The Library's Strategic Framework describes 'who' the Library is: our purpose as a service for the University and wider community, the areas in which we prioritise our activities and resources, and the values which underpin the way we work with each other and with colleagues beyond the Library to support the University's strategic goals.

Comment and feedback on the framework and how we match up to our aspirations is welcome in person or by using our feedback form.

• The University Library and Modern Records Centre hold c. 1 million printed volumes and just over 15.5 kilometres of archives. There is also a small research-only collection in the Mathematics Department
• The Library has around 37,000 registered customers and employs around 165 (c.144 full time equivalent) staff
• There are 3173 study places across the eight different Library spaces
• Around 6,000 print books are purchased each year
• We provide access to over 1.3 million electronic books and 158,280 electronic journals
• There were over 3.7m full-text articles requested in 2021-21 (this is in addition to e-book access)
• There were over 1.59m downloads from the University’s institutional repository (WRAP) of research outputs, in 2021-22
• There are 5 floors (upper floors contain specific subject areas):

• A controlled entry policy operates, with turnstiles triggered by the University ID Card, in order to give priority for use of facilities to members of the University
• In a typical year there are excess of 2.2 million entries to the Library sites, with around 6,000-8,000 coming through the Main Library gates during a typical term weekday
• Further Library statistics

Structure chart* (Library contacts also available).

As of August 2024 the new Library structure now comprises three sections as below:

• Collections and Discovery Including the MRC and University Archives and Special Collections, Collections Acquisitions, Collections Management and Discovery, Resource Delivery, Metadata and Library Systems Development.
• Research and Academic Services Including Open Research and Research Data Services, Academic and Curriculum support, Research Repository, Digital Scholarship and the University Press.
• Learner Services Including Customer Services and Student User Experience, Enquiry Services, Library Accessibility, Library Learning Space Development, Library Digital Experience and Development.

Before August 2024 the primary structure comprised: Academic Services, providing subject support, development, responsibility for academic and skills engagement in the Grids and the Wolfson Research Exchange, Postgraduate Hub and Modern Records Centre as well as Warwick community development, including events and wellbeing activity; Client Services providing facilities management, customer support, procurement of library materials and resources, circulation, collection development, resource delivery service; Scholarly Communications, which includes e-repositories and the Warwick Research Archive Portal.

*If you would like accessible assistance to read this PDF structure chart, please contact us at: library at warwick dot ac dot uk.

Senior Management Team

The Senior Management Team comprises the heads of each division and other senior managers from key Library services. The team advises the Librarian on matters relating to the strategic development, planning and management of the Library and its services.

In addition, working groups involving all levels of staff are formed as required to carry out projects.

For most of the year the Library is open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. To help Library customers there are guides, plans and signs covering the whole building. Detailed guides are produced for Subject Floors, for specific subject areas and for specific groups of customers such as part-time and international students. There are also guides to the Library Catalogue and individual databases. There is a Floor 1 Help Desk, which supports basic enquiries. There are photocopiers and printers available at various points thoughout the Library.

In summer 2021 a refurbishment project refreshed Floors 1 & 2 in the main Library and also ensured essential infrastructure improvements were made.

The Wolfson Research Exchange A dedicated space for postgraduate researchers located on the 3rd floor extension of the main library, the Research Exchange offers a variety of space to enable researchers to work collaboratively, innovatively and individually. There are 3 bookable seminar rooms available for workshops, presentations, skills training, departmental inductions or other activities related to your research community.

Learning Grid 1 and Learning Grid 2 are separate study areas in University House, offering approximately 300 collaborative and individual study spaces with a range of equipment supporting this. LG2 has 2 bookable study/presentation rooms.

The facility provides an integrated, flexible space that supports students by facilitating independent learning including individual study, group problem-solving activities, team working and presentation work.

The Learning Grid Rootes opened in May 2013 and is located close to student accommodation. The Learning Grid Rootes is a study space focussing on collaboration and innovation in learning with bookable group study rooms.

The Biomed Grid is a based on the Gibbet Hill Campus of the University of Warwick. It is a smaller facility than the central Learning Grid specifically tailored to the needs of Biological Sciences and Medical Students.

The Community Engagement Team provides support to students in our Learning Grids and Library spaces through a programme of events to help students develop their skills and think about their wellbeing.

