Customer Service ethos

Welcome to Library & Information Services. We hope that you will find the Library an enjoyable place to study and work.

We aim to:

Provide a comprehensive library service to you, to support all your learning and research needs throughout your study here at Aston.
Provide the most appropriate information resources, delivered in the most convenient manner, whether you are full time, part time, a member of University staff or researcher, undergraduate, postgraduate, a distance learner or have a disability or other additional need.
Continually evaluate our services to ensure that they are as relevant and up to date as possible.
Seek feedback from you about our performance.

In return, we ask you to:

Show courtesy and respect towards other users of the Library and Library staff
Take due care of all Library materials, facilities and equipment.
Return all the books you have borrowed on time so that they are available for others
Ensure that copyright regulations and database licensing restrictions are observed.

Customer care

We aim to:

Provide an environment in which it is pleasant to work and study.
Treat everyone with respect and courtesy and be approachable and helpful
Ensure that anyone with a disability or additional support need will be treated equally and with sensitivity
Make sure that our services are responsive to your changing needs
Provide all staff with customer care training
Ensure that all staff wear an identification badge
Ensure that adequate provision is made for you to comment on our services
Quality of service delivery will be continually monitored
Utilise comments and suggestions and regular user surveys to help improve our services
Ensure that your privacy is respected at all times in compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998
Display Library regulations on all floors and on the Library website
Maintain ‘Investors in People’ accreditation and train staff to the highest possible standards.

We aim to:

Provide an Enquiries service to everyone, in person, by email, by telephone or by post
Publicise our opening hours, both outside the Library building and via the website and ensure that term time and vacation opening hours are notified in advance
Offer the flexibility of renewing material online and placing reservations on books currently on loan
Enable you to opt to receive Library notices via email or post
Provide online access to the Library catalogue to make it easier for you to check what material is available
Provide off-campus access to electronic resources to ensure that they are available when and where you need them
Provide appropriate spaces within the Library building for group work and individual silent study
Provide the fullest service possible at all times, within the constraints of available financial resources and staff
Provide access to the University network and the Internet via our open access PC labs and wireless network.

We aim to:

Consult with academic staff and students about the best resources for purchase
Provide as wide a range of books, journals (printed and electronic) and other sources of information, within the constraints of the budget, to meet your study needs
Ensure that as many of our resources as possible can be accessed by those with a disability or other additional need
Promote the use of electronic resources through regular displays and demonstrations
Offer you support or library training so that you can make best use of the resources available
Participate in reciprocal schemes such as SCONUL Access to enable you to use facilities and resources at libraries that are more convenient to you
Enable you to access resources remotely via our website by negotiating off-campus access to databases whenever possible.
Ensure that the information on our website is kept as up to date as possible.

Please email any comments, suggestions or complaints to library@aston.ac.uk. Alternatively, you can complete one of our comments forms available at Reception or from the Help desk.
We aim to respond to any suggestions or complaints within 2 working days.