Glasgow School of Art was sadly thrust into the headlines earlier this summer when there was a catastrophic fire at the main GSA building, destroying the iconic Charles Rennie Mackintosh Library. It was a tragedy, but the local fire brigade were the heroes of the day, saving more than anyone imagined could be saved. Work is under way both restoring the building and trying to replace some of the priceless books that were in that library.
However, the main GSA Library is in a different building, so that collection was unaffected. It's a great resource for anyone needing visual inspiration, so will be particularly interesting to our theatrical production community. If you're an undergraduate or taught postgraduate, you can go and read there but won't be able to borrow books. (We can arrange inter library loans, though.) And if you're a research student or member of staff, your SCONUL Access will let you borrow books too.
In brief:
- Undergraduates or taught Masters students going to another Scottish Higher Education institution don't need SCONUL Access cards - just their normal matriculation card will get them in for reference purposes. They do need SCONUL Access cards to go to university libraries beyond Scotland.
- And researchers or staff need SCONUL Access cards in order to borrow books.
- Apply online for SCONUL Access. The Whittaker Library has to approve your application. Here's the SCONUL Access website:-
- http://www.access.sconul.ac.uk/sconul-access
And you'll need these, too:-
One of the great things about Glasgow is the wide choice of libraries to use. Staff and students at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland have their own Whittaker Library, of course, but sometimes it's good to know you can visit other libraries - public and academic - as well.
There is a scheme called SCONUL Access which allows researchers and staff to borrow from other university libraries. If you're an undergraduate or taking a taught Masters degree, you can still use the scheme to use other university libraries for reference, i.e. to consult books within the library but not borrow them. And that applies to any UK university libraries, not just Glasgow ones, so you could get reading access to one near your family home during vacations, too.
Here's the good bit. If you're an undergraduate going to another Scottish university of college library, your matriculation card should be enough to get you in without applying for a SCONUL Access card.
If you're consulting books in a university or college library outside Scotland, or if you're a researcher wanting to borrow books, then you should apply for SCONUL Access online. Your own Whittaker Library staff have to approve your application. (Do make sure you haven't got heaps of overdue loans or fines. We have to guarantee that you're a well-behaved library user!!)
Click here to read about SCONUL Access. This is a brief excerpt from their website, describing the access agreement:-
"If you are:
-
a member of staff (both academic and support staff) on an open or fixed term contract
-
a postgraduate research student registered for a PhD, MPhil or similar qualification
-
a part-time, distance learning and placement student
-
or a full-time postgraduate
and your university or college is a member of the scheme, you may be able to borrow from other college or university libraries.
If you are
-
a full-time undergraduate student
and your university or college is a member of the scheme, you
may be able to use the resources of other college and university
libraries for reference."
Glasgow University Library has a huge and very excellent collection, covering all subjects. Here's their website:- http://www.gla.ac.uk/services/library/ You can follow them on Twitter @uofglibrary.
We'll introduce you to some other local libraries in future blogposts.
We are the Whittaker Library at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, here to serve the information needs of our student and staff performing artists. Follow us on Twitter @Whittakerlib.
