UCE Libraries

The University’s libraries offer a huge range of resources and services to help you rise to the challenges of your course. You may be familiar with using the Internet but we can show you how to identify where all kinds of resources can be found, how to evaluate and select the most appropriate ones for your needs, how to get them locally or from other libraries. If you become familiar with what is available via the library, and use it well, you might graduate with a better degree and impress your future employers with your professional approach to finding information.

There are 8 libraries sited at different University locations. All libraries have a wide range of stock supporting the teaching at each site, as well as offering pc access to the library’s home page (http://www.uce.ac.uk/library/public).

Kenrick Library is the largest of the University's libraries. It is located on the Perry Barr Campus and serves 6 of the University's 9 faculties. These are the Business School, Faculty of the Built Environment, Faculty of Computing, Information and English, Faculty of Education, Faculty of Health and Community Care and Faculty of Law and Social Sciences.

The Birmingham Institute of Art and Design is supported by 4 libraries. The Library at the Gosta Green campus houses material on three-dimensional design, fashion and textiles, visual communication and art history. The Library at Margaret Street covers the subject areas of fine art and art education. The Library at Vittoria Street has material relating to jewellery and the Library at Bournville houses material to support foundation degrees.

The Nursing Reference and Lending Libraries support all the nurse education undertaken at the Westbourne campus by the Faculty of Health and Community Care. The Conservatoire Library contains a wide range of scores and recorded music. Finally, the Library Service has close links with the Technology Innovation Centre, where local staff provide the front line services.

Library Services offer a full range of traditional and electronic services, help and advice, which are available to all UCE students.
These include:

Lending Services
http://www.uce.ac.uk/library/public/framelending.htm

In order to borrow material from any of UCE's libraries, you will need your ID card and current validation slip. Undergraduate students may borrow up to 12 books and postgraduate students may borrow up to 15. The normal loan period is 5 weeks but there are a number of more restricted loan periods for books that are in high demand.

Please do not forget that all UCE students share these resources so we ask that you either return or renew items on time. As soon as you register as a library user, you will be able to place reservations for material and check details about your other loans, reservations
or charges.

Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) http://talis.uce.ac.uk:8001/www-bin/www_talis32

The UCE online catalogue is available 24 hours a day both inside and outside the University via the Internet. It contains details of material held by all the University's libraries and shows you where material can be obtained, whether it is available and for how long you can borrow it.

Library Web Page
http://www.uce.ac.uk/library/public

The Library has comprehensive web pages allowing access to a wide range of electronic information sources as well as over 1500 electronic journals relating to the subjects taught at the University. For information about accessing electronic services please visit the password news link on the Electronic Services Web Page http://www.uce.ac.uk/library/public/passwordnews.htm or call one of the numbers listed below.

Digital Library
http://www.uce.ac.uk/uceel

Library Services is responsible for the maintenance and development of the University’s digital library (UCEEL). UCEEL offers flexible access to an increasing range of high quality resources to support learning and research. UCEEL will be of particular benefit to distance learners and provide improved access to copyright cleared course materials, special collections and high demand information.

Contact Information

If you have any subject specific queries please call your faculty's librarian (insert name and number of faculty librarian). If you have any queries relating to any of the Library's services please call on one of the numbers listed below.