In line with Government advice and University guidance, we are planning how we can best reopen Augustine House Library and what services we can offer while adhering to social distancing and health and safety guidelines. Key to our plans is ensuring the safety of all our users and our staff. Our strategy is to start small and safe, build confidence, test processes, and expand our services.

What services are currently available?

The building is open so students can get support from the library point, i-zone and IT helpdesk. Please be aware however all core library services are available by appointment only, including:

• Study spaces bookable via Click and Study
• Borrowing items via Browse and Borrow and use the same booking to collect reservations and return books.

The building is currently open:

• 8am – 10pm (Monday – Friday)
• 10am – 5pm (Saturday – Sunday)

If you’re in Augustine House and need help, face to face support from the Library point will be available from

• 8:30am – 5:30pm (Monday – Friday)
• 11:00am – 4:00pm (Saturday – Sunday)

From Monday 9 November, new guidance for the lockdown period requires face coverings to be worn at all times when in our Library buildings, even when seated and 2m apart.  If you wish to indicate that you are exempt, face covering exemption cards for lanyards are available from Anselm security lodge and Medway and Salomons receptions. As a University, we also recognise the Hidden Disability sunflower lanyard.  See Your campus during lockdown for details.

Please use the NHS COVID-19 app to signify which floor of Augustine House you’re visiting. Read contact-tracing in our libraries for details.

You will need your smartcard to enter Augustine House before 9am and after 5pm. If you have lost or misplaced your smartcard, you will need to make arrangements for a replacement:

• Students – please contact the i-zone directly who will be able to provide further instructions on payment and delivery of your replacement Smartcard.
• Staff – visit the staff smartcards page for details.

Services available

(1) Click and Study

The Click and Study service makes provision for a number of bookable computer desks and study spaces in Augustine House available for essential work, research or study to CCCU students.

Study spaces are available on all floors of Augustine House. Read Introducing Click and Study for details of the available study spaces. The study spaces are to be used for individual study and will be 2 metres apart from each other. Social distancing will be in place throughout. Computer desks and study spaces can be booked for three hour slots. You can book multiple slots in a day but due to the need to regularly clean study spaces, not all study spaces will be available at all times throughout the day.

Study spaces can be booked up to two weeks in advance. You will require your smartcard to access the building before 9am and after 5pm. Face masks or coverings are to be worn.

Please use the NHS Covid-19 app to register where you are studying. Find out more on our contact-tracing blog.

If you are already booked into the Library through Click and Study, you do not need to make any additional bookings to browse and borrow, collect reservations or return books.

Read Introducing Click and Study for more details.

(2) Browse and Borrow, Collect or Return books

Browse and Borrow allows you to book a 15 minute slot to browse shelves in Augustine House and borrow items via the self-service machines. See our opening times page for details of when the service is available. You can also use the slot to pick up reservations and return items.

If you need to return an i-borrow laptop or a larger item from curriculum resources, that are unsuitable for self-service machines, please get in touch via email library.canterbury@canterbury.ac.uk. You will still need to book a slot and you can only return these items whilst the Library Point is open.

If you have booked a Click and Study slot, you will be able to access the shelves whenever you need to. You won’t need to book a separate slot.

LibrarySearch terminals are not currently available in our libraries so you may want to use LibrarySearch to check the availability and location of items before your arrival. Read our Discover Your Library – How to find your Library books for details. 

If you have used an item from the shelves but do not wish to borrow it please place the item in the green boxes provided. These will be located near to exit doors and the moving shelves. In accordance with current Government guidelines these items will then be safely stored for 72 hours to mitigate the risk of virus transmission. To help us keep all users safe please do not leave them on desks or shelves. Compliance with this measure allows us to continue offering access to the shelves.  

Unless you have also pre-booked a study space through the Click and Study service, you will not be permitted to stay in the library after collecting your books.

(3) Scan and Deliver

This new service enables the ordering of digitised scans of journal articles and book chapters from the Augustine House print collection where copyright rules allow. You can request:

• One article from any one issue of a journal of which we only hold a print subscription.
• Book chapter or 10% of a work which we only hold in printed form.
• One article of a UK national newspaper which we only hold in printed form (You can check on LexisLibrary Newspapers UK to see if the article is available online https://www.lexisnexis.com/uk/legal/news/).

