arrive for your study session to unlock your booked room.  
• Don't forget to return key at the end of your booking. 
• Seats must be vacated promptly at the end of each booking.
• Please check you have taken all your possessions with you when your booking has finished including any rubbish or recycling. Bins are available on your way out on the first and ground floor.
  . 

Cancel your booking

We ask that you cancel your booking if you are unable to make the slot. This will release availability for other students to use it.   If you do not cancel your booking you will lose this proportion of your weekly booking allocation. 

If you have chosen to have your study support in the library or need access for a practical support worker:

Please ensure that:

• Your support worker will have access to the library.
• You have booked a suitable space to meet (if required).

Please ensure that your support worker will have access to the library

Access to University of Bristol Library is by Ucard only. This is to ensure that our libraries are safe, and we can manage the numbers entering the building. 

• Get an Accompanied Access Letter to facilitate access to the Arts and Social Sciences Library for your named support worker.
  • If your support worker does not have a Ucard then please contact Library Support to arrange for an Accompanied Access Letter. 
  • To produce the letter we will need to know the name of your support worker and the company or agency they work for. 
  • Access is between 8am and 8pm until a fixed date as agreed by you (usually an academic year, after which it will need to be updated).
  • Save the letter to your phone and you can show it to staff to ensure smooth access for your named support worker to accompany you into the library.

Please ensure you have a booked a suitable place to meet in the library

Study support sessions must not be carried out in areas of the library where it is likely to disturb or inconvenience other users and must not be carried out in silent/quiet study spaces or rooms.

• We have two rooms in the library which are better sound-proofed or are better located to allow the use of dictation software,  these spaces are also suitable to share with a peer learner or with a person providing study support.
  • These spaces are in high demand  
  • Rooms can only be booked by students who have registered with the Library Support service. The registration process allows us to assess library access needs.
  • Rooms can be booked up to 2 weeks in advance.
  • If the rooms suitable to meet with a Support Worker are not available (if they have been booked by other users) then please see the university wide: Find a room resource. This can help you to find other spaces to meet outside of the library which may better meet your needs. There is further information regarding how this works: study spaces/live learning spaces 
    

Unaccompanied library access for a support worker

We can also provide access for unaccompanied access- this is where a support worker may need access to the library to collect books or scan items on your behalf. Please contact Library Support to set this up.

What is the book retrieval service? 

If your time on campus is limited or if the library and shelves are inaccessible, we can have books ready for you to collect at your selected library. We can transfer books to any of our staffed libraries to collect at the Information Desk. 

A maximum of five books/journals can be requested at one time. 

We anticipate requests taking up to five working days to process. 

How do I order books? 

Please use the Get books, get scans, get photocopies form (top right, blue box). 

Who can use this service?

Any registered user to support access to print resources where time on campus is limited. Disabled students may also nominate a person to collect books on their behalf. 

I'd like to browse the shelves, is there help available to find books?

Contact us or ask any library staff member to help you find and locate books directly from the shelves. We have roving staff who can help. We can also support you to help yourself by providing a brief tour of your subject areas in the library. 

Scan and email service

If you are unable to come to campus or if the library is inaccessible we can scan and email the book chapter or journal article you need. 

• It is your responsibility to be aware of and follow copyright conditions.
• We only send scans to a University of Bristol email address.  

eBooks and eJournals 

We do not scan materials if they are available online such as eBooks and eJournals.  We ask that you check online availability before you place the order via Library Search. Your Subject Librarian may be able to purchase an eBook if we do not currently hold one. Please see: suggest a book purchase 

How do I order scans?  

Please use the Get books, get scans, get photocopies form (top right, blue box). 

How long does it take? 

We anticipate requests taking up to five working days to process although this can vary. 

How much does it cost? 

It is a free service. 

Who can use this service?

• Disabled students where there are access requirements

Students who live outside of Bristol and are:

• on a placement
• research postgraduates 
• distance learner (conditions apply)

I want help to use the scanner and printer in a library

We can support any library user to help yourself by providing quick a guide to using our scanners and printers. Contact us to arrange a time or you can ask a library staff member to help you

I am print disabled and require printed materials in a digitised format. Do I order scans via this route? 

No there are different copyright restrictions. Please use our alternative format service. There is further information here. 

Book postal service

If you are unable to come to campus or if the library is inaccessible we can post books to your home or work address. Normal loan policies apply. If a book is requested by another user you may have to return it by post.

A maximum of five books/journals can be requested at one time.

eBooks

We do not post books out if they are available as eBooks. We ask that you check online availability of the books before you place the order via Library Search and with your Subject Librarian as they may be able to purchase an eBook if we do not currently hold one. Please see: suggest a book purchase 

How do I order books for postage?  

Please use the Get books, get scans, get photocopies form (top right, blue box).

We use first class recorded delivery so you or an assigned person will need to be in to sign for/take collection of the book(s) on delivery. 

How long does it take? 

We anticipate requests taking up to five working days to process.

How much does it cost? 

It is a free service. Please remember that you may need to return the book if it gets requested by another user. Books on loan to you do remain your responsibility.

How do I return books by post?

Returning items is your responsibility, and we request that Royal Mail Signed For or equivalent is used. Please see our Postal Services page for more information.

Who can use this service? 

• disabled students where there are access requirements

Students who live outside of a BS postcode area and are:

• on a placement
• research postgraduates 
• distance learner (conditions apply) 

We cannot support the following students:

• students who are studying online only 

Please contact your School.

What is the Alternative Format service? 

Library Support can provide alternative formats for disabled students who cannot access essential reading from your Reading List for materials provided by the library.  We can work with you to support your access to resources via:

• Technology for Learning, this may include read aloud software and/or coloured overlays
• Longer loan period of a print book
• Purchase of a digital copy (suggest a book purchase)  
• Using Sensus Access to convert short documents into more accessible formats such as: MP3 audio, Word, Braille, and e-books
• Create an RNIB Bookshare account for you 

Where library resources cannot be made accessible via the above routes, we will request an accessible copy via RNIB BookShare or directly from the publisher.

If we have been unable to source an alternative format which meets your requirements (within an agreed timeframe) then at this point, we would discuss with you the next possible steps:

• Scanning parts of a book
• Scanning a whole book (it can take up to 4 weeks to scan and edit a whole book)
• Finding a substitute title

This might involve discussion with yourself, an academic contact in your School and your Subject Librarian. 

Before you make a request

• Contact us to discuss your requirements. We will discuss with you how best to meet your requirements. 
• Please check Library Search to see which of your resources are already provided in as eBooks. Please see accessibility information provided on the eBook library page. 
• Where resources are required for a dissertation or for independent research then managing this would need to be discussed in the early stages of the research process as it can take up to 4 weeks to scan and edit whole books. Please contact your Subject Librarian to discuss your requirements first.

Make a request

Request a book in an alternative format

This form allows you to submit requests to the alternative format service provided by Library Support.