History of the Library

The Library in Loughborough, which was officially opened by Lord Pilkington on the 19th December 1980, was the successor to several other libraries that were used by the predecessor Colleges of the University. Our first ever library was opened in 1911, in one room of the building in Loughborough town that housed the original Loughborough Technical Institute. In 2013, the Library had a major refurbishment which included incorporating Level 4.

The Library in London opened when the Loughborough London campus opened in 2015. It is located on the second floor.

Facts and Figures

The Pilkington Library in Loughborough contains:

• 700,000 print volumes, including 40,000 e-journals (the stock is classified to the Dewey Decimal scheme), with an expanding digital collection in all formats;
• 1370 seats in a variety of study environments including a café;
• 250 open access workstations. 

The Library operates the Koha Library Management System and VuFind resource discovery tool, known at the University as Library Catalogue Plus, plus Bibliotecha’s RFID self-service. 

The University Library’s current budget for library materials is £3 million.

There are 65 library staff (44 fte), who are grouped in three teams: Academic Services, Research Content and Discovery, and User Services.

Team Structure

Academic Services

The Academic Services Team work closely with academic Schools on both campuses to support learning, teaching and research. They work in partnership with academic staff to develop student information and digital literacy skills as part of the curriculum, and as part of University skills programmes for both taught and research students. They develop learning materials and subject guides, and offer a range of services to the academic research community.

The Academic Services Team includes the Academic Services Managers, Academic Librarians and Library Support Officers. Academic Schools are supported by Academic Librarians who are responsible for working in partnership with the staff and students in the School to meet and respond to their changing needs.

The University Copyright Advisors are also based in the Academic Services team. They deliver a copyright information and enquiry service offering copyright advice to University members.

Research, Content and Discovery Team

The Research, Content and Discovery Team is responsible for collection management, both print and electronic, the Library’s Open Access service and Library systems.

The Team’s work encompasses: acquisitions, reading lists, the Inter-Library Loan service,  serials and database subscriptions, payments and invoices, shelving, the Open Access service including the Research Repository, electronic theses, research data management; the library management system and resource discovery tool.

The Team ensure the efficient receipt, payments and provision of information resources that are easily accessible, relevant, reliable and of high quality. The staff also respond to enquiries and collate and distribute statistics and other data relating to the Team’s services.

User Services Team

The User Services Team support students, staff and visitors to use Library services and resources, answering enquiries, and supporting the lending of library materials. The Team staff the Help Desks and reply to enquiries received electronically, and maintain a safe and welcoming learning environment. The Team includes the User Services Manager, Facilities Manager, Facilities Attendant, Library Support Officers and Library Assistants.