Semester one is almost over and exams are looming! As the exam period approaches, it’s natural to start feeling the pressure build. But remember, you’re not alone!
At the University of Edinburgh, there are plenty of resources and services designed to support you every step of the way. In this post, we’ll highlight five key ways the library can help – from available study spaces and digital resources to helpful guides and wellbeing support – so you can make the most of your revision and head into exams feeling confident and prepared.
1) Study space, study space everywhere but not a place to sit?
Clockwise from left: New College Library, ECA Library, Noreen and Kenneth Murray Library, and Moray House Library.
It can feel like this sometimes during the revision and exam period, particularly if you are a regular at the Main Library or Law Library. But there are lots of study spaces across our campuses that you have access to, including some temporary additional study space during the exam period.
While the Main Library is a favourite for many, there are 8 other site libraries that you have access to (with your student card). These range from old-fashioned, picturesque libraries, to modern libraries with light and space and also include a library in what used to be a swimming pool.
With Halloween just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to get cosy and watch some truly creepy horror movies. Luckily, if you’re a student or staff member at the University of Edinburgh, you’ve got free access to BFI Player, packed full of wicked horror films (and other films) that’ll give you all the chills and thrills you’re after. From classic spooky tales to modern scares, there’s something for everyone who loves a good fright!
So grab some snacks, turn off the lights, and settle in for a scary movie marathon without ever leaving your room. Whether you’re watching solo, hanging out with friends, or just want to discover some fantastic horror flicks, the BFI Player’s got your Halloween covered with some seriously creepy must-sees.
Here is just a flavour of the horror films available to stream on BFI Player. Continue reading →
Unlock the potential of your dissertation or thesis at Discovery Day!
Join us on Monday 27 October, 10am–2pm at the Main Library for Discovery Day, your chance to explore the amazing resources available for your dissertations and theses during our Dissertation and Thesis Festival. Continue reading →
Did you know that Academic Support Librarians (ASLs) work year round, even while most students are on their summer break? Here at UoE we have courses starting at different times throughout the year so some members of our team have already been hard at work helping students get settled in and familiar with Library Services right at the beginning of their university journey in Edinburgh.
For example, we have a lot of students who arrive for pre-sessional courses such as the ‘Essentials of English for Academic Purposes’ who began in July in order to complete some language courses before their PG study begins. We like to meet these students and make sure they’re familiar with which resources will be relevant for them, and how to ask for help in the very early part of their course so the information stays with them no matter what they go on to study.
ASLs had a stall at the Community Fairs organised by The Centre for Open Learning (COL) in July
We’ve been providing library introductions for new and returning students in the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, and we’ll soon be welcoming the latest cohort of Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) students who will be arriving on the Holyrood campus on Monday 18th August. This group of students traditionally start before other cohorts and spend limited time on-campus as they go out on school placements at the start of the academic year.
To facilitate early arrival on-campus, Ishbel (ASL for Moray House School of Education and Sport) has liaised with Programme Directors for PGDE Primary & Secondary to find out how many new students are expected to arrive for the 2025-26 session (PGDE Primary: 100 approx. & PGDE Secondary: 145-160 approx.) She has liaised with the Moray House Library EdHelp Team and with Pam Wells at the Main Library to arrange for student ID cards to be sent to Moray House Library in advance, which allows PGDE students to collect cards before ‘official’ card collection events take place during Welcome Week. This year, we’ve also had assistance from Jade Fenton (Graduate Library Trainee) and Tim Gray to arrange for Library tote bags to be delivered to Moray House Library in time for PGDE student arrivals.
We’ll also welcome Access students in August. Access courses are designed for adults who are returning to learning after a break and will go on to Undergraduate work in the future – they begin almost a full month before welcome week and continue on for two semesters.
We often talk about how there’s no one-size-fits-all scenario for our students and that’s because there’s so many different courses, circumstances and timetables to account for in our planning. This is just one example of how we’re trying to make sure everyone has a valuable and meaningful library experience no matter when they join us!
