Your campus libraries are a lot more than places to borrow books and study.
To help you make the most of what they have to offer we’ve pulled together a list of things you might not know about your Library Team and how they can help with your studies.
Easy access to resources
We’ve recently replaced the Library Management System to continue to improve the support available to you and enhance your user experience.
The new system, Library Search, allows you to search our collections in one place. It combines what was previously known as ‘DISCOVER’ with our ‘Library Catalogue’ and ‘Get It For Me’ services in a single search.
Don’t buy your books yet!
There are plenty of ways to access Library resources online if you can’t collect from the Library in person or if you need to use resources that our libraries don’t have a physical copy of. More than 900,000 electronic books and 130,000 electronic journals are available to you 24/7 wherever you have an internet connection.
- Use Library Search to find eBooks and electronic articles
- Search Databases
- Search Reading lists for quick, easy access to the resources recommended by your lecturers
- Use Get It For Me if we do not have the resources you need, and we will do our best to source it for you as quickly as possible
Support with your learning and research
If you need support, the Liaison Librarian for your subject can provide reassurance and help you achieve your goals. Your Liaison Librarian will work with you to navigate the maze of information resources and develop your research and critical thinking skills.
KnowHow provides a full programme of academic support sessions throughout the year to help you succeed in your studies. KnowHow delivers a mix of online and in-person sessions and topics include:
- Finding Information for your Assignment
- Referencing support
- Managing your Time
- Note Taking Techniques
- Planning your Essay
- Introduction to Critical Reading
Find out more about our KnowHow sessions and book your place on as many as you like!
Support with your academic writing
Writing@Liverpool is an initiative delivered by postgraduate tutors who have lots of experience in academic writing.
Book a one to one appointment with a tutor for support with analysing questions, becoming more critical, structuring your writing or referencing.
Help with statistics
Stats@Liverpool is a free service to help you boost your statistical skills.
Book a one to one appointment with a friendly postgraduate statistics tutor for support in choosing statistical tests, using statistical packages and understanding statistical concepts.
Don’t forget to reference!
If you have assignments, essays or dissertations to complete and you want to refresh your referencing skills, check out our Guide to Referencing.
If you need more support with referencing, contact the Liaison Librarian for your subject.
Enjoy some wider reading
Overdrive is an eBook and audiobook platform for wider reading outside of academic subjects, which you have free student access to. We’re continually updating the resources and our Library team regularly collate themed Leisure & Wellbeing Collections for you to use and enjoy.
Find out more about the platform through our Overdrive Guide.
Student satisfaction with the Library
With so many services on offer it may not be a surprise to hear that 86% of students who took part in this year’s National Student Survey reported satisfaction with our libraries – a score which places the University of Liverpool Library 5th in the UK and ranked almost 3% above the national average.
Alex Widdeson, Associate Director, Libraries, Museums & Galleries, said: “We are delighted that our students rated their Libraries and Learning resources so highly in the 2022 NSS. Overall our scores have increased significantly since 2021 and as well as demonstrating a strong recovery post pandemic, they are above the sector in terms of library satisfaction, and above the institutional benchmark assigned to Question 19 about the library and its services. We are also proud of our relative position within the Russell Group Libraries. The results are testament to the excellent customer focus and superb dedication shown by our LMG staff over the last year.
“We really value our students’ opinions and the survey results tell us what students care about, and what they would like to see in the future. Thank you to everyone who responded, and to all the academic areas who support students too as we believe our success is very much a team effort.”