Notebooks and a banana in the library

Facilities & Rules

The Library is a quiet and relaxed place for conducting research. We do our best to make the atmosphere congenial and comfortable.

Notebooks and a banana in the library

Facilities & Rules

  • The Reading Room on the first floor houses the main book stock, and provides 35 study spaces at individual desks, including a number of popular window seats with views over Lee Court and the College gardens. 
  • Further study space is available in the Sir David Williams Room (SDWR) on the ground floor.
  • Printing and scanning is available in the Gordon Johnson Room (GJR) on the ground floor where you will find PCs linked to the University's Managed Cluster Service network and paid for using the DS-Print printing scheme. For licensing reasons, access to the Computer Room is restricted to current students and Fellows only.
  • There is drinking water and a refrigerator for food in the basement of the library. There is a kettle for making hot drinks in the foyer of the library.
  • Toilets are in the basement of the library.
  • There is a lift linking all three floors of the building, which is accessed using your University ID card. If you need regular access to the lift, please inform the Librarian or the IT Department, who will be able to arrange this for you.

Food & Drink

Cold food, such as sandwiches and yoghurt and drinks (hot and cold) are allowed in the Reading Room and Sir David Williams Room. Food and drink, however, are not allowed in the computer room (Gordon Johnson Room). Please be considerate of other users and do not bring hot and/or messy food. And please make sure to clear up when you leave.

Visitors

Current Visiting Fellows and Scholars of Wolfson College are welcome to use the Library facilities. Please call in during staffed hours (Monday-Friday, 08.45-17.15) to register your card for borrowing purposes.

The Library is not normally open to non-Wolfson members. However, temporary access during staffed hours may be possible by prior arrangement to use material not held elsewhere in the University.

Easter Term (Quiet Period)

Demand for study space in college is heavy during Easter term. To make the most of college spaces, and in the spirit of Wolfson collegiality and respect, the following policy takes effect at the beginning of each Easter term:

  • If you leave the Library for longer than two hours, you must clear your belongings to the table at the front of the library or to one of the lost-property shelves.
  • We will have pink slips to indicate that you are gone for more than two hours. Please do not put false leaving times on the slips, as this creates stress and frustration for other students.
  • Library staff who notice belongings on a desk for longer than two hours may clear them to the lost-property shelves (as can other waiting students).
  • Please clear your desk each evening when you leave the library to sleep to increase options for everyone.
  • If you use the Library regularly, please choose a different desk each day, so as to increase options for everyone.

Relationship to other libraries in Cambridge

We pride ourselves on providing an environment conducive to study and maintaining a book stock that is responsive to the needs of our students. However, the Lee Library is not comprehensive, and is best used in conjunction with others in the large network of libraries in the University. Curious how the Library benefits College users? The Cambridge College Libraries Forum have developed a page discussing Cambridge College Libraries.

Other Facilities

Photocopier

The photocopier in the library's computer room reproduces both in black & white and colour. Copies are made using your University ID card, and you can add funds to your card here. Cash is not used.The paper trays are checked and replenished as necessary every morning. If you find that the machine is out of paper during office hours, please ask the Library staff for help. At all other times (evenings and weekends), please ask at the Porters' Lodge.

Comb-binder

There is a comb-binding machine in the computer room. It is self-service: instructions are on the wall and supplies are available, free-of-charge int he cupboard underneath. Please use considerately. We suggest you leave time to experiement (bring some scrap paper) so that you are familiar with the process before trying to bind your actual dissertation ot thesis.

Bones

A fully-articulated female skeleton is available in a cupboard in the Sir David Williams Room (ground floor). A human male half-skeleton, skulls and a model of the brain in 15 parts are available under the hold-shelf in the main Reading Room (first floor). The skulls may be borrowed for the year and the other models may be borrowed for use in a supervision by arrangement with Library staff, but otherwise should not be taken out of the Library.

Wolfson Contemporary Reading Group (WCRG)

The WCRG is open to all members of Wolfsonand meets approximately six times a year for lively discussion of a recent publication. Visit the WCRG page for information about books, dates and for contact details.

USB cables

The Library has various types of USB charging cables that you can borrow. Please enquire at the Library office. You can borrow a cable for 24 hours at a time.

Lumbar-support Rolls

The library has a small number of lumbar-support rolls that you can borrow for lower-back support. They are located on the shelf outside the Librarian's office in the reading room. They may not be removed from the reading room and must be replaced after use.