At the recent Doctoral School Virtual Conference researchers asked the library for an update regarding access to resources and the library answers your questions here:
- Challenges for students in their literature review section of their research with the library closed. Also questions about any tentative date for the library to open.
Although we do not have access to our print resources at the moment, students can still access all our electronic resources (ebooks, electronic journals and databases), both here and at Senate House. If that would help, I would be very happy to run a webinar on accessing our resources online with a section at the end where PGRs could ask any questions about library resources which they might have.
- Issue of library stopping the temporary resources at the end of May, and a question was raised if this could be lifted.
When the confinement started, several publishers and library suppliers made their resources free to access. This was a temporary measure and most of them have now withdrawn access so unfortunately there is nothing we can do to continue offering access. If there was a particular resource that was useful, please let us know and we can investigate whether we have access to the same books/journals through on of our subscriptions.
- Issue of borrowing books without ability to sit in the library raised (resources that are not in eBook format but are available in the library in physical format).
Although at this stage I have no information on when the physical library might reopen, we are trying to purchase books in electronic format. If there is a print book that they need, PGRs can email us at LibraryLiaisonrhul.ac.uk and we will try to purchase an electronic copy.
- Issue of PGRs to have access to laptops in the library was raised.
Again, I have no news on this issue at the moment but I will let you know as soon as we have more information.
We have a Service Update page where we publish the latest information on changes to our services.