Library news

We are excited to announce our brand new Library at the Leeds City Campus is now open!

The new Library has been planned and designed to have everything you'll need for studying at City.  It features a dedicated study lounge space with bookable group study rooms, a silent study area, book collections, PCs and laptops, printing and copying facilities, as well as a friendly and supportive team of staff at our new Library Helpdesk!  You can also access liaison librarian support & training.

You can find out more on our Leeds City Campus Library webpages, which we will be updating with more information and pictures very soon. 

The opening hours for the City Library can be found on our opening hours pages, and please see our contact details if you have any questions. 

We can't wait to see you soon!

We are pleased to announce we have a new inter-site reservations service to give you access to the books at both the Horsforth Campus Library and the new Leeds City Campus Library.

This means that you can reserve items that are available and on the shelves at the other campus library and they will be delivered to your library.

We aim to transfer items between libraries within three working days, and you will receive an email when the item is ready to collect.

Please be aware that available items can only be reserved for transfer and collection from the opposite campus library. 

For more information and details about how to place reservations using Library Search, please see our Renew, return, reserve guide.

Life is pretty hectic, and taking time out to relax and reset can seem impossible some days!

It can be done though, and you don't have to spend lots of time or money to make a big difference to your mental health.

We have a great selection of books in our Horsforth Library Wellbeing space and our online Collection to help you, and our staff have shared their own tips and techniques for taking time out 😊

Deano, Information Assistant

When I’ve spent a lot of time sitting and reading for my studies or work, I like to go to the gym and push myself as far as possible with either functional fitness (e.g. jumping over boxes/sledge pulls) or cardio training on the bike or treadmill. I think it’s essential for people with additional sensory needs to understand that it’s possible to be tired and have low energy due to being under-stimulated and that you can paradoxically overcome tiredness by being more active! 

Jax, Library User Services Manager

I like to unwind by doing some voluntary research with Zooniverse – a world-wide platform that allows anyone to contribute to real academic research across a range of disciplines. You could be studying images of faraway galaxies, transcribing historical records or recording animal behaviour in their natural habitats, all from the comfort of your sofa!

Adam, Information Assistant

I like to immerse myself in cricket to relax.  I love going to watch a game - any level or type of game - where you can just switch off from other things. I don’t care if it’s fast or slow particularly - just as long as it’s absorbing. I’m also quite happy watching it on TV or listening to it on the radio - it still has a similar effect!

Claudia, Information Assistant

I like to do crafts to unwind and relax. At the moment I am crocheting again. I have a stash of wool that I use to make little crochet projects like flower garlands or pillowcases. Although I am not the quickest in crocheting and my projects look all a bit wonky, I enjoy doing it and that in the end I have created something.  Easy knitting or crochet patterns can be found on youtube or Ravelry. And the library has two online crochet books with nice ideas as well.

Marion, Information Assistant

To look after my well-being and mental health I usually turn to nature and water. I go to my happy place and have a walk by the canal, it instantly restores me being near water, listening to bird song, especially this time of year walking though fallen leaves will always put a smile on my face. I read every day even if it’s only for a few minutes, but best of all, time with my cats, they keep me calm and bring me a lot of happiness.

Pauline, Information Assistant

These are the things I do to unwind/relax:

Go for a walk in the countryside (or local park)

Read a good novel

Sing as part of a community choir

Leeds Trinity University has a range of support available for students and staff experiencing mental health difficulties. Talking about it helps, so lets share and support each other! 

For students: Mental health and wellbeing - Student support and wellbeing - Leeds Trinity University

For staff: Mental Wellbeing Resources (sharepoint.com)

In the AKLC, we’re lucky enough to be in a working environment surrounded by thousands of books every day.  Here’s what some of the people who work here have been reading. 

Tamsin Key, Information Assistant

The Lottery and other stories – Shirley Jackson

Found in the library at 813.54 JAC

Tom Vause, Interim Liaison Team Manager and Partnerships Librarian

HHhH by Laurent Binet

Asif Rashid, Information Assistant

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

This delightful novel takes you to a magical circus that appears without warning. Morgenstern's lyrical prose and imaginative world-building make it a fascinating read from start to finish.

