Visit By Ed Balls

On Thursday 12th February, Rt Hon Ed Balls MP, the shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer will be visiting the Bedford Campus.

He will be giving a short presentation about the economy and will take part in a question and answer session.

Spaces are limited at this event and are available on a first come first served basis. The event starts at 5pm with refreshments, and is scheduled to finish at 6:30pm. 

To book your place, click on this link http://ed-balls.eventbrite.co.uk  

 

SiD Desk & Reception Relocation At Bedford

The SiD desk at Bedford and the campus reception will be moving to the new Gateway Building and these services will be live at this location as of Monday the 26th January.  

The SiD desk is located on the first floor. 

Study Hub at Bedford Campus

I am hosting drop-ins at the Study Hub (Level 1 of Bedford Library) every Tuesday between 1.00 - 2.00 pm.

Please feel free to "drop-in" if you'd like any quick library-related support, e.g. researching, referencing, DISCOVER, finding journal articles....

Campus Closure

Bedford Campus will be closed from 25th December until Monday 5th January 2015. The Library will remain open 24/7 during this period.

Bedford, Polhill Library Closures

Over the summer vacation contractors will be carrying out upgrades to the Polhill Campus electricity supply. As there will be no electricity whilst these works are carried out,to ensure the safety of staff and students the block undergoing the upgrade will be locked down and nobody will be allowed into that area whilst there is no electricity supply.

These works will affect Bedford, Polhill Library on the following dates:

• Sunday 8th June - There will be no access to the whole site as the University will be shut down. Permission will not be grated at any given time.
• Thursday 3rd July - the library will be closed all day

Learning Hub Closed for Summer 2014

The Learning Hub at the Bedford Campus will be closed for summer from 18.00 on 20th June until October 13th 2014.

The Library at Bedford is open 24/7 throughout the summer vacation.

Vehicle Access to Bedford Campus

As part of the programme of works on the Bedford campus normal vehicular access to the campus, adjacent to the library building, will be closed from 31^st March to 21^st  to the 22^nd April inclusive. 

Access during this time will be via the current exit road and this has been widened to accommodate two way traffic.  Please take extra special care when driving on site during this period.  Pedestrian access will only be slightly affected and any new routes clearly marked.

Students With Assistive Status

Learning Resources provide a large range of services for staff and students who are identified as having a disability either through the Student Record System (SITS) or the HR System (TRENT).

Individuals who disclose a disability to LRC/Library staff, which is not known to the University, will be referred to the Health and Wellbeing Team.

Services for students with assistive status include:

• Individual assistance
• Unlimited renewals
• Waived fines (excludes other sanctions including blocked borrowing and charges for replacement)
• Training and support in the use of assistive software
• All our LRCs are accessible for wheelchair users
• Lifts are available to allow access to all floors
• Specialist software and equipment
• Staff are disability aware and are happy to help you

To learn more about the services we provide for those with disabilities please visit our Services for Students with Assistive Status pages at: http://lrweb.beds.ac.uk/libraryservices/additional

The contact for services at Bedford Library is:

Sue Csoka
sue.csoka@beds.ac.uk
Tel:  01234 793189

Silent Study Space At Bedford Polhill

This summer a new silent study area will be created on Level 2 of Bedford, Polhill Library. When finished this will mean an entire floor of silent study space.

We are aiming to keep disruption to a minimum but from 10^th June 2013 and throughout the summer, access to Level 2 may be fully or partially closed while building work takes place. This small amount of disruption will result in an improved study environment for the beginning of the new academic year.

You Said...We Did...

A host of new initiatives have now been introduced as a result of students hilighting issues in the National Student Survey (NSS). These are:

1)     You said: Can we have longer LRC/library opening times at the main campuses?

We did: From 7 Jan 2013 the libraries at Luton and Bedford will be open 24/7.

2)     You said: We would really like a bar at Bedford.

We did: A new bar and social hub in the Bedford’s Students’ Union will open January 10.

3)     You said: We need more books in the library and access to more science journals.

We did: £100,000 allocated - £62,000 already spent on buying multiple copies of books –more to be spent on books and access to science e-journals.

4)     You said: Can you please communicate changes to the timetable better?

We did: A new text alert system, where changes will be relayed to students from Faculty office, has been purchased and will be rolled out in January.

5)     You said: How can we get access to more and faster computers?

We did: Tendering for 450 PCs (worth £300,000) has started and a programme to start replacing old ones in Bedford, Putteridge Bury and Luton is scheduled for February.

Changes have been made in every Faculty. Find out about more ‘You Said.. We Did’ in next month’s Life or log on to www.beds.ac.uk/nss  Do you have a view on the NSS? If so email Life at life@beds.ac.uk

Are you a third year student? The 2013 NSS is now open http://www.thestudentsurvey.com/  It takes only 10 minutes to give us your views.