Category: Avery Hill Library

Library Staff Profiles

Have you ever wanted to find out more about the people who work at Avery Hill and Stockwell Street Library? Of course you have! We continue our weekly profiles of the various staff you may spot or speak to at our libraries. Find out what they do, both inside and outside of working at the University of Greenwich!

This week, we meet Tom Perry, a circulation support assistant at Avery Hill Library:

Tom Perry
HOW LONG HAVE YOU WORKED AT THE UNIVERSITY/LIBRARY?
Almost a year.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR ROLE IN THE LIBRARY?
I’m a Circulation Assistant. So, amongst other things, I hunt and gather books for students via item requests and get books to other sites via blue boxes and yellow bags. My role is student-facing too, so I get to show people how to use the catalogues and Library Search. I also help with the Greenwich libraries Twitter account, and run the library Flickr account.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT WORKING IN THE LIBRARY?
The team we’ve got here is really good, a nice group of people to work with; and I really like the site itself – it’s a beautiful place.
WHICH BOOKS IN THE LIBRARY DO YOU FIND MOST INTERESTING?
At the moment, all the books on Photoshop CC.
WHERE IS YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE IN GREENWICH TO EAT/HAVE LUNCH?
WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO OUTSIDE OF WORK?
I do studio and event photography, and collect cameras and lenses.
FAVOURITE BOOK, MUSIC AND FILM?
White Noise by Don Delillo
This World and Bodyby Marion
Double Indemnity
WHERE IN THE WORLD WOULD YOU LIKE TO VISIT?
South Korea. I’ve always liked Korean films and food. Looks like a great place to visit.
IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY SUPERHUMAN POWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
The ability to know and completely understand the content of any book I touch.
HAVE YOU VISITED THE CUTTY SARK, NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM, ROYAL OBSERVATORY AND QUEEN’S HOUSE?
Just the Cutty Sark.

Library Staff Profiles

Have you ever wanted to find out more about the people who work at Avery Hill and Stockwell Street Library? Of course you have! Last week we started our weekly profiles of the various staff you may spot or speak to at our libraries. Find out what they do, both inside and outside of working at the University of Greenwich!
This week, we’re profiling one of our library support assistants at the Stockwell Street library, James Chick:
James Chick

HOW LONG HAVE YOU WORKED AT THE UNIVERSITY/LIBRARY?
Almost 3 years.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR ROLE IN THE LIBRARY?
Helping students use library services and helping our librarians provide the library’s service. You may also see me leading a workshop – if you do, I appeal to everyone’s better nature when I ask that heckling be kept to a minimum.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT WORKING IN THE LIBRARY?
Helping students with questions which make me think and that require investigative skills.
WHICH BOOKS IN THE LIBRARY DO YOU FIND MOST INTERESTING?
Politics books (shelfmark ‘320’) interest me because I’m into all that. At the moment, European Union books help me sort out in my head what’s going on in the country at the moment!
WHERE IS YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE IN GREENWICH TO EAT/HAVE LUNCH?
Eating sandwiches under the Cutty Sark is a pleasure. On payday I do like Bill’s Restaurant!  
WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO OUTSIDE OF WORK?
Spend time with family and my friends, and experiment with cooking curries.
FAVOURITE BOOK, MUSIC AND FILM?
I’m a big fan of The Hunger Games books – take from that what you will! For music, I like anything by Michael Jackson, and my favourite film is Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Moulin Rouge’ (in fact anything directed Baz Luhrmann!).
WHERE IN THE WORLD WOULD YOU LIKE TO VISIT?
Me and my partner want to drive the length of Route 66 in an open top car one day. One day…
IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY SUPERHUMAN POWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
The one Patrick Stewart had in ‘X-Men’ – was it telepathy or telekinesis? Some way of putting my massive brain to good use (is modesty a super power?).
HAVE YOU VISITED THE CUTTY SARK, NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM, ROYAL OBSERVATORY AND QUEEN’S HOUSE?
National Maritime Museum (tick); Royal Observatory (tick); Queens House and Cutty Sark are still on the to do list!

Library Staff Profiles

Have you ever wanted to find out more about the people who work at Avery Hill and Stockwell Street Library? Of course you have! Starting today is the first of our weekly profiles of the various staff you may spot or speak to at our libraries. Find out what they do, both inside and outside of working at the University of Greenwich!

First up, we’re profiling one of our academic subject librarians for Business, Ros Francis:

Ros Francis
HOW LONG HAVE YOU WORKED AT THE UNIVERSITY/LIBRARY?
I’ve worked at the University since 2008. I worked in the Avery Hill library as the Health librarian before moving to Stockwell Street in August 2015 to be one of the Business librarians.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR ROLE IN THE LIBRARY?
I’m a Business librarian which means that I support the students and staff in the Business School. My job is to make sure the resources they need for teaching and learning are in place, and that they know how to make the best use of those resources. I do this in teaching sessions, creating guides and answering email enquiries or seeing students on a one-to-one basis.

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT WORKING IN THE LIBRARY?
I most enjoy the challenge of teaching students to understand our resources and the skills they need to make use of them, it can be difficult but it’s very satisfying when someone gets it.

