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Library starter guide

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Welcome

The Library is at the heart of Birmingham City University on four campus locations: Curzon, Mary Seacole, the School of Art and the School of Jewellery.

You can also access the BCU Library search and chat to a librarian anytime, anywhere via the library website.

In addition to giving you access to millions of resources, the library provides you with services such as study spaces, laptops, tutorials and and much more. 

Useful information

Your University ID card is also your library card and your library account is automatically created when you enrol.

To borrow books and laptops you will also need your 4-digit library PIN. You can reset your library PIN via the following link: Reset Library Pin

For campus library opening times please visit the following link: Opening Times

It is not essential to book a space to gain access to the library. A booking system is in place for individual and group study rooms at Curzon and Mary Seacole libraries. Our study rooms are very popular and we advise booking these in advance.

For more information or to book a study space visit the following link: Book a study space

Library induction

The Learning, Teaching and Research Services team has prepared induction activities to walk you through all the essential resources and services that will help you get started with your course.

Make sure to attend the live Library Induction session at the beginning of your course.

In the event you could not attend, watch the interactive Library induction video linked below.

Library induction

Induction checklist

All you need to get started

The sooner you know about the Library the more you can take advantage of its services. The Library and Learning Resources team has prepared an induction checklist to give you a head start.

Download the library induction checklist
 

Hollie Hi. I'm Hollie. I'm a student mentor at Birmingham City University Library.

Come along with me to the Curzon campus and find out everything that you can do here. As a student, you can use library search or you can go and access millions of e-resources or thousands of books whenever you want. I prefer to use my phone as it's easier to scan the QR code to get resources any time from anywhere.

Kip Darling We have a huge range of online and printed resources to help you succeed in your studies. In the rare event that we don't have what you are looking for, your interlibrary loans team will work hard to source it from a range of national and international partners. To find help and other essential service information, visit our website to get started bcu.ac.uk/library.

Hollie All of the books and physical items in the library are organised into subjects. So whether that's social sciences, engineering or the arts, all of the books will have a corresponding number that can be seen on the wall here.

Graham Gamblin We work with your lecturers to find the right resources to support you in your studies. You'll have online reading list for all of your modules which connect you straight through to those resources. And don't forget your subject guides, which provide an overview of all the materials and support you can expect from us for your course.

Hollie This is one of our many quiet study spaces in the library. It's perfect for studying with friends or studying in groups, or if you just want a more relaxed approach to your study. If you fancy a more individual study approach, you can always book one of our private study rooms to have a much more concentrated session.

Stephanie Fowler If you need help referencing your work, the library has published guides on all the major styles of referencing used within BCU. It's also important to be aware of copyright laws when using library resources.

James Dean Finding evidence to support your work is a key skill. We will show you how to use the advanced search features of the website and how to search specific databases to find the evidence you need to reference. You can book a tutorial with us for expert support. We're also producing more video guides to our services so you can make the most of our resources at your own pace.

Ruth Jenkins The library's first class service is recognised under the Customer Service Excellence Accreditation Standard. This means that you can count on library staff to respond to your needs through a great range of resources and help.

Christian Jones Help is also available 24/7 through your chat service.

Hollie That's it for BCU Curzon library. Please check out our other videos so you can see what else we offer and learn how to make the most out of your libraries while studying at BCU. Bye.