Sarah Munks, Liaison Librarian

Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Found in the library at 813.6 ZEV

Sarah Cohen, Liaison Librarian

The science of happiness : seven lessons for living well – Bruce Hood

Found in the library at 158 HOO

Tolulope Adebayo, Information Assistant

The Coming Wave by Mustafa Suleyman

The book provides an excellent opportunity to understand how we can responsibly navigate the transformative era of AI and harness its advancements for the greater good. For anyone without a technical background in Artificial Intelligence but interested in an overview of its risks and rewards, I highly recommend this book.

Found in the library at 174.90063 SUL

Julia Sherrington, Assistant Librarian

Femina : a new history of the Middle Ages, through the women written out of it  -  Janina Ramirez

Ramirez takes us through the middle ages with chapters highlighting women who may not be that familiar to us.  Each have stories to challenge our perception of the role and character of women; illuminating the dark ages with accounts of warriors, kings and religious leaders.

Found in the library at 909.07082 RAM

Robert Taylor, Information Assistant

Wolf Hall – Hilary Mantel

This book chronicles the life of Henry VIII’s chief minister and reformer Thomas Cromwell, providing a fresh new take on the life of one of the most controversial and contentious figures in English history. Beautifully written with incredible attention to detail and with a wealth of historical research behind it, this novel is enthralling from start to finish and offers a different perspective of one of the English Reformation’s most important figures.

Found in the library at 823.92 MAN

Adam Gillison, Information Assistant

Tess Of The D’Urbevilles – Thomas Hardy

I am currently working through all of Thomas Hardy’s novels, and I’ve just started this one.  His books are so full of tragedy, social commentary and an amazing ability to evoke a landscape.  They’re very readable and still feel relevant within their own historical context.

Found in the library at 823.8 HAR

7th - 13th October is Green Libraries Week and we have planned some eco-themed events in the AKLC!

All events run from 12pm to 2pm in the area opposite Costa Cafe and include:

Monday 7th - Big Book Swap

A larger version of our Book Exchange where you can bring your unwanted books (is that even a thing?) and exchange them for new reads, or just come and pick up a book that takes your fancy. We have a range of genres availalbe including classics, fantasy and graphic novels along with popular non- fiction. 

Wednesday 9th - Make It or Mend It Mega Lunch

Started in the summer by Library Manager Jax, these lunches are a chance to get together with others and do some mending or textile crafting! There'll be free fabric scraps and embroidery threads, plus a sample of the books in our Wellbeing Collection that focus on the themes of sustainable and upcycled fashion. It's a great way to meet new people and exchange tips and ideas!

Friday 11th - Eco Event

Horsforth Climate Action (HCA), a local community group, will be in the AKLC with information about their activities and how we can all get involved in climate action. We'll also have a treasure hunt with green prizes up for grabs!

Keep an eye on our social media for further details or get in touch with us at library@leedstrinity.ac.uk

Next week we will be making our final preparations to open our new Library at the Leeds City Campus! 

As part of this, we will be transferring relevant book stock from the Horsforth Campus Library to Leeds City Campus.  From Monday 7th - Wednesday 9th October our movers will be at Horsforth, packing up selected items and transferring these to the shelves at City.  You may see the movers in and about the Library at Horsforth during this time, packing up books which have a green 'City' label on them.

Some of these items will not therefore be available to borrow for the duration of next week, but will be available again when our new Library opens on Monday 14th October!  If you are looking for an item and can't find it, please speak to one of our friendly staff who will advise if the item is in transit and help you to find alternatives. If you have borrowed a book with a ‘city’ sticker on over the last few weeks, don’t worry, you will be able to return it at either campus.

We are setting up a book transfer system too, so you can request items you need at one campus to be collected at the other - more details on this service will be coming soon!