Libraries

Libraries

Bill Bryson Library

Based on the science site, this is the main university library. It has over 1 million books across all subject areas, so you should be able to find everything you need. There are loads of study spaces, including individual and group study rooms that you can book using the library website. There are two main computer rooms, and there are computers throughout the library, or laptops which you can borrow. The Bill Bryson gets very busy during Epiphany (Easter) term, so it’s often worth getting your books and then working elsewhere. If you’re struggling to find a seat, seats are often available downstairs on Level 1!

Opening hours: 24/7 in term time, with shorter hours during vacations. Check the library website for details!

Leazes Road Library

This is the Hild Bede College library and the School of Education library, but ALL students are allowed to use this library! It mostly stocks Education-based texts, but they also have the basic texts for most undergraduate courses. It’s often much quieter to work here as it’s further away from town, but it can still get busy during exam season even though there’s lots of study space, including two rooms upstairs.

Opening hours: 9:00-20:00 throughout term (shorter hours during vacations)

Palace Green Library

Hidden in the museum on Palace Green, this library is also open for all students to use. The rules on eating and drinking are stricter because of the archives that are stored in there, but you don’t need to worry about losing your seat if you leave the room to get lunch or refreshments. No computer access, but lots of study space. Historical books and special collections are stored here.

Opening hours: 9:00-17:00 Monday to Friday (both in and out of term-time)

College libraries

Every college has its own library which stocks a range of books suitable for all courses. If there’s a book that you need that no library stocks, you can request that your college librarian orders it into the library. Similarly, if another college stocks a book that you need, you can contact their librarian and request access to it. Study spaces, computer facilities, and opening times vary significantly between colleges.

Durham Cathedral libraries

The Sharp Library and Chapter Library in the Cathedral are hidden treasures. You can access these libraries by signing in at the Open Treasure Exhibition Desk in the cathedral with your campus card. Similarly to Palace Green, there are very strict rules in this library, and opening hours are limited, but it’s a great place to study if you want a change of scenery.

Opens Monday-Friday, 10:00-16:30

Teikyo University Library

A peaceful place to study that very few students know about! The library is open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 10:00-16:00 during term time. There is also a reading room which is open from 9:00-17:00 Monday-Friday during term time. For more information on studying here, you can email miki.binks@durham.ac.uk.

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Alternative study spaces

• Spare classrooms are opened during the exam season, but you can ask departments whether you can work in some classrooms when there are no lessons in there

• Durham SU - Riverside Cafe on Level C, Kingsgate Bar on Level B, Meeting Rooms on Level A

• Common room and study spaces in your department

• Common room and study spaces in college

• The many cafes across Durham (though this can get expensive!)

• Your room or with a friend in theirs

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Using the libraries

How to find books and borrow them

All of the books in the libraries have a code starting with a 3-digit number with decimals, and ending with a 3-letter code. The code helps you to find the book in the library, as they are all stored in numerical order (in the Bill Bryson, 000 books start on Level 4, down to the 999 books on Level 1). You’ll find that most of the books for your subject have the same code (for example, most English Literature books are in the 800s), which helps you to see if a book is relevant for you.

• Once you find your book in the library, it’s very easy to borrow them out. There are borrowing machines in all libraries, which are very easy to use:

• Scan your campus card barcode

• Scan the barcode on the book (found on the front, back, or an inside cover)

• Once you’ve scanned all your books, press the borrow button. The machine will print out a receipt telling you when your books are due back in, but you can also find this by logging into the library website.

The number of books you can have borrowed at a time varies: undergraduates can borrow out 20 at a time, taught postgraduates can have 30, and research postgraduates can have 40.

Recalls

If the book you want has been borrowed out, you can go online and recall the book. The person who has the book will have a week to return it, and you will get an email when it has been returned to the library. Recalled books can be collected from that library’s reservation shelf.

If a book you have borrowed out has been recalled, you will need to return it. If it is recalled during the vacation period, you will need to post your book back to the library to prevent fines.

Loans

For undergraduates, the standard loan period for books is 21 days (90 days for taught postgraduates, 6 months for research postgraduates). More popular books will have shorter loan times:

• Short loan: 4 hours (or overnight if borrowed late) - in the Bill Bryson, these are stored near the main reception desk

• 3 day loan

• One week loan

All items except short loan items can be renewed up to 10 times. If you want to keep a book longer, and no one else has recalled the book, you can go online and renew your loan.

Fines

You will be emailed the day before your books are due in to remind you to return or recall your books before you are fined. The fine varies depending on the loan type:

• Short loans: £1 per hour

• 3 day loan: £1 per day

• One week loan: 20p per day

• Standard loan: 20p per day, or £1 per day on recalled items

The best way to avoid needing to pay fines is making sure you take items back as soon as you’ve finished with them!

Discover

Durham has an online resource database called Discover, which can be found at www.discover.durham.ac.uk. Discover will show you information for physical books in the libraries, online books, and journal articles that the library has access to, so it’s often better to use this service than the online library catalogue!

Amie Key (2018), ed. Frank Simpson (2019)