University of Bristol Arts and Social Sciences Library

During the summer months this place is only good for socialising, and collecting books. The ever growing heat outside is brought inside by all the bodies which turns the top two floors into a sauna.
The library supplies all the books that a student may need, provided you get there 2 weeks before any essay that you may need to get in. As a rule the people that work there are really nice, except the guys that come round and lock up, they are a bit arsey.
The re-​vamped downstairs is great and i am a big fan of the sofas etc.

In the busy summer exam period a library should provide a calm and serene work experience. This one does not. The first flaw is that the Library is too small. I have seen people clear books from a shelf to create a work surface in this crowded building. Expect to find a desk only if you arrive at 7.00 in the morning, and even then expect to be barged out of the way by students keen to secure the desks with the best views. The books are in fairly abundant supply although they show their age because most are ornately annotated. Fines are steep, but to be fair to the staff, they are all extremely helpful and approachable. There are worse places to work, but perhaps it is reasonable to expect the main library of such a large institution to be more spacious.

The university library is the library for students and academics. Lots of rules and regulations and it is easy to build up a fine. I once forgot I had a short loan book for a week and had to pay back £30. oops. There is a good selection of books and all the core textbooks for any course can be found here. The only problem is that there is usually only one copy of each book. Fine during the term when nobody does any work but once essay deadlines start looming, you need to be quick and think ahead in order to even sneak a peek at course books. The staff are friendly and always able to help with any computer or library related trouble. The computer room is fairly small so isn’t much use during term time. The library hours are great — opening at 7 am and closing at midnight. This means there really is no excuse not to do your homework!