The Teaching Grid service provides accessible, collaborative support for all staff involved in teaching or training practice at the University of Warwick. Working in collaboration with key university partners - the WIHEA, Learning Development Centre, Academic Technology, IATL, Teaching Quality Unit, skills services and Library subject specialists - the Teaching Grid furthers the University strategy to develop outstanding and innovative teaching at Warwick.

The Postgraduate Hub provides a multipurpose dedicated area for all postgraduate students at Warwick. It is located outside of the Library in Senate House and there are a number of collaborative working zones (all bookable), meeting and social spaces, as well as a computer suite with its own printing facility. The space was created and developed as part of Warwick's continued investment in the postgraduate student experience.

The Library’s website provides information about collections, services and staff, as well as links to Encore (the Library’s online catalogue), databases, full-text electronic journals/books and other information sources relevant to teaching and research at the University.

• Our internet-based databases, journals and e-books are available to Warwick staff and students
• We encourage enquiries by email to specific services and to individual Library staff from on and off campus
• Notifications of overdue books, reservations awaiting collection, etc., are sent by email to customers with central email addresses
• The Library has a dedicated Training Room designed for teaching students academic skills. It is a fully networked high-specification IT training facility containing 28 student computers directly linked to a tutor computer with Syncroneyes software available. The room is configured cabaret style with flip-up computers making it a versatile training/workshop room
• There are public IT work areas in the main Library with over 250 open access computers

The Library acquires materials to facilitate the University’s learning, teaching and research. In doing so it supports the principles of universal access to information and intellectual freedom. Except where legal constraints apply, the Library does not exclude works because of the ideas or opinions expressed within. The presence of any particular material within the Library's collections does not imply endorsement of the ideas or opinions expressed.

Diversifying our collections

We are working with students and staff on our collections to reflect the diversity of the University’s population and to celebrate the various cultures that are reflected in the Warwick community.

All members of the University may borrow material from the Library. Circulation services are available for much of the time the Library is open. Around 1 million books are issued/renewed each academic year.

To get books and periodicals back on the shelf and available for use as fast as possible the Library’s shelving teams work 7 days a week in shifts (from 7am to 9pm each weekday, with separate weekend timings). Apart from the busiest times material is generally shelved in less than 24 hours. Each year the equivalent of two thirds of the Library stock is re-shelved.

Borrowing entitlements and loan periods depend on the status of the borrower and of the item being borrowed. They range from 15 books for 2 weeks for undergraduates to 50 books for an academic session for academic staff.

Book categories: special statuses include schools and part-time loan (for part-time students only) collections. Books and articles - copyright-cleared - in heavy demand, such as those on reading lists, are digitised where possible as part of our Course Extracts service.

Books on loan can be renewed if not reserved by another user. This can be done online via My Library Account, by email/telephone, using a self-issue machine or in person at the Helpdesk on Floor 1.

Any book on loan can be recalled. Recalls can be made in person via My Library Account or by completing a reservation form for Library staff to process. Books recalled online are recalled automatically and the borrower is given one week to return the item. When recalled books are returned the reserver is sent email notifications of availability. Over 12,000 reservations are made in an academic year.

Books on order for Library stock can also be reserved (order information is included in Webcat). Reserved on-order books are given priority for processing on arrival.

Material not in stock in the Library can be obtained by any member of the University through ourGet it for me service. The Library makes around 3,500 Document Supply requests a year.

The Ethnicity and Migration Collections are the combined collections of the Centre for Research in Ethnic Relations and the Institute of Race Relations. They are major research resources for the study of race and ethnicity, with both a UK and international focus. The Ethnicity and Migration Collections are located on the fifth floor of the Library.

Resources include:

• UK pamphlets and grey material which includes evidence to government enquiries and community political material
• a United States collection focusing on black history, civil rights and black power
• an African collection focusing on colonial history and material from liberation movements
• material on urban disturbances involving ethnic minority communities in the UK
• historic journals such as Presence Africaine, Black Panther and Muhammad Speaks

The Official Publications section includes Stationery Office, other UK, and European official publications.

German Literature: the Library has one of the best university collections of post-1945 literature in the country. Over 2,500 authors are represented.

