We are pleased to announce from Monday 6^th May until Thursday 11^th July the Preston Campus Library will now be open from 7:30am until 3:30am!

This change has arisen as Aman Sahoo, School President of Medicine and Dentistry raised the issue with several departments across the University. He highlighted that after May the Preston Campus Library would be closing at 10pm and due to this some students would be unable to access the study spaces during their first exams and during resits.  

To tackle this issue, Aman proposed a Big Idea with the Students’ Union advocating for extended library hours for all students. Students from various programs rallied behind the Big Idea, propelling it to become the highest upvoted initiative. Facing tough scrutiny and questioning at council meetings, Aman persevered, presenting alternatives and refining the proposal.

This is a pilot period to extend the opening times. From 10pm onwards the ground floor will be open, giving access to a variety of study spaces, booths, PC & MAC study desks and the Library Lounge to take study breaks in. Students remaining in the Library after 10pm will need to bring any books downstairs with them as access to upstairs will not be available, the returns machine will be there for students to put the books through or they can borrow them on the self-issue machines.

Library Services have said “We hope that the pilot program will be of benefit to our students and the extended opening is popular. We will monitor numbers via the gate stats so we can also see any trends. We really want to encourage people to use the library during this pilot period of extended opening. We would only get the go-ahead to do this again next year if the number of visitors is significant enough to warrant the extra cost to the University.”

Following on from the successful news of this pilot, Aman has said that as a School President he felt a sense of responsibility to address the persistent issue of the Preston Campus Library opening times. He highlighted that “This achievement is a testament to the power of student advocacy and collaboration. Together, we've ensured that students will have access to the resources they need to excel academically. As exams approach, I wish everyone the best of luck, and I hope this new change provides an extra boost to your preparations. Congratulations, everyone; this victory belongs to us all!”