Use of the LRC during the Pandemic

• Access to the LRC

  Access will be through the speed gates next to the Reception Desk as usual.

  • A one-way system will be in operation at the LRC gates, allowing entrance on one side and exit on the other as indicated.
  • Although the gate barriers are not in use, staff and students are required to swipe their university ID cards on both entry and exit.
  • When walking round the LRC all staff and students are required to wear masks.
  • Please observe physical distancing requirements when walking around the LRC. There will be a maximum occupancy figure applied to the use of the LRC. Occupancy levels will be monitored by Security staff based at the Reception desk, and should the figure be exceeded, temporary barriers will be put in place to prevent access until occupancy drops to the operational level. The maximum capacity of the LRC is currently 200 people.

  One way system

  There will be a one-way system in place around part of the LRC, indicated by directional signage. Please see the Plans for details.

  
  
  •  Access to the main bank of terminals will be via this route. Students should not access these terminals via the area in front of The Helpdesk nor through the bookstacks.
  • The additional Helpdesks for, Registry and Finance located to the right of the Helpdesk should also be accessed via this route.
  • The corridor overlooking the atrium which links the two ends of the LRC is narrow. Although, by necessity, two-way traffic will be allowed along the corridor please walk in single file and keep to the sides of the corridor as indicated. The keyboard and mouse have been removed from all the terminals in this area and seats enclosed under the bench to provide more space and facilitate flow. Please do not stop and chat in this area.

The Helpdesk will be staffed 10am to 2pm weekdays, Saturday and Sunday 1pm-3pm to offer all our usual services, however staffing at the desk will be reduced from normal levels to ensure compliance with physical distancing requirements. Outwith these times Helpdesk staff will be available via email (LRCHelp@qmu.ac.uk / Assist@qmu.ac.uk).

• Staff and students should follow the one way system as described above to access the Helpdesk and not enter the area in front of the Helpdesk directly from the LRC entrance.
• Screens will be in place at the front of the staffed workstations at the Helpdesk, transfer of objects will be facilitated by tray between the LRC user and Helpdesk staff e.g. laptops, phones or other equipment and larger books. A continuous screen will be in place along the higher section of the Helpdesk.
• Please observe physical distancing when queueing.
• Similarly there will be a queuing system for use of the self-service machines and MFDs, the start of which as indicated by a free-standing sign in the same area.
• Sanitizing equipment will be provided at each self service machine which staff and students should use before and after using the touch screens.
• Two of the MFDs by the self service machines will be in use. Other MFDs are located by the postgraduate room and the bridge area. Again please sanitize the machines before and after use. If the paper in either of the MFDs has run our please inform Helpdesk staff who will replenish the machines.
• The area to the right of the Helpdesk, including Group Study rooms 1-161 and 1-163 will not be accessible to students other than to meet with Registry or Finance staff. Requests to borrow the DVDs shelved in this area should be made at The Helpdesk or via email (LRCHelp@qmu.ac.uk).
• Staff from Registry and Finance will also be available in the LRC for in person meetings and queries. Their desks are situated to the right of the Helpdesk. If staff members are busy dealing with someone please queue at the indicated place near the desks.

All study spaces in the LRC must now be booked prior to use via the Room Booking system.The number of terminals (132) available in the LRC, including those in the quiet study rooms and postgraduate room, has been reduced to comply with physical distancing requirements. Details about the cleaning regime in the LRC is provided elsewhere in this document.

• The keyboard, mouse and chair will be removed from those terminals which are no longer in use. In addition, a notice will be placed on the screen of these terminals to indicate that the space is not to be used. Please do not spread books, documents or belongings onto the empty desks.
• No terminals will be available in the access corridor between the two sections of the LRC.
• Sanitizing equipment will be provided for use on the terminals and students should wipe down the equipment and desk area before and after use.

In semester Two no access to the book stacks is permitted except by LRC staff. A “Click and Collect” system has been implemented. Further information on Click and Collect system.

Due to Tier 4 restrictions the use of the internal rooms within the LRC is much reduced. All group study rooms, 3 of the quiet study rooms, and the 4 teaching labs, are all closed. Room 1123a and b remain open for postgraduate use only. All available study spaces must be booked via the Room Booking system.

This section provides information about services provided by The Helpdesk, Liaison Librarian support to both staff and students, the Effective Learning Service, and the services provided for Scanning and book ordering.