Read Introducing Scan and Deliver for more information

(4) Library Point

For those looking for help whilst in Augustine House, the Library Point is open):

• Monday – Friday – 8:30 – 5:30
• Saturday – Sunday – 11:00 – 4:00

We are also available to support you remotely by Phone:  01227 922352 or email  library.canterbury@canterbury.ac.uk during the same staffed times. Read our blog Need help… Just ASK to find out all the ways we can support you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are the i-zone and IT helpdesk open?

Yes, both the i-zone and IT helpdesk are available. The i-zone opening hours are on the i-zone webpages.

The IT Helpdesk is available:

• Monday – Friday – 9:00 – 5:00
• Saturday – Sunday – 10:00 – 4:00

What hours will the Library be open?

Check our opening hours page for the most up to date information on when we are open.

What facilities are available whilst I’m studying in Augustine House?

A full list of the available facilities can be found on the Introducing Click and Study blog.

What safety and hygiene measures are in place?

The health and safety of our users and staff is our top priority.

The site requirements needed before we can launch these services include:

• Certification that the building is safe to reopen for agreed, controlled activity within safe occupancy levels for a small core of staff.
• Risk assessment and safety tests sign-off for the proposed activities (including arrangements for social distancing, physical protection including Perspex, cleaning and hygiene regimes, digital infrastructure set-up, and book quarantine measures).
• Consultation with required staff about their return to work (to ensure they can travel safely to work premises; have caring arrangements in place for dependants; to take account of shielding arrangements etc.)

We are working closely with the University Health and Safety Officers to ensure we are providing a safe space. 

These will include a number of health and social distancing measures, including:

• regular cleaning protocols, with all surfaces, including the self-service borrowing and returning facilities, thoroughly and regularly cleaned.
• providing hand sanitising stations.
• hand soap in toilets, with posters showing how to wash hands thoroughly.
• social distancing measures with signage indicating safe spacing in queues.
• all returned items stored away for 72 hours until the risk of virus transmission has been mitigated. We have green boxes situated at library exits to place books you have used but do not want to borrow.
• from Monday 9 November, new guidance for the lockdown period requires face coverings to be worn at all times when in our Library buildings, even when seated and 2m apart.  If you wish to indicate that you are exempt, face covering exemption cards for lanyards are available from Anselm security lodge and Medway and Salomons receptions. As a University, we also recognise the Hidden Disability sunflower lanyard.  See Your campus during lockdown for details.
• QR codes available for use with the NHS COVID-19 contact-tracing app. Read contact-tracing in our libraries for details.

To prevent the spread of COVID-19 and reduce the potential risk of exposure to the virus, consider the following questions:

• Have you returned from any overseas country within the last 14 days which would require you to self-isolate?
• Have you had close contact with or cared for someone diagnosed with COVID-19 within the last 14 days?
• Have you been in close contact with anyone who has travelled within the last 14 days to any overseas country, which would require them to self-isolate?
• Have you experienced any cold or flu-like symptoms in the last 14 days (to include fever, anosmia, cough, sore throat, respiratory illness, difficulty breathing?

If you answer yes to any of the above questions, then please do not leave home. Please ensure you follow the gov.uk guidance on self-isolation.

Is the Salomons Institute Library open?

The Salomons Library is open for Returns, Click and Collect and Click and Study. Please read the Phased reopening of Salomons Institute Library for details.

Is the Drill Hall Library open?

Yes, see http://campus.medway.ac.uk/ for details of what is available at the Drill Hall Library.

What are the phases of reopening Augustine House?

Our phased reopening plans are:

Phase 1: Limited opening hours. Click and Collect and Scan and Deliver services to help you get hold of printed items held in the Augustine House and Drill Hall Libraries. Self-service book returning facilities available. You cannot come into the library to browse the books, use the printers/photocopiers/scanners, use the study spaces and computers. Library staff working on increasing provision of digitised material for the start of the new academic year.

Phase 2: Study spaces, PCs, Macs and printing available with appropriate social distancing measures in place – for example, prescribed routes, reduced seating. We have developed a Click and Study booking system for study spaces.

Augustine House is open 10am – 5.30pm. You can return your books, collect your reservations and book a study space within these opening hours. You cannot come into the library to browse the books.

Phase 3: Increase study spaces and re-open our face-to-face Library Point. Provide access to the Library shelves if safe to do so.

We aim to have this in place before the start of the new academic year.

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We will provide more updates as we move forward. We know you will appreciate reopening the library is a significant challenge under current circumstances and with fewer members of the library team on site. We appreciate your understanding and patience while we adapt to the changes we need to make.