Postgraduate Libraries Open Forum
On 19 March 2025, we held a Libraries Open Forum in partnership with the Students’ Association with a focus on the postgraduate experience of using libraries. At this event, we gathered feedback on spaces, search, collections and support through several activities, including ping pong ball voting, graffiti walls and mini-interviews.
The event was run as a drop-in at the Main Library over a couple of hours, and was publicised by social media, email, and on posters in the Main Library and other library spaces. 19 students, just over half postgraduate research and the rest postgraduate taught, engaged with the activities on the day. They also enjoyed some snacks and drinks whilst talking to staff and Students’ Association officers, including the PGR President, Callum Irvine, who helped plan and deliver the event. Some additional feedback was generated by re-locating the ping pong ball survey to the postgraduate area on level 1 of the Main Library after the event.
Key findings were:
- Postgraduate students use a range of spaces and services, not just those aimed specifically at them
- Experiences of using libraries are generally very positive
- PG students are not always aware of all of the support that is available and more promotion is therefore needed
- Alongside this, experiences of induction/orientation were mixed
- There was a lack of clarity about noise expectations in the postgraduate area on level 1 of the Main Library
- There was some appetite for greater support for community building
There were also some “quick wins” that were identified for immediate action. These included:
- Advertising the opportunity to curate a book display in the Main Library to showcase your research – get in touch if you’d like to know more!
- Adding a sign to the big desk in the Thomson Reading Room in Martyrs Kirk to let students know they can sit there
- Creating a video on how to pin items in the new library search – see the screens in library spaces
- Creating versions of floorplans showing which classmarks are where – see the shelf ends on levels 3 and 4
- Further feedback gathering on what postgraduate students would like the noise level to be on level 1, and signage to make the outcome clear (“a relaxed space where quiet conversation is welcome”)
In the longer term, we’ll also be working on
- What a library “handbook” might include
- Reviewing our approach to postgraduate inductions
- Further promotion of service such as inter library loans and book suggestions (Morebooks)
- Exploring the introduction of a “get it for me” service, combining inter library loans and Morebooks
- Developing ideas around postgraduate community open sessions in partnership with students
We really value all of the insights we gathered which help us to ensure that our services are shaped around your needs. The next Libraries Open Forum will be held in November, but if you’d like to get in touch to share your experience of using our services, you can email us at [email protected] at any time. We’re always happy to hear from you.