Library services over the Winter Break

Whether you’re staying in Newcastle over the Winter Break, or heading home, the Library is here to help you access all the resources you need for your studies.

Staying in Newcastle?

The Philip Robinson Library will remain open throughout the vacation period: Saturday 14 December – Sunday 5 January, excluding Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (24 and 25 December) and New Year's Eve and New Year's Day (31 December and 1 January). Access to the building is with a valid Newcastle University smartcard. The Marjorie Robinson Library Rooms, Walton and Law libraries will close at 5pm on Friday 20 December and re-open on Monday 6 January 2025.

You can browse the shelves and issue items using our self-service kiosks, and return items using the book return machine in the building, or use the book return slot near the front entrance. 

Check out the opening hours of the Philip Robinson Library during the vacation to plan your visit.

Please note: Visitor Access, including local reciprocal agreements, SCONUL R and Sixth Form Access, is only permitted during Desk Services opening times (up until 8pm on Friday 20 December and after 9am on Monday 6 January 2025). Visitor access is not permitted when our Desk Services are shown as self-service. Please see below for Desk Services information:

Going home for the vacation?

We have a wealth of online resources available to you wherever you are studying. 

When you’re off campus, you’ll need to make sure you’re signed in (authenticated) as a member of the University to access resources. For the quickest ways to access resources wherever you are studying, read the tips below or watch our Accessing Library Resources video. 

• Use Library Search and log in to your Library account. This ‘single sign on’ authenticates you as a student and you can search and access all our resources without needing to login repeatedly. 

• Explore your Subject Guide to find links to key e-book collections and databases. Following these links will direct you through Library Search so you can easily access what you need through single sign on. 
• Access e-journals in BrowZine. When using this app, you set up a free personal account using your University email address, which will give you access to full-text articles. 
• Try institutional login. If you are on the website of a journal or a database, look to the top of the screen for a link that says institutional log in, sign in via your University, or Shibboleth. This will allow you to log in with your University username and password.  

If you have any problems accessing resources, let us know via libraryhelp@ncl.ac.uk 

Take some time to relax over the break with Libby

It’s important you also manage to rest and spend some time away from your studies over the break. To this end, did you know that as a Newcastle University student you can access an exciting array of non-academic e-books, audiobooks, and magazines? Libby is a leisure reading platform that can be downloaded as an app on your device or accessed in your browser. 

• Discover over 4,500 magazines, including significant titles such as National Geographic, Vogue, BBC Good Food, Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, plus hundreds of foreign language titles.   

• Libby also provides access to a growing number of e-books and audiobooks on a range of topics, including contemporary literary fiction, North East gems, and Crime & Mystery. 

Best of all, Libby is freely available to Newcastle University staff and students! You can also stream titles with Wi-Fi or mobile data, or download them for offline use and read anytime, anywhere. Simply access Libby in your browser or download the app, and then sign in to start exploring.   

Happy reading!  

Last updated 02 Dec 2024 11:00