The Library is making some changes to the way we support our students, researchers and staff. Scroll to the relevant heading below to find out more about what support you can access and how. 

Undergraduate & postgraduate by coursework students

• You can get help when you need it through our Live Chat Service, including evenings and weekends during semester. Live Chat is accessible from any page on our website or via our app. Our team can also refer you to a librarian for live support between 10am – 5pm on weekdays during Semester. 
• You can join a drop-in session for your Faculty or University School at key times during Semester.
• You can get help researching for your assignments via our online training, or you can get more tailored guidance through our Subject Guides. 
• The library will continue to work with your lecturers to ensure you have access to your reading materials, and to develop targeted support in some Canvas sites for core units of study.

See our Contact a Librarian page for additional information. 

Researchers, postgraduate by research students, & honours students

In addition to requesting help through our Live Chat Service and using our self-help resources to develop your research skills, you can also access further support by:

• sending queries to a team of dedicated librarians looking after your Faculty or University School
• booking an appointment with a librarian
• accessing a range of self-help resources on planning for strategic publishing & to measure the impact of your research

See our Meet with a Librarian page for key areas where we can provide advice.

Staff in University Portfolios and Professional Services Units

For general enquiries about borrowing or accessing resources you can request help through our Live Chat service.  For more complex support requests please contact the most appropriate member of our library leadership team for support.

Academic staff

Academic Liaison Librarians (ALLs) are now allocated client group responsibilities at the Faculty or University School level rather than the faculty school/department level. This means that you will be supported by a team of ALLs, rather than an individual. Within each team, ALLs have areas of specialisation across Education, Research, and Research Education, which means that depending on the area of your enquiry you may be supported by different ALLs.

Our Meet with a Librarian page will be updated with your team email contacts by the beginning of semester 2 2021.

To better support student learning outcomes, we have developed a new Tiered Service Model for Learning Experiences, which outlines how the Library supports information and digital literacy skills development within the curriculum. 

We will continue to support existing teaching commitments for Semester 2, 2021, before transitioning to our new model for Semester 1, 2022. The new model will provide higher quality, pedagogically-sound IDL programs and a broader range of self-help resources.

Feedback and questions

These changes will assist the Library to support students and researchers in a more sustainable and efficient way. We look forward to continuing to partner with you as we transition to our new ways of working. We are eager to manage this transition well, and we want to ensure that services to staff and students remain of high quality. We will also be conducting a post-implementation review at the end of Semester 2. If you have any questions or concerns, or if you would like to discuss this further, please don’t hesitate to contact Elizabeth Litting (Associate Director, Research Education) at elizabeth.litting@sydney.edu.au.