Guides: Our services: Study Spaces: Bill Bryson Library

At Bill Bryson Library, our study spaces include individual and group spaces, study rooms and designated spaces for Postgraduate students.

Study Zones in the Library

The Library provides a range of study environments so you can choose the one most suitable for your needs. Please be considerate of other users and help us maintain the described noise level in each area.

Use the tabs below to find out more about each study zone and where they are in the building.

Collaborative study

Suitable for group work and discussions at a normal volume, with moveable wipe boards available for use.

Bookable Group Study Rooms are available but are not soundproof. They are suitable for group work and discussions at a normal volume.

Lidded drinks and cold food are allowed in these areas.

Where?

Level 1 - North and South Wing
Bookable group study rooms
There are also collaborative study spaces available in the Teaching and Learning Centre

Quiet, individual study

Low background noise levels rather than silent. Please keep conversations to a minimum.

Turn off mobile phone alerts
If you need to answer your phone, please move to one of the stairwells
Be considerate when using laptops with sound – use headphones and make sure others can’t hear
Lidded drinks and cold food are allowed in these areas.

Bookable Individual Study Rooms are available for single person use. Please note, they are not soundproof.

You can use our Study Booths on Level 2 (opposite the Help and Information Desk) if you need to speak to participate in an online lecture. Please keep conversation levels low and use headphones.

If you need to work in a group or have a longer conversation, please use the Collaborative Study Area on Level 1 or book a Group Study Room.

Where?

This applies to the following areas:

Level 1 – East Wing (Atrium)
All areas on Levels 2, 3 and 4
Bookable individual study rooms on all Levels, including Disability Support Rooms

Silent study

For those of you who prefer to study on your own with no noise around you.

Work silently, including when using computers or laptops
Turn off mobile phone alerts
If you need to answer your phone, please move away from the silent study area
Make sure no sound from your computer/laptop/personal devices can be heard by others
Please don’t eat in this area out of consideration to others - lidded drinks are allowed.

All study spaces in our silent study zone at Bill Bryson Library are bookable.

Where?

Level 1 – West Wing
Barker Research Library is also a silent study zone

Reporting noise or other issues in the Library

We ask all our users to be considerate of others and maintain described noise levels in each area of the Library.

If you think others are being too loud or misusing a space, you can contact us through our live chat service between Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm to reach staff based in the building who will be able to investigate the issue. Outside these times, please speak to Library or security staff at our Help and Information Desk on Level 2.

You can choose to chat with us online anonymously but remember to tell us where you are and we’ll aim to get there as soon as possible.

Visit our website for more details on our live chat service and support in the Library.

Non-bookable spaces

We have a variety of non-bookable study spaces available throughout our opening times at Bill Bryson Library, including:

individual study spaces (available on all floors)
group study spaces (Level 1 North and South Wing)
spaces with PC access (Level 2, 3 and 4 East Wing)
spaces with docking stations (Level 2 East Wing)
Postgraduate Room (Level 4 West Wing)

If you’re leaving your desk for longer than 30 minutes, please take all your personal belongings with you and leave the desk clear for the next person to use.

We do not take any responsibility for items left unattended in the Library and suggest you keep valuable items with you at all times.

Bookable spaces at Bill Bryson Library

The following bookable spaces are available at Bill Bryson Library. To help you find them when you visit, we’ve included brief information on how to get to them, photo guides, and our floor maps will help you to see where the areas are in the building.

Please only sit in these bookable areas if you have pre-booked your space.

Type of bookable space	Location	Finding these areas (photo guides)
Quiet, individual study	Level 3 North, South and West Wings	Bookable area via Main Stairs Bookable area via Central Stairs Bookable area via lift
Silent study	Level 1 West Wing	Silent study via Main Stairs Silent study via lift
PCs and docking stations	Level 1 and Level 3 West Wing	See Silent Study guides above Level 3 PCs via Main Stairs Level 3 PCs via lift
Postgraduate Research students (Kepier Room)	Level 4 South Wing	Kepier Room via Central Stairs Kepier Room via lift
Individual study rooms	Available on all floors	-
Group study rooms	Available on all floors	-
Disability Support (DS) study rooms	Level 1 West Wing	DS Rooms via Main Stairs DS Rooms via lift

Booking timeslots and allowances

You can view the details of available timeslots and booking limits for each of the following bookable spaces:

Individual study - includes quiet and silent areas, PCs and docking stations
Individual study rooms
Group study rooms
Disability Support rooms
Kepier Room - for Postgraduate Research students

How to book a study space

Visit our Space Bookings system to book a study space.

Your study space is allocated by the system, limited to floor level. Our Disability Support rooms are available to students who have an assessed need to access these spaces. Our study space location plans will help you to find your allocated seat before you visit.

You can arrive at any time during your booked timeslot, but we do ask you to leave the study space by the end of your allocated time ready for the next person who has booked.

If you have made a booking and you decide you don’t need it or are unable to attend, please cancel your booking to allow others to make use of it. Simply go to the ‘My Bookings’ tab on the Space Bookings app and cancel your booking.

Visit our Space Bookings system guide for further details.

Study spaces for Postgraduate students

We offer dedicated study spaces for our postgraduate students to use in Bill Bryson Library.

Postgraduate Room (Level 4 West Wing, non-bookable)

With swipe-card access, our Postgraduate Room provides dedicated study spaces for all postgraduate students, including Masters students. There are desk, PC and docking station study spaces, along with study areas for group work, comfortable seating, lockers and access to toilets.

From September 2023, you don't need to book to use this space.

Kepier Room - Postgraduate Research students (Level 4 South Wing, bookable)

Our Kepier Room is available to Postgraduate Research students and you will need to book a space in this room through our Space Booking system. There is a mixture of desk, PC and docking station study spaces for individual study, and lockers available for use during your time in the Library.