The Library - disabled library users

Information for disabled library users

If there is anything else you would like to see included, or if you would like further information, please contact the Library by e-mail or phone on 01865 278547.

Readers who are wheelchair users

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Access to the College is from New Road via a sloped approach leading to double doors. Both doors would need to be opened for a wheelchair user, for which assistance would be required. The Library is accessed from this point +2. There is sloped access, but it has a gradient of 1 in 3, and a locked door at the top, so assistance would be required. Either advanced notice should be given to the library (by phoning 01865 278550), or the Porter contacted at the lodge, also +2.

The ground floor has clearance of 750mm through to a (limited) working area. There is lift access to floors 1 - 6. The lift has clearance of 700mm and wheelchair users would need assistance in its use. The basement, which contains all economics and statistics books, is not served by the lift. In addition, the second floor is not level: the Upper Reading Room, housing half the periodical stock and the photocopier, is +1 +2; the Cole room, housing a number of periodicals and newspapers is +2. Access to the Reading Room on the first floor is through double doors. Both doors would need to be opened for a wheelchair user, for which assistance would be required in the first instance. Books and periodicals on floors 2 - 6 are likely to be inaccessible, due to the height of shelves, and clearance space between shelves. Current periodicals are in a first floor room inaccessible to wheelchair users.

Tables in the first floor Reading Room are 770mm high and have 630mm leg space. An OPAC/reader workstation is available in this room, housed on a table. Taught course items are shelved in this room, though assistance would be needed in accessing them.

Staff are willing and able to perform any task to help to overcome the barriers to access that exist in the Library. Fetching books, photocopying etc. can be very easily accommodated. Please let us know if there is anything we can help you with.

Readers with mobility difficulties who do not use a wheelchair

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The entrance to the Library is +2 (no handrail) through a heavy wooden door. There is sloped access, but it has a gradient of 1 in 3, and a locked door at the top.

The basement and floors one and two are accessed via a wide wooden staircase with a handrail. The stairs to floors 2 - 6 are narrow concrete and poorly lit. There is also lift access to floors 1 - 6. The lift has two manual doors, which can be stiff to operate. All floors have two heavy wooden firedoors between the lift and the shelves. All floors except the second floor are level. On the second floor, the Upper Reading Room, housing half the periodical stock and the photocopier, is +1 +2 and through two very heavy wooden firedoors; the Cole room, housing a number of periodicals and newspapers is +2; and the toilet is +1.

The shelves go from very low to very high, with limited access between the shelves. All rooms housing books and periodicals have desks and chairs for reader's use, except the basement, where there are wooden benches only. There is a trolley for reader use on the first floor, and additional trolleys in the basement and the Upper Reading Room. The OPAC can be accessed via two (standing) terminals, or the three (seated) reader workstations (one in the first floor Reading Room, two in the Upper Reading Room). There is a stool and table in the photocopier room.

Staff are willing and able to perform any task to help to overcome the barriers to access that exist in the Library. Fetching books, assisting in removing books from the shelves, taking items to the photocopier, photocopying etc. can be very easily accommodated. Please let us know if there is anything we can help you with.

Readers with visual impairments

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There are no specific facilities for readers with visual impairments. Signage throughout the library is variable, though there is an ongoing programme to improve it. There are power and Ethernet points in the Reading Rooms.

Staff are willing and able to perform any task to help to overcome the barriers to access that exist in the Library. Fetching books, working one-to-one through electronic resources, doing photocopying or scanning, enlarging items by photocopying etc. can very easily be accommodated. Please let us know if there is anything we can help you with.

Readers with hearing impairments

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There are no specific facilities for readers with hearing impairments.

Staff are willing and able to perform any task to help to overcome the barriers to access that exist in the Library. Please let us know if there is anything we can help you with.

Readers with Dyslexia

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Almost all books are on open access shelves. The shelfmarks are a combination of letters and numbers e.g. HC 585.M; JN 955.1951.B.
Periodicals are shelved alphabetically by title. There are power and Ethernet points in the Reading Rooms.

Staff are willing and able to perform any task to help to overcome the barriers to access that exist in the Library. One-to-one help, fetching books etc. can very easily be accommodated. Please let us know if there is anything we can help you with.

Maintained by Elizabeth Martin