The Libraries at Queen Mary provide the study environments, resources and staff you need to support your learning during your time at the College. There are Libraries on each of the main Queen Mary campuses; at Mile End, Whitechapel and West Smithfield. The Mile End library provides resources for all taught subjects, while the Whitechapel and West Smithfield Libraries are the specialist libraries for medicine and dentistry.
The Libraries contain wide-ranging collections of print books and journals and audio-visual resources. In addition, the Library provides access to over 16,000 online journals, 142 electronic databases and 12,000 e-books, all available on-line 24/7. These can be accessed from the networked PCs within the Library buildings, and also from your halls or home or anywhere else you have internet access. You will need to log-in with your Queen Mary Student Service account username and password, which you will get from IT Services when you enrol, to access our e-resources when off-campus.
There are dedicated help points across all our libraries, where trained staff can answer queries. However, our staff are also happy to help with any queries you may have at the point of need. For more complex enquiries about your subject or some of our services, you may be referred to a specialist in that area. In particular, the team of Liaison Librarians are most familiar with the resources for your subject – you will meet them during induction sessions and they can be contacted at any time during your studies.
Mile End
The ground floor of Mile End Library provides a modern environment where conversational learning is encouraged. There are clusters of networked PCs as well as wireless coverage and power points to every workspace, so you can use your laptop. The ground floor also houses the Teaching Collection, which contains the course reading list books most in demand by undergraduates, the Study Skills Collection, as well as the DVD collection and viewers. Also on the ground floor are the Learning Cafe, bookable study rooms, a seminar room and assistive technology room, as well as printing, scanning and photocopying facilities. The first and second floors of the building, containing the main book and journal collections, are silent study areas, mainly with individual study spaces. The first floor has additional bookable study rooms, a silent PC room and a range of training and consultation rooms, where tutorials and other training takes place. Finally, the second floor contains an Archives Reading Room, for consulting primary sources from the Archives, a Post Graduate Taught Reading Room and a Research Reading Room. The East and West Hives, as well as Canalside provide an informal environment for group and social study, with more clusters of networked PCs.
Whitechapel
Whitechapel Library is based in the church of St Augustine with St Philip, just behind the Royal London Hospital. The Library has up to date course textbooks, as well as print journals, on the ground floor and in the basement. A large number of networked PCs are available throughout the Library, together with printing, photocopying and scanning facilities and wireless network access for laptops. The Library provides a range of study spaces from silent study to more informal areas, with group study facilities located in the recently refurbished basement area.
West Smithfield
West Smithfield Library, within the grounds of St Bartholomew's Hospital, is a traditional library, with the building and interior dating back to 1879. Course textbooks and journals are housed on the ground floor. There is silent study space, and a group study area, Networked Queen Mary PCs, Printing, photocopying, and scanning facilities are all available in the Library and study basement, as well as wireless network access for laptops.
Original primary resources are available in the Archives, which holds institutional and personal archives dating from the 18th Century to the present day. For more information, see the Archives website: http://www.library.qmul.ac.uk/archives. As an extension of the library collection, Queen Mary also funds access and borrowing rights for all students at Senate House Library, which has one of the largest arts, humanities and social science collections amongst UK university libraries.
Library opening hours
Mile End Library is usually open 24 hours a day, seven days a week before and during the main exam period. Details will be available on the library website.
