I think a poor life is lived by anyone who doesn’t regularly take time out to stand and gaze, or sit and listen, or touch, or smell, or brood, without any further end in mind, simply for the satisfaction gotten from that which is gazed at, listened to, touched, smelled, or brooded upon.
(Clement Greenberg in Modernism with a Vengeance, p76)
‘Simplicity is the whole essence of well-being.’
(Peter Matthiessen in The Snow Leopard)
Although we are always happy to assist you at the library Issue Desk, there are some very useful Self service facilities that you can take advantage of to make using the library easier for you.
Self-Issue
Our self-issue machine is situated on Level 1, just opposite the Issue Desk.
This easy-to-use machine is a quick and convenient way to borrow or renew books (but not DVDs or Videos) if you don’t want to wait in a queue at the desk.
Remember to read the instructions beside the machine carefully before using it for the first time, or just ask one of the library staff for a demo.
Self-Return
We have a book-drop box for returning items opposite the library issue desk (next to the self-issue machine). The drop box is ideal if you want to pop in to return material and don’t want to wait in a queue. If you intend to borrow more material in the same trip you are best to return the items at the desk, otherwise you might find you have reached your borrowing limit.
The book-drop box is regularly emptied thoughout the day. Any items which are deposited in it at closing time or when the library is closed will be checked-in the next day the library is open. Fines will only be charged if an item was already overdue on the day you put it in the book-drop box.
I believe art, even reduced to the simplest means, can be the vehicle for new ideas. For me, just walking can liberate the imagination. Doing simple mindless things, like watching a river flow… can free and heighten my senses.
(Richard Long in Stones and Flies, Arts Council video.)
(Anthony Caro, in Quest for the New Sculpture, by Ian Barker, 2006)
Find the colour you want in our brand new Pantone Solid Chips manuals. In three volumes, these reference only guides are sure to provide inspiration in your search for the perfect colour tone!
College users of Avery Index, the important finding tool for architectural periodical articles, may have noticed that the library now sources this service through the database provider OCLC FirstSearch.
Use of the FirstSearch platform brings us into line with Edinburgh University and means that all architecture students, staff and researchers in the two institutions can access Avery through the same search interface.
FirstSearch searches the same Avery data as CSA Illumina, our previous supplier, and provides similar powerful search facilities and online help and search tips.
A seminar introducing College users to Avery Index via the OCLC FirstSearch interface will be arranged later this semester.
Avery Index can be accessed on or off-campus by following the links on this Portal page.
The British Geological Survey’s (BGS) new OpenGeoscience portal allows the public to study all the UK’s rocks on a simple Google map, down to a scale of 1:50,000. Toggling the map shows overlying towns and streets.
A range of educational and professional tools are also brought together on the website, including the huge national geological archive of photographs.
Tens of thousands of images have been amassed into the BGS library, showing different rock forms around Britain, fossil types, and the impact on the landscape of natural events such as flooding.
The whole archive is now searchable and free to use for non-commercial purposes.
The news is reported on the BBC website.
