There’s still time to let us have your views on the library

There’s still time to let us have your views on the library: our LibQual survey will remain open until midnight on 28 February.  Please do take a few minutes of your time to let us know what you think: we value all feedback and will read and consider all comments with a view to continually trying to improve what we do.  

Please go to https://www.libqual.org/survey/RWSVJA32HUL53VNY.

Thanks

New Animoto video on the New Library now available!

Bring yourself up to date on progress with the New Library build in our latest video.

More videos can be found in the L&HC Videos panel on the right hand side towards the bottom of this page.

INFO: Summer Access to Queen Mother Library

A great deal of work will take place during the summer months to move into our new library from the current Queen Mother Library (QML). We will be maintaining access to QML and library services and facilities during those months. 

There are no plans to close QML and we will be offering fetching and retrieval services for books and materials which may become temporarily unavailable as stock is relocated. It remains our firm intention to provide access to our stock and other services and facilities during the move and will be doing everything we can to minimise disruption to students who may need to undertake dissertation, resit and other work in the summer, and academic colleagues and visiting researchers who may be undertaking research work.

We shall be publicising arrangements in due course.

Laurence Bebbington (Deputy Librarian)  laurence.bebbington@abdn.ac.uk

£50K FirstGroup boost for the New Library

The new library is in the news again with an announcement of a donation by FirstGroup. The UK’s largest bus and rail operator has provided £50k worth of funding for the creation of a quiet study area on the third floor.

Read more here.

Elaine Shallcross (e.shallcross@abdn.ac.uk)

Dismantling of the Pihl crane well underway

Eight and a half ton section of the Pihl crane is lowered to the ground

Dismantling of the giant Pihl crane used to construct the new library is well under way. 

Work had to be abandoned yesterday because of high winds but several large sections have been removed already this morning.

A 300 ton crane is being used to lift the sections of crane.

Photographs of the operation will be available on the New Library photostream on Flickr within the next few days.

Elaine Shallcross
e.shallcross@abdn.ac.uk

Missed the MA Applicant Day on 02 March?

We are sorry you weren’t able to visit the University on Wednesday. We’re sure you would have been impressed by the magnificent new library building currently under construction.

If you would like to find out more about Library & Historic Collections (and in particular the new library scheduled to open later this year) we have a podcast online, or you can visit our web pages.

Contact us anytime to enquire about the new library, our collections, services or facilities. We look forward to hearing from you.

Elaine Shallcross
Information Consultant
e.shallcross@abdn.ac.uk

Tired? Sit down, relax and listen to our podcast

Science and Engineering applicants – fed up of reading flyers about University libraries?

Why don’t you take a break, have a coffee, and listen to our podcast?

We have a lot to tell you about our new library and all the library services, facilities and resources for new Science and Engineering students at the University of Aberdeen. You can play the podcast on your smart phone, mp3 player or computer. The m4a file even has pictures and web links!

http://www.abdn.ac.uk/library/audiopods.shtml#applicant

If you would like to know more about the library service please take a look at our web pages (http://www.abdn.ac.uk/library/), telephone, blog or email us – or even better, why don’t you call in and see us when you visit on 23 February?

We look forward to seeing you.

Learn more about the new library via this QR barcode

Susan McCourt, Principal Information Consultant
Science and Engineering
s.mccourt@abdn.ac.uk

Elaine Shallcross, Information Consultant
e.shallcross@abdn.ac.uk

Quick Guide to QR barcodes: Library on your smart phone 

Science & Engineering Applicant Day: Wednesday 23 February

For those attending the Science & Engineering Applicant Day later this week (Wednesday 23 February) there will be short presentations on the Library & Computing Services available to students at the University of Aberdeen. The presentations will run at 10 am, 11 am and noon in the Queen Mother Library (next to the tall new library building that is under contruction at the moment – you can’t miss us!).

It’s an exciting time for us in the Library – find out about our new building and all the paper-based and electronic resources available you become a student at the University… 

Susan McCourt, Principal Information Consultant, s.mccourt@abdn.ac.uk

Bindery on the move

Machinery being loaded on to a flat bed truck

Guillotine dismantled and ready for shipment

Removal of the Bindery’s heavy machinery from Queen Mother Library (QML) is underway. This is a delicate operation involving a lift and extraction of equipment along a narrow gap between the glass panels of the new library and QML.

We hope to keep disruption to the Bindery service to a minimum during this period, with the QML Copyshop remaining open throughout the move.

If you have further queries please e-mail bookbinders@abdn.ac.uk or m.ramsden@abdn.ac.uk.

Elaine Shallcross
e.shallcross@abdn.ac.uk

Ever wondered what is involved in moving 21 miles of books and archives?

One of the most complex elements of the relocation to the new library building will be the transfer of the manuscript, archive, rare book, modern book and journal stock, glass plate negatives, sound materials, maps, etc etc, from their current locations to new destinations.

We are currently in the process of buying about 15 miles of shelving for the new library and overall we will be moving about 21 miles of stock into a combination of the new building and between existing sites. The tender specification for the removals has been drawn up and we are going through a full tender process conducted under complex European purchasing rules in order to ensure that we appoint a contractor with the specialist experience required to undertake the moves.

Key, of course, to all of this is both the security and safety of the stock during the move, and minimising the disruption to services during it.

Chris Banks
c.banks@abdn.ac.uk

Why don’t you join the New Library Group on Facebook?