The Modern Records Centre is the main British repository for national archives of trade unions and employers' organisations, and also has strong collections relating to pressure groups, fringe political parties and transport.

Research and Academic Support Librarians support teaching, learning and research throughout the University. Each Academic Support Librarian acts as a Library representative to a number of departments. They liaise with all members of their departments. In addition, to ensure consistency of approach most departments assign a member of academic staff to be their formal Library representative.

Research and Academic Support Librarians work closely with departments and their Library representatives, and attend Departmental and Faculty Liaison Groups/Staff-Student Liaison Committees. They disseminate information about the Library and receive news and feedback from departments, ensuring the Library is aware of and able to responds to user needs.

As well as being responsible for collection development and specialist enquiry services in their areas, Research and Academic Support Librarians provide teaching and skills development programmes for all user groups, ranging from a general introduction to the Library for all new students to advanced training in the use of online databases and electronic journals. Introductory, follow-up and tailored sessions can be organised by departments in liaison with individual Research and Academic Support Librarians as appropriate.

The Library is a member of SCONUL, the Mercian Collaboration of Midlands HE Libraries,Research Libraries UK (RLUK) and is also part of the SCONUL Access scheme. This allows many university library customers to borrow or use books and journals at other libraries which also belong to the scheme.

There are reciprocal borrowing arrangements for research students and staff with all West Midlands higher education institutions (the Access West Midlands scheme). In addition, taught postgraduates may use Coventry University Library for reference all year round.

The Library is committed to discovering and responding to the needs of its customers through formal and informal avenues.

• We are represented at Senate and Faculty Boards and attend departmental meetings where invited
• We are represented on a number of the University’s Committees and Groups such as Research Committee and Faculty Boards
• Subject staff also attend Departmental Staff Student Liaison Committees
• Named Library staff have responsibility for part-time, 2+2, students with disabilities, international and foundation students. They attend inductions, liaison committees and other meetings
• We have a strong and active social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, blogging platforms, all of which enable students to make enquiries, suggestions and leave feedback

The University of Warwick library holds and manages, uses, produces and disseminates different types of information materials in various formats.

The University of Warwick is a company incorporated by royal charter and an exempt charity whose principal regulator is the Office for Students. The Library, including the Modern Records Centre, is a department of the University of Warwick.

The Library is governed by the University’s charter, statutes, regulations, ordinances, scheme of delegation and policies (the Calendar). The Library’s public task is to support the University’s core functions of education and research in accordance with the Calendar and the University’s strategies. For further information about the Library’s functions and to access its strategic framework above.

Our primary purpose is to support the University’s goals by ensuring the University’s students, its academic staff and researchers have access to the information resources, skills and other services they need, and by undertaking other activities as may be required. This includes enabling the wider reuse of information we make available.

The Re-Use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015 (RPSI) are intended to encourage re-use of public sector information. In brief, this means information held by the Library as part of its public task where the copyright is owned by the University.

The RPSI applies to the Library only. The RPSI does not apply to:

• other parts of the University;
• information that falls outside of the Library’s public task;
• information that is subject to third party intellectual property rights;
• parts of documents containing only logos, crests or insignias; or
• personal data or information that would be exempt from disclosure under other information access laws e.g. the General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Freedom of Information Act 2000, etc

Items that are related to the Library’s public task are set out on this website and include items relating to the Library listed on the University’s publication scheme.

To make a request for re-use please submit your request in writing with your name and address for correspondence specifying the information that you want to re-use and your intended purpose. Please direct your request by email to infocompliance at warwick dot ac dot uk or by post to:

Legal and Compliance Services
University House
University of Warwick
Coventry
CV4 8UW

We expect to respond to requests within 20 working days, however we may extend this time if the information is extensive or if your request raises complex issues.

Requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis. We may impose conditions on re-use and, in certain circumstances, we may charge a fee for re-use. We will notify you in advance of incurring any charges.

If you are unhappy with our response to your request, you can request that we conduct a review of that response. Any request for a review should be made within 40 working days of the date of our response by email to infocompliance at warwick dot ac dot uk. We endeavour to conduct reviews within 20 working days of a request for a review.

If you remain unhappy with our response following our review, you may contact the Information Commissioner's Office.

You may also find our guidance on making a Freedom of Information (FOI) request and making a subject access (SAR) request to be helpful.