Using the Library
The Library is open 24/7 to College members during Term and Vacation. You will need your University card to access the buildings.
Library staff are on site 9am-5.15pm (with an hour for lunch from 1pm-2pm), Monday-Friday, and can be found on the staff desks in both buildings 10am-1pm and 2pm-5pm during Term time. Outside of these times, they can usually be found in the Librarian’s Office on the first floor in Hartland House, in the Library Office on the ground floor of the Tim Gardam Building, or roving within the reading rooms.
Read on to find information about our study spaces, including group study and computing facilities, rules for using the library, and accessibility.
Study Spaces
We have 150 study spaces between both libraries, with a variety of seating options: single study carrels; larger shared tables; height-adjustable desks; and soft-furnished pod chairs.
Spaces are unreserved and all items and belongings should be removed from the desks when you leave the Library. Library staff clear desks each morning and unattended books will be removed from accounts. Personal belongings will be cleared to the Lost & Found areas in both buildings. The cubby holes in Hartland House Library may be used to store books, notes, and other items during Term time.
The small side rooms on the first floor corridor of Hartland House – Modern Languages 1 & 2, the Classics Room, and the Geldart Room – are not for group or private study. They are open to College members in all subjects and normal library rules apply.
Group Study
If you want somewhere to work as a group, you can book a group study room on the first floor of the Tim Gardam Building, or use the Outreach Room as an informal study space when not booked for events.
The room bookings are managed by the Conferences & Events team. E-mail them at teaching.rooms@st-annes.ox.ac.uk by 4pm for a booking the next day (or 3pm on Friday for the weekend and following Monday) and you will receive an e-mail to confirm your booking. Room bookings for students are limited to 8 hours per day and 12 hours in total per week.
If a room is not booked, and no one is using it, you are free to work there. The group study rooms contain bookshelves, so Library staff and other students sometimes need to browse or retrieve books from the shelves and may do so, even if the room has been booked.
The rooms are mostly soundproof, but louder conversations can sometimes be heard within the reading room and you may be asked to keep the volume down.
Library Rules
We aim to provide a safe and secure space for study and have a few rules in place to maintain our buildings, collections, and study environment. We ask that you are respectful of those working around you, as well as Library staff, by following these rules:
- Only members and associates of St Anne’s College may use the Libraries. You may show guests around the Library on a brief visit, but they may not stay and use the space.
- Books may not be borrowed by or for people who are not members of the College.
- The Library is a place for silent study, apart from in designated group study rooms, the Outreach Room, and gardens. Please take all conversations and phone calls outside the building.
- Please don’t write in, highlight, or otherwise deface Library books. The cost of replacing any damaged books may be added to your battels.
- Desks may not be reserved and unattended items are cleared each morning. There are cubby holes in Hartland House where books and personal items may be stored during Term.
- Bottled water and hot drinks in Keep Cups or travel mugs with secure lids are allowed in the reading rooms. All other food & drink may only be consumed in the Outreach Room or Rooftop and Sunken gardens.
- Please follow temporary instructions or directions put in place by Library staff regarding access or use of the rooms and collections.
PCs & WiFi
There are 10 PCs on the Ground Floor of the Tim Gardam Building and 2 PCs located in the entrance area of Hartland House Library. To log on, use your Single Sign On (SSO) username e.g. sann1234 and password.
Library PCs will automatically log out after 15 minutes of inactivity, so remember to save your work periodically. Also remember to log off once you have finished. If you don’t, other people may be able to see your files and print from your account.
Eduroam and OWL WiFi networks can be accessed throughout the Library. For instructions on how to set up a WiFi connection, please see the University’s WiFi guide.
See our Printing & IT pages for more details about using our printing, photocopying, and scanning facilities.
Accessibility
We are always keen to understand how we can support your use of the Library’s spaces and collections, whether you have a disclosed disability or not. Our two buildings may present challenges to those with reduced mobility, specified learning difficulties, or other conditions, and we provide an array of assistive equipment and services to help with using the Library.
Please see our Accessibility page for full details of matters concerning accessibility and the support we can offer.
