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Support for students and staff with disabilities: Library support and services

This guide provides an overview of services the Library offers in support of students and staff with disabilities.

Welcome to the University of Bath Library

We are committed to providing equality of opportunity for all users of our services and facilities. We do this by providing appropriate facilities, including assistive software and equipment, as well as assistance with using the Library and accessing its resources. This guide provides an overview of services the Library offers in support of students and staff with disabilities. More detailed guides to our services are available and we can provide any Library guide on coloured paper on request.

Image of Library entry gates and display screen


If you require any further information on the Library's services for students and staff with disabilities or would like to request specific support, you can complete the Library's referral form and a member of Library staff will get back to you.


This guide also has more detailed information on the Assistive Technology rooms and the sensory room, both of which are situated in the Library.

Physical access

  • There is one central Library building on campus, open 24 hours a day all year, including all national holidays.  
     
  • The Library's staffed services are available Monday - Friday, 9am-5pm. 
     
  • University Reception on Level 2 is staffed 24 hours a day by members of the Security Service.  
     
  • There are wide automatic sliding doors at the Library entrance, then gates into the Library which swing open when your Library card is placed on their sensor. Reception staff can add access via the adjacent, wider gate to your Library card on request, or they can open the wider gate on your behalf as and when needed. Inside the Library there are three stairwells and a lift to all five floors.

What to do in an emergency

In an emergency:
  • Call Security Control: 666 from University phones or 01225 383999 from a mobile. All three stairwells have refuge areas on Levels 2 to 5, with call points to Security.  
     
  • University Reception on Level 2 is staffed 24 hours a day by members of the Security Service, all of whom are qualified first aiders.  
     
  • If the fire alarm sounds, do not use the lifts, but leave the building by the nearest fire exit, or wait in one of the stairwell refuge points and use the wall-mounted call point to contact Security.  
     
  • If the invacuation siren sounds, stay inside the building, away from windows and doors and close to a networked computer if possible. Follow advice provided by Security or Library staff, or the networked computers.

Fetching books and journals

  • If you have difficulty reaching books or journals on the shelves, Library staff will be happy to fetch these and put them aside for you to collect.
     
  • If you are a University of Bath student with a support worker we can arrange for them to borrow books on your behalf. If your support worker does not have their own Library card, staff at the Issue Desk will provide them with an access-only card.
     
  • You can use our referral form for any enquiries about borrowing and fetching books, and you can access the form using the link below.

Image of books on library shelves

Image of books on shelves and a kickstool

Subject Librarian support

  • Each department is supported by a Subject Librarian who will be happy to meet with you for a one-to-one introduction to the Library and a confidential conversation about the library support that you require.
     
  • You can find out who your Subject Librarian is and where their office is by clicking on your department on the Library homepage, or by looking at the Subject Librarian for your Department webpage. You can request support from your Subject Librarian and other subject support staff by completing the referral form below.

Alternative formats

  • If you find it difficult to view the Library’s print or electronic resources, ask your Subject Librarian about alternative formats that can be provided. You can find details on where to find your subject librarian on the library webpages and you can use the referral form to request support online.  
  • E-books have a variety of accessibility features for readers to use. See our Library Resources for Students: E-book Guide, for guidance on how to customise settings on e-book platforms to best suit your individual needs.  
  • The University provides access to a service called SensusAccess that will allow you to convert files, content from websites or text into a range of alternative formats, including audio, e-books and digital Braille. For further information visit SensusAccess.

For students who have a Disability Access Plan (DAP) that has identified the need for more accessible formats:

  • The Library may be able to obtain essential reading resources in a more accessible format, such as PDF, directly from the publisher.
     
  • We can also produce scans which are rendered accessible by an Optical Character Recognition process that works with most screen readers. Unfortunately, this process does not work on mathematical or scientific equations, formulae or symbols. Please make Library staff aware if you require alternative formats for this type of content. Alternatively, all the scan/copy/print machines in Copy and Print on Level 2 of the Library can produce free PDF scans. Staff at the Copy & Print point will be happy to help if you need assistance.

Contact information and help

There are a number of ways you can contact the Library and find additional help and information.

This link will automatically open a new email addressed to the Library.

  • Call us on 01225385000 

This phone number is monitored from 9 - 5, Monday to Friday, and will reach our Reader Services team.

For advice on other support available to students with disabilities, please contact the University’s Disability Service, email: disabilityadvice@bath.ac.uk or call 01225 383838.