So if you’re anything like me, you might not have made the most of what UCB has to offer yet in terms of facilities.
As a second year college student, it is pretty atrocious that I hadn’t even been to the library till about two weeks ago. But now I’ve finally got there, I can’t wait to tell you all about it!
So each course or topic has a section of books. As a cheffing student there is a large range of books available including different sub topics such as pastry, round the world cuisine and books by well-known cooks. The library is great because not only is it a brilliant place to find reading material for your course but it’s also a quiet, chilled atmosphere to sit in for a bit of silence. I’d suggest maybe sitting in the library if you’re going to tackle a big book – believe me, I’ve trialled taking some of those bible looking books home and nearly popped my back out!
If you’re not looking for something a little more educationally orientated, there is a whole textbook area dedicated to the College of Food, and a lot of the books there have been written or contributed to by the College’s dean Neil Rippington – so you bet cha they’re good.
In a section separated from the main library there is a (perfectly organised) magazine section, I’d suggest you check this out. If you’re doing travel and tourism there are some brilliant travel magazines.
So this is a little plug for the library! I have not yet personally had the delight of working with the course librarians however, when progressing this year and even to degree level I will be utilizing their expertise. The library support staff are also incredibly friendly and helpful – something my friends and I discovered first hand when we were having a bit of stress over the printers just last week.
Online resources are fundamental in this age of technology, and UCB have definitely made the most of them. So when you log onto the portal there is a library and e-resources button. Lots of information can be found online such as information about printing, copying and loan services. The button for my library account is also so helpful! It shows the books you’ve currently got on loan as well as when their due date is. This feature also allows you to renew books (take note because I discovered this feature after traipsing a book back to the library to check in then check back out again, just because I loved it so much!)
Searching for books has also been made easier as by simply typing in a term into the “U search” box, this pulls up all the paper prints, ebooks and resources. Type in the word “Chef”, for example, and it’ll pull up over 94500 results.
So head over to the library or visit the student portal to start making use of UCB’s fabulous resources. Get reading!
R.B