WHICH BOOKS IN THE LIBRARY DO YOU FIND MOST INTERESTING?
I probably find the novels the most interesting!

WHERE IS YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE IN GREENWICH TO EAT/HAVE LUNCH?
The market is one of my favourite places to eat – there is a big variety of food stalls and always something I like. I especially like the Vegan Garden or the Ethiopian stall.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO OUTSIDE OF WORK?
Outside of work, one of my main interests is dance. I do contemporary dance and kathak, a classical Indian dance. Not sure how I ended up learning kathak but I love it! It’s a very beautiful dance form.

FAVOURITE BOOK, MUSIC AND FILM?
The first book I ever bought with my own money is Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, it became one of my favourite books and it still is. It is very funny and the satire feels relevant even though it is nearly 30 years old now. I love all cinema, especially Indian cinema. Satyajit Ray is a real master of Bengali cinema and his Apu trilogy is well worth checking out. I was stunned by Pather Panchali (the first film in the Apu trilogy) when I first saw it. I also love spotting Greenwich on screen in the latest blockbuster films.

WHERE IN THE WORLD WOULD YOU LIKE TO VISIT?
There are too many places in the world I would like to visit! I would love to see the Alhambra, and I have already planned to visit Canada next summer.

IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY SUPERHUMAN POWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Definitely flying – what better way to see the world?

HAVE YOU VISITED THE CUTTY SARK, NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM, ROYAL OBSERVATORY AND QUEEN’S HOUSE?
I have visited all of these places – I live locally and they are great places to take family and friends when they come to visit. My top tip for visiting the meridian line is to come to Greenwich after dark and see the green laser light marking the meridian shining out from the observatory.

We need your views

HAVE YOUR SAY!
The Avery Hill Team are setting up a Library User Group, aiming to work with staff and students to enhance the Library User Experience.
Have your say – tell us what we do well and what we can do better.
Join us on Tuesday 12th April 2016 between 12pm and 2pm in M056, Mansion Site.
Lunch will be provided.

If you would like to attend please e-mail B.R.Gallagher@gre.ac.uk

Heating in Avery Hill Library

At this time of year the temperature in Avery Hill Library varies. Please note that the heating is not independent of the rest of the Mansion Building but library staff regularly turn the radiators off or on according to needs. At this time of year we find it can be too cold one day and too hot the next. Unfortunately there are no windows that can be opened in the library and the Green room is a challenge with the glass roof.


We do open the Mansion lab at evenings and weekends, which is air conditioned. We advise you to work there if the temperature in Avery Hill Library is uncomfortable for you. The opening hours of the Mansion lab can be found at:
http://www.gre.ac.uk/it-and-library/students/support-and-training/computer-labs.

You can also borrow a laptop in the library and move to the North Hall area of the library which is cooler.

What to do with your library books over the Christmas break

The campuses will be closed from noon 24th December until Monday 4th January. Please check the link below to find out when your campus library is opening after the Christmas break.

Check out the library’s opening hours here: http://www.gre.ac.uk/it-and-library/library/opening-hours

Any library books borrowed this week will be due back on the 18th January 2016.

If you are going away over the Christmas break then please consider whether you need your library books just in case someone else needs them. All the campus libraries are open until noon 24th December so there is plenty of time to return them before you go away.

Remember to check your library account and renew your library books if you want to return them after the 18th January 2016.

Please check your University of Greenwich email account in case any of your books get requested before the 18th January.

We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year!

Calling all January starters…

Are you a ‘January starter’? If you began your Greenwich Programme this month, now is the time to begin thinking about information skills.  

At Avery Hill, Stockwell Street and the Drill Hall Library, librarians are on hand to offer hands-on help in our dedicated Student Support Rooms. The Student Support Rooms offer a drop-in service so no appointment is necessary. Professional librarians are available to help you Monday-Friday 9am-7pm, Saturday & Sunday 11am-5pm. We can help with finding articles, literature searching, locating quality information on the internet, bibliographic citations (referencing and reference manager software) – or tell us what you need to know. You can also email us at: Avery Hill: ah-librarians@gre.ac.uk, Greenwich: mg-librarians@gre.ac.uk and Medway: dhl-librarians@gre.ac.uk 

E-books promotion week at Greenwich Campus and Avery Hill libraries

Come and visit us in the foyer of Greenwich Campus Library and Avery Hill Library between 12 – 2 pm to find out about our e-books. We have over 9,000 e-books across different platforms so whatever you’re studying there is something for you and you can use them on and off campus 24/7 including over the Christmas break.

If you can’t make it between 12 – 2 pm, no problem, just pop along to the Student Support Room and we’ll help you.

Student Support Room

Need help finding academic articles, conference proceedings, books, case studies and other material for your essays, projects and assignments? If you’ve missed a library induction session, or just want a reminder, don’t worry. You can drop-in to see us for assistance in the Student Support Room at Avery Hill, Greenwich or the Drill Hall Library between 9-9pm Monday to Friday and 11-7pm at the weekends.

We are here to help.