Critical Approaches to Libraries Conference poster
I attended the online CALC25 [Critical Approaches to Libraries] Conference from 13 – 15 May 2025. The programme, slides and recordings are available at https://sites.google.com/view/calcconference/calc2025 It was great to see Alice our Strathclyde placement student there too.
As you would expect from a conference on critical librarianship the programme topics were wide-ranging and diverse. Topics included professional identity, slow librarianship, supporting neurodivergent colleagues, information imperialism, and justice-orientated librarianship. I would highly recommend this affordable conference. It is £15 for 3 days and you can choose to donate a £15 entrance fee for another participant who can then attend for free. Most of the sessions were recorded and are on Youtube or the above website.
University of Edinburgh Law Library Senate Room to Mezzanine View with Students
This year, I was lucky enough to attend the British and Irish Association of Law Librarians (BIALL) conference for the very first time—and I hope it won’t be my last! From the moment I arrived, I was struck by how welcoming and friendly the event was. Thanks to the buddy scheme, I connected with librarians from across the profession, opening doors to future opportunities for sharing knowledge and ideas.
One of the big themes at all library conferences this year is Artificial Intelligence (AI), and BIALL was no different. As one of the AI leads in our team, I was keen to learn how AI tools are being used in legal practice and library-led support. The sessions didn’t disappoint.
I was delighted to be invited to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania this year to speak at the Atla 2025 Annual meeting. It’s actually the second time I have been to a library conference in Pittsburgh “the steel city”, the first was to an ARLIS art librarians conference over 20 years ago. This time Pittsburgh was looking very green with cool damp weather, cooler than the June heatwave happening at home in the UK.
On the steps of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
My conference experience began with a visit to Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (PTS)’s Clifford E. Barbour Library. Having just shown a group of PTS Doctor of Ministry students around my library, New College Library, the previous week, I was keen to visit the library of this partner institution. Like New College Library back at the University of Edinburgh, this library had recently been completely decanted for a full refurbishment, with priorities including increased light, improved air conditioning and redeveloped learning and social spaces. This was not the only similarity between PTS’s Library and my own library, which both use Library of Congress classification and support training for Presbyterian ministry. Continue reading →
Today, 8 May 2025, marks the 80th anniversary of VE Day (Victory in Europe Day) when people in Britain and Allied nations across the world celebrated the unconditional surrender of Germany in the Second World War. While it was not the end of the conflict (it was August 1945 before the war against Japan ended) the sense of relief for people who had been living under total war for 6 years was huge. In Britain VE Day was declared a national holiday and people took to the streets to celebrate and commemorate in a huge release of collective tension. This blog posts pulls together just a small selection of our digital library resources that will help you find out more about VE Day, the events leading up to it and the aftermath.
What did the papers say?
Mentions of VE Day or Victory in Europe Day start before the 8th May, as people were aware of and anticipating the likely German surrender. So some preparations were already underway and some people began to celebrate early, on the 7th, when in Britain it was announced on the radio that the war in Europe was over.
From “This was VE-Day in London.” issue of Picture Post, May 19, 1945. Picture Post Historical Archive, 1938-1957.
At the University Library you have access to a huge range of material for your research and learning including over 2 million books, archives, instruments and artworks, over 2 million e-books and 330,000 e-journals, as well as 1000s of streaming videos, digital scans, databases, and more.
But when you are doing your own research there will be times you come across items or material that our Library does not have in its collections. Don’t panic!There are options available to help you get what you need. Continue reading →
In February we celebrate LGBT+ History Month 2025 in the UK and this year the theme is ‘Activism and Social Change’. Throughout history and across the globe LGBT+ activists have fueled social change, advancing society for the benefit of all.
To help you discover more we’ve pulled together just a small selection of Library resources that will allow you to start to find out more about activism and social change in LGBT+ history, herstory, theirstory.
The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) was founded in 1990 as the first NGO devoted to advancing LGBT human rights worldwide. Transnational LGBT Activism : Working for Sexual Rights Worldwide asks how is that mission translated into practice? And what do transnational LGBT human rights advocates do on a day-to-day basis and for whom? Arguing that the idea of LGBT human rights is not predetermined but instead is defined by international activists who establish what and who qualifies for protection. Continue reading →
In February we celebrate