Feeling the pressure of exams creeping up? It’s easy to get caught in a cycle of nonstop study that leaves you stressed and burnt out. But luckily your library has a treasure trove of resources designed to help you relax, recharge, and maintain your wellbeing during this intense period. From our specially curated Wellbeing Collection and the Leisure Reading Collection available through Libby, to streaming platforms offering movies, TV shows, theatre performances, and music, there are plenty of ways to take a meaningful break and refresh your mind.
Library Wellbeing Collection
Did you know the Library has a Wellbeing Collection? A mix of online and print resources covering all aspects of wellbeing, purchased specifically with you in mind. In the collection you will find books on dealing with depression, anxiety and eco-anxiety, loneliness, self-esteem issues, relationships, as well as books on more general wellbeing, happiness and University life, amongst many others.
You can browse and borrow print items from the Wellbeing Collection Space on the 1st floor of the Main Library. But there are also smaller collections available at both Moray House Library and the Noreen and Kenneth Murray Library.
You can use the Wellbeing Collection Resource List to explore the Collection by topic or browse by title using DiscoverEd, both also give you access to the wide range of e-books available as part of this collection.
Libby - reading for leisure or fun
Libby gives you free access to a wide selection of popular fiction and non-fiction e-books and audiobooks in the Library's Leisure Reading Collection. Availalble to all our current students and staff, you can access Libby by downloading the Libby app on your mobile or tablet, or you can access Libby via a web browser.
For more information on how to access Libby go to Leisure Reading Collection (Libby).
Films, TV and Theatre
At the Library you have access to a range of online resources that allow you to stream films, TV shows and recordings of theatre productions, and as a student at the University these are free to you to use with no subscription charges.
- Access over 2 million TV programmes and films in Box of Broadcasts (BoB), including rare and hard to find films, obscure documentaries and TV shows from the last 20 years (and some even further back!)
- Stream acclaimed, landmark and archived films through BFI Player, giving you access to classic and cult films from across the decades.
- Watch world-class productions from the UK's National Theatre, through The National Theatre Collection and bring the stage to life.
And there's more e.g. Drama Online, Digital Theatre Plus, BBC Literary Adaptations on Video, etc. You can access all of these and more through our Video resources A-Z.
The Library also has a considerable collection of DVDs. These are mostly held in the Main Library and Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) Library. All DVDs are catalogued in DiscoverEd. And the Library has a small number of borrowable portable DVD players if you require.
Music
The Library has considerable physical and digital music collections available to our students.
- Naxos Music Library allows you to search, browse and listen to over 2.2 million tracks of music, including classical, jazz folk, world music and pop and rock. You also have access to Naxos Music Library Jazz.
- Access hundreds of different genres of music from Music and Dance Online, from alternative to zydeco and from alternative dance to operatic arias.
- Qwest TV edu is global hub for music and culture, founded by Quincy Jones, giving access to 1300+ concerts and documentary films in jazz, soul, funk, classical and global music.
The Main Library's collection of music consists of nearly 11,000 carefully selected audio recordings on LP, cassette and CD, and a small number of DVDs . These can be found on DiscoverEd and you can borrow the material or use the library listening facilities.
You can find more information about library resources that can help you recharge your batteries and maintain your wellbeing through our Library for Leisure and Wellbeing guide.
Good luck with your exams! Remember to take plenty of breaks and take care of yourself.
