Reference Section

 Reference Desk hours:  

Monday-Friday: 9:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.  

Saturday: 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m

 Reference Librarian Contact Details

By Phone - Please call (+44) 1235 or Mobile(+44) (0)7424103919 any time the Reference Desk is open for service. The librarian on duty will answer your call except when he/she is helping a patron. When no one is available to answer the phone, please leave us a message and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

By Email - Send a message to acl_ref@webnode.com and we will respond as soon as possible.

The Reference Section strives to maintain a quality reference collection consisting of books and electronic products.  Reference librarians select materials in all subject areas. The basic subject areas that are collected are those that reflect the instructional and research activities of the community. 

Reference books have "Ref" before the call number and are arranged according to the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) call number. The Reference Collection is a non-circulating collection.

Materials in this collection are limited to almanacs, dictionaries, (English language, foreign language and subject dictionaries), general encyclopaedias, specific subject encyclopaedias, handbooks, guidebooks, bibliographies (standard bibliographies, general bibliographies and specialized subject bibliographies), basic texts with high reference value, statistical/table compilations, biographical sources, manuals, yearbooks, atlases, loose-leaf services, indexes and guides to research.

The primary function of the ACL Reference Section is to provide quality reference service to the community in a professional and timely manner, to develop and maintain a collection of print and electronic resources that support the learning, teaching, current awareness and  research  needs of the community, and to instruct individuals, groups, and classes on the retrieval and effective use of information sources.

In order to provide quality reference service to the community, the Reference Desk is staffed by a reference librarian most whenever the library is open to the public. Reference librarians use the most effective innovative and traditional techniques in providing information, and instruct users in the value and use of the library's collections. The section recognizes that user information needs and demands require that Reference staff members possess substantial capabilities and competencies and will strive to serve users with knowledge, alertness, accuracy, and speed.

The basic objective of the department is to provide direct support to the information needs of the community through answering the research questions of patrons and by providing current, easily-accessible materials to answer those queries. The department regularly reviews its guidelines for both the subject scope of the Reference Collection and the types of materials included in it. Also, it aims to set procedures for acquiring new materials and for weeding the collection to ensure the development and maintenance of a complete, current, and convenient Reference Collection.