Welcome, especially to new students and those on pre-sessional courses. The Library staff will do everything they can to make your experience of studying at Warwick successful. Here are just some of the ways the Library can help you.

Resources

The Library contains a wide range of printed material, over 16,000 electronic journals and several thousand electronic books, as well as a large number of databases to help you find information for assignments and research projects. One of these, the Factiva database, gives access to newspapers from all over the world.

This is an "open access" library, which means that you will need to go to the shelves yourselves to find printed material. To find books and journals, in print or online, search the Library Catalogue. To discover the best electronic resources in your subject area, use the Library Resources page.

Subject support

If you cannot find books on the shelves, or track down electronic resources, please ask a member of the Library staff for assistance. Subject support teams will help you to make the most effective use of all resources. We organise training sessions and you are also welcome to contact us by e-mail, telephone or in person for individual assistance. There are plans on each floor to help you to find your way around the building, or you can pick up a printed guide. We have also produced a Library guide for international students . Staff are available to assist you at the service point on Floor 1 and patrolling the Library during day-time hours, Monday to Friday. Help is also available through the Library website.

The Library is open from 08:30 to midnight in term time. Opening hours are available from the Library website and any changes to normal hours will be listed on these pages. There is a variety of study spaces, including groupwork areas and a Silent Reading Room. Laptop points and wireless access are available and there are PCs for accessing online resources. The Learning Grid in University House offers informal study space for individuals and groups, IT equipment for preparing presentations and a collection of core textbooks for reference use.

How you can help yourself

• Make use of the guidance and training we provide and don't be afraid to ask for help whenever you need it.
• Learn how to find your way round the Library and how to use the Library Catalogue. This will help you to get the most out of the Library and make your studies easier.
• Plan ahead so that you are not trying to find material for an assignment too near to your deadline.
• Familiarise yourself with the list of useful words to help you understand the Library and provide help with course work.
• Buy copies of textbooks if your lecturers tell you that you will need to use them throughout your course or module. Ask your lecturers for advice about which items on reading lists are essential - don't feel you must read everything.
• Return books on time and be prepared to return them before the original due date if we email you to say that another reader has requested them. If you do not, you will be inconveniencing other students and will have to pay a fine.
• Make sure that you know how to refer correctly to other people's publications in your own work and avoid plagiarism.
• Respect other users, maintain a pleasant working environment and observe the Library regulations - please do not eat or drink or use your mobile phone, except in designated areas of the building, or talk in areas intended for quiet study.
• Tell us what you think of the Library services. You can leave feedback in a number of ways by visiting our feedback pages (with the words feedback pages made into a link to: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/help/feedback/ )
• Your Departments: International Office, CAL (the Centre for Applied Linguistics), Students' Union and IT Services can all provide help with adjusting to studying and living in the UK.