The library lit up at night (Image source: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/342836590356409798/ )
Situated in the city center, this beautiful building is a short walk away from the major railway and bus stations, and if that’s not good enough: a student and staff shuttle bus, run by the university, travels between sites in Canterbury including Augustine House. Therefore, this facility is at easy access for all the university’s students and faculty.
Augustine House is first and foremost an exquisite library, with an extensive library catalogue which can be found online at www.canterbury.ac.uk/library . This modern library is packed to the brim with books, CDs, journals, DVDs and videos; the online services are also impressive, offering students a full e-library containing e-books and e-journals and other online resources.
Inside the building, the library is very user friendly; each floor containing access points to the online catalogue and interactive floor plans. Accessing the library’s services is also a very simple process: each student is issued a University Smartcard which provides access to ‘cashless’ printers, photocopiers, cafés and other services.
The interior design is modern, minimalistic and bright (Image source: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/342836590356409790/ )
What Augustine House offers:
- A state of the art library and its servicesAugustine Houe Library
- Two cafés and a range of recreational and work areas perfect for studying and socializing; The Atrium Café, a ‘Grab and Go’ service on the ground floor, and Terrace Café a third floor ‘Learning Lounge’ which provides a chilled out atmosphere and a more study-friendly environment. The study spaces are flexible for group activities and also individual work
- Access to the i-zone for any need of specialist help
- Student support and guidance services with a team of dedicated staff who will help with things such as student health, financial support and advice or even study support
- The help of a Chaplaincy team, offering many opportunities to discover and further explore Christianity
- An employability and careers service: you will be helped by an experienced staff in order to develop essential skills, enhancing your employability. This service is open to all students and graduates in need of training resources and information on job hunting. This service includes the university’s JobShop which intends on finding work for you whilst studying
- A Student Union office providing information on various activities and events going on throughout the year. The Students’ Union can be found online at www.ccsu.co.uk
Photo of Augustine House being constructed in December 2008 (Image source: http://www.canterbury.ac.uk/projects/augustine-house/image-gallery.asp)
This building is so brilliantly designed and offers so many great services like loaning out netbooks and the open use of 150 top grade PCs – the list of services goes on and on. This is such a great environment for all students looking to study, relax or seek advice.
It caters to everyone’s needs and this is why it was the joint winner of the prestigious SCONUL Library Design Award in 2013 along with The McClay Library, Queen’s University Belfast. To win this prize a library must tick every single box; it must have strategic relevance, a beautiful design, an impact on the city and people, efficiency and sustainability. Augustine House’s design is functional, flexible and is fit for the need of the users, it is a creative and innovative design both inside and out with disabled access throughout. It also uses geothermal energy to heat and cool itself, and in doing so reduces its carbon footprint; so it is environmentally sustainable, a building for the future. It’s a stunning multi-million pound building that we should be grateful for and be proud to use.
Opening times and additional information can be found at: http://www.canterbury.ac.uk/library/library-services.aspx