The Helpdesk

The Helpdesk is physically staffed 10am to 2pm weekdays, Saturday and Sunday 1pm-3pm, however staffing at the desk will be reduced from normal levels to ensure compliance with physical distancing requirements. Helpdesk staff are also available via email (LRCHelp@qmu.ac.uk / Assist@qmu.ac.uk) 8am to 7pm weekdays, Saturday and Sunday 1pm to 3pm.

• Staff and students should follow the one way to access the Helpdesk and not enter the area in front of the Helpdesk directly from the LRC entrance.
• Screens are in place at the front of the staffed workstations at the Helpdesk – barriers are in place to issue you into the front desk. Please observe physical distancing when visiting the front desk.
• A queueing system is in place to the left of the desk space itself and is indicated by a free-standing sign. Please observe physical distancing when queueing.

The Liaison Librarian team will be working remotely, offering support to students in the following areas:

Student support during Induction Week

• Video induction for all UG and PG students with information about accessing online resources, resource lists, reference management software and library support
• Online drop-in sessions for UG and PG students to ask questions, troubleshoot, and find out more about liaison librarian support

Student support during Semester Two:

Series of pre-recorded videos on key topics including:

• Fundamentals of searching
• Advanced searching
• Searching key databases
• How to find journal articles
• How to find ebooks
• How to find dissertations and theses
• Keeping on top of your references with RefWorks
• Getting the best out of Mendeley for reference management
• Email support (via LRCHelp@qmu.ac.uk) for subject-specific and in-depth resource-related and referencing enquiries
• One-to-one online research support meetings for PGs: bookable via Subject Guides

We will be continuing to provide staff support with teaching resources and content, and remind staff that they can seek help from us in the following ways:

Ongoing staff support:

• One-to-one online meetings and email support for help with aspects such as Talis Resource Lists, purchasing teaching resources, finding open access and open educational resources, licensing queries, and research support
• Online teaching within courses on subjects including accessing resources, search techniques, referencing – academic leads, please email your liaison librarian to arrange in-course sessions 

The Effective Learning Service team will offer support to students, both online and in person in the following areas:

Student support during Induction Week

• Welcome resource for all UG and PG students with information about the team and what we can help with
• Online drop-in sessions for UG and PG students to ask questions and find out more about ELS support
• Recorded Academic Skills sessions are available on the Coming from College webpage

Student support during Semester Two:

• One to one appointments will be available to book on Student Central.
  •  These appointments will mainly be conducted online via Collaborate, MS Teams or email.
  •  Some availability for face to face appointments may be offered on campus, depending on student needs and staff availability. These will be bookable by emailing ELS@qmu.ac.uk or ELSinternational@qmu.ac.uk
• Weekly virtual drop-in sessions will be held via Collaborate to allow students to access ELS support in an informal, online environment.
• Students will be able to email ELS (ELS@qmu.ac.uk or ELSInternational@qmu.ac.uk) with queries relating to academic skills. These queries will be answered via email or students may be asked to book an appointment if necessary
• Academic Skills workshops will be delivered via Collaborate. Students will be able to book a place on these on Student Central. There will be a full programme available including:
  • Essay planning
  • Essay Writing
  • Academic Reading
  • Citation and Referencing
  • Making the Most of Lectures
• A number of short recorded sessions on academic skills will be made available to all students.
• A dedicated in-sessional programme of support will be offered for International and EU students who would have otherwise attended the pre-sessional programme. This programme will be run online and resources will be placed on the dedicated in-sessional site on the Hub

In-module student support during Semester Two:

Academic staff are reminded that they can request ELS sessions to run in their modules. These sessions can be in the form of:

• In-person sessions to be delivered during the students’ allocated time on campus
• Synchronous online sessions via Collaborate
• A-synchronous recorded sessions which can be embedded on the module Hub.

ELS can also provide academic staff with advice and support on introducing and implementing formative writing tasks for Level 1 and Direct Entry students.

Scans of material to be included in Talis resource lists and Hub modules will continue to be provided. Academic staff should contact scanning@qmu.ac.uk in the usual way to request new scans. Please send email requests well in advance of the date when the material will be required as Library Services staff will not be on site every day.

Library Services will continue to provide an ILL service as usual.

Requests for new book stock, both print and electronic, should be made in the usual way via the Liaison Librarian team or via Talis Resource lists. We will preferentially purchase ebooks where possible but this will depend on availability, cost and access model.

There will be an enhanced cleaning regime in the LRC, including an overnight deep clean. Hand sanitising equipment and wipes will be available at various locations around the LRC, including at the self service machines, MFDs and computer terminals.

Please refer to the institutional risk assessment documents for details of the toilet cleaning regime.