Towards the end of March, the library building closed as part of the national lockdown and all library enquiries moved online.
The team has been busy after seeing a large increase in enquiries over the past few months, using a new chat software to help students with referencing, finding and accessing digital information and ebook requests.
Over 1,000 requests were received in just over a month using the chat service, which is also available out of hours. The team handles about 70 enquiries a day on email and online chat. The most frequent questions have been about referencing, accessing e-resources and the returning of books but the team can also help with questions about dissertations, setting up VPN, and finding the ebooks and articles you need for your study. They can also put you in touch with your Faculty Librarian.
Feedback from students has been extremely positive, with many comments relating to quick responses and friendly and helpful staff.
Library staff still here to help
Here are some of the ways library staff can help whilst the campus is still closed:
- Available 24/7- an out of hours team are on hand to help outside of normal UK working hours
- Your faculty librarian can help with more in depth queries - you can find out who they are on the Library website
- Referencing - with assessments going on you may need some help with this. Referencing information is available on the Library website or feel free to ask for help
- Library guides - browse the full collection of guides which includes guidance for things like academic reading and finding journal articles
- Contact the team using online chat, emailing library@port.ac.uk or using the online enquiry form
- Follow the Library blog or find them on social media to keep in touch with library services