Library Accessibility

Our Libraries have a range of study spaces and environments to suit your preferences; quiet and silent areas will be signposted. You can view colour coded floor plans for each library from the Library Study Spaces booking home page. 

Social learning areas for discussion, collaboration, and group work  

Quiet study areas for a calmer study environment with fewer distractions – Harrison Library 1st and 2nd floor, Walsall Library 1st floor and all of Hutchison Library. 

Silent study areas for concentration and focused study – Harrison Library 3rd floor, Walsall Library 1st floor and Hutchison Library room SA211 

We also have bookable study spaces for both group work and individual private study; these can be reserved online.  
Rooms marked as Accessible Seat/Space will offer additional spacing for wheelchair users. 

Please note that all our libraries are fully accessible to wheelchair users, with lift access to all floors. Accessible toilets are also available on each floor.  

Assistance dogs are welcome to accompany their owners when in the Library - please view the University's Assistance Dog policy

We are always happy to offer individual library inductions or tours at any time of the year. These will allow you to find out more about library services and resources on a one-to-one basis. Inductions can be in-person at any of the Libraries or remotely using Microsoft Teams if you prefer. If the Disability and Inclusion team have suggested an individual library induction for you, we will contact you by email to arrange a suitable time. If you need to register with Disability and Inclusion, please contact them through the ASK team - log a Help call to ASK@WLV in e:Vision; call 01902 518 518; or visit one of the on-campus Helpdesks to speak to someone in person. See wlv.ac.uk/ASK  for locations and information about the service. 

You can find details of all library resources using our catalogue, LibrarySearch. When you find an item in the search results that you wish to use, click its title for details of where to find it, or follow the links if it is an online resource. 

If a book is on the Library shelves and you require help locating or fetching it, please ask a member of staff, who will be happy to retrieve the book for you. 

As a student you can borrow up to 30 items at one time (books, DVDs etc). We operate an automatic renewal system but look out for emails to your University address asking you to return an item. If you are registered with Disability & Inclusion, you may be entitled to borrow up to 40 items and if another student does request the item, you will still be able to keep it for a minimum of 2 weeks. 

Click & collect 

Click & collect allows you to request items from any campus. Simply search for the book you want on LibrarySearch, click the title, select “request”, and nominate your preferred campus Library for collection. You will receive an email when the book is ready, at which point you can collect the book from the Library’s “Requests” shelf and borrow it using the self-service machines or at the help desk. Please ask Library staff if you need any help with this. 

Our ebooks and ejournals are accessed via several companies, each of whom provides assistive features, such as Read Aloud functions, magnification, and changeable fonts or background colours. Our two biggest ebook suppliers provide help on these features here: Kortext, Ebook Central. Further advice on using the Kortext app (Windows/iOS/Android) is available in the Library’s Assistive Software User Guide (Word doc 5,161k). 

As well as each website’s individual accessibility features, there are other pieces of free software that can be used more widely. The Library has produced an Assistive Software User Guide (Word doc 5,161k). All software listed is either freely available, available through the University’s AppsAnywhere service or included as part of Microsoft Office/Windows. 

Accessible copies 

If you require reading materials in an alternative format, such as pdf or mp3, you can request this through the University’s Disability and Inclusion team. If you are not registered with Disability and Inclusion, please contact them through the ASK team - log a Help call to ASK@WLV in e:Vision; call 01902 518 518; or visit one of the on-campus Helpdesks to speak to someone in person. See wlv.ac.uk/ASK  for locations and information about the service. 

Students who require accessible copies of texts and other reading will be referred to the Library Accessibility team who will then contact you to discuss your resource needs. 

Where appropriate the Library will attempt to obtain accessible copies of texts in your required format, e.g. to use with your assistive software. You may also be referred to the Library if you are eligible to use RNIB Bookshare, which provides books in a variety of alternative formats such as Word, mp3, EPUB, Daisy or braille. This service can be made available to students with a print disability, including those with a visual disability or SpLD (dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, ADHD and autism).  

You can also convert files into an alternative format to suit your needs through SensusAccess.  This is a self-service platform which can convert documents into a range of media, including audiobooks (MP3 and DAISY) and ebooks (EPUB, EPUB3 and Mobi).  Go to SensusAccess to find out more. 

You can convert files into an alternative format to suit your needs through SensusAccess.  This is a self-service platform which can convert documents into a range of media, including audiobooks (MP3 and DAISY) and ebooks (EPUB, EPUB3 and Mobi). Go to SensusAccess to find out more. 

If you need support developing your academic skills, our Skills for Learning team can help: 

The Skills for Learning website features helpful guides and videos on topics such as referencing, how to find resources and academic writing. The short study guides are available in various formats and are an excellent place to start if you need help planning and writing your first assignment. 

If you would like to speak to a member of the team, you can use the contact form or attend the drop-in sessions, which take place at all our Libraries (times are here). 

Skills For Learning also run online workshops on various subjects like referencing, finding academic information, critical thinking, and improving your presentation skills. You can see a list of forthcoming workshops on the Skills for Learning webpage. Once you have signed up for a workshop, you will receive an email on the day with your joining instructions.