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Library of Birmingham facilities and access
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Study rooms

Single and double study rooms are available on Level 2 and are free to use during full service opening hours. You can only book a room at the Customer Service Desk on Level 2.

Please be aware that our study rooms are in high demand and are often fully booked during the day. Customers making a special journey specifically to use a room without a pre-arranged booking may be disappointed. However, we have many study desks and tables throughout the library for public use.

NB You will need your membership card for identification

Terms and conditions

  1. The study carrels are offered for the purpose of quiet personal study.
  2. To use a study carrel a customer must be a member of Birmingham Library Services and present an active borrower card with no restrictions.
  3. The customer who has booked the carrel (by reservation or on the day) is responsible for the study carrel, the conduct of any other occupant, and the adherence to the terms and conditions for the duration of the booking.
  4. The study carrels cannot be reserved or booked for the purposes of undertaking meetings, conducting interviews or any commercial or business activities.
  5. Reservations or bookings cannot be transferred to other parties, such as the second occupant of a two person carrel.
  6. A study carrel will have a designated maximum capacity of either one or two people. This maximum capacity should not be exceeded at any time or under any circumstances.
  7. A study carrel may be booked for use in advance (reserved) or on the day, subject to availability.
  8. Reservations for study carrels can be taken up to seven days in advance, and can only be booked in person with a member of staff on floor 2
  9. An individual may make one or more reservations up to a maximum total of nine hours of time in any individual week (Monday to Saturday). Subject to availability an individual may use more than 9 hours of time in any one week if there are no other reservations.
  10. Reservations will be honoured for 20 minutes from the start time only. If a customer is more than 20 minutes late for their booking, the study carrel will be offered on a first-come first-served basis to other customers.

If you have booked a study carrel

  1. You will be issued an access card to lock and unlock you carrel. This access card will be issued to you on your library card. We will show you how to use the access card but it will be your responsibility to use it correctly. The Library of Birmingham does not guarantee the safety of your belongings if you choose to leave them unattended in a study carrel. We discourage you from leaving valuables in the carrels and on view.
  2. You should be present in the study carrel for the duration of your booking with the exception of leaving to search for study materials and taking reasonable breaks for refreshment and comfort. A reasonable break (or breaks) will be dependent upon a number of considerations, including the time and duration of the booking.
  3. Meals and hot drinks are not permitted within the study carrels. You make take bottled or caped cold drinks into the study carrel for refreshment during your booking.
  4. The study carrels are confined spaces and the furniture is heavy and awkward to move. Please do not move the furniture. If you choose to change the configuration you do so at your own risk, and the room must be returned to its original configuration when you leave. You must not add or remove any furniture without the express permission of library staff, and this will only be permitted in exceptional circumstances such as in respect of a disability. In such case we may elect to assist you if we can but this will only be if we feel it is safe to do so.
  5. You must take reasonable care to ensure that you have sufficient time to finish, pack up your belongings and vacate the carrel in time for the next booking. The carrel should be vacant no less than five minutes before the end of your booking, and left in a clean and tidy state with the door locked. You should return the access card to the Level 2 Customer Service Desk where it will be discharged from your library card. Failure to return the access card will result in daily fines and/or a replacement charge being levied.
  6. Failure to comply with the terms and conditions or the use of a study carrel in any way that library staff believe is unreasonable and likely to interfere with the comfort, safety or fair use of the facilities will result in the termination of your booking. Termination of your booking may involve the removal of your personal belongings by our security team who will place them in ‘lost property’ which can be retrieved from the ground level foyer Customer Reception Desk. Repeated failure to comply with terms and conditions or to act unreasonably will result in you losing the benefit of study carrel use.
  7. If you are unhappy with any decision made about you and your use of the study carrels you may ask to speak to the senior staff member of level 2 or the library Duty Manager. You may also take these issues forward through the formal complaint procedure. Any member of library staff will help you with this.