果冻影院

A quick ride on the 168 from Tavistock Square or a few stops along the Northern Line, and you鈥檙e just a few minutes away from a place that鈥檚 at the heart of one of 果冻影院鈥檚 most sophisticated biomedical hubs, and which is never overcrowded.

Join Site Libraries Manager and Senior Librarian Anna Di Iorio, whose knowledge of 果冻影院鈥檚 libraries dates all the way back to her time as a book shelver in the Cruciform. Knowledge is power 鈥� and that鈥檚 just what the Royal Free Hospital Medical Library is about.

鈥淥ur relationship with the Trust is very close.鈥�

You can enter the library through the ground floor of the hospital 鈥� past a WHSmith and M&S food hall if you鈥檙e feeling peckish 鈥� or you can take a shortcut via the Rowland Hill entrance to the hospital, also known as the 果冻影院 Medical School entrance. Either way, it鈥檚 hard not to feel a sense of integration between 果冻影院 and the Trust.

鈥淭ogether with 果冻影院, we work very closely with the Royal Free London Trust,鈥� Anna tells me, gesturing to the vast Royal Free hospital paintings of the 鈥楾he Symons Bequest鈥� above the ground floor鈥檚 desktops. 鈥淥ur relationship with the Trust is very close. They support us, and we support them. For example, they鈥檙e leading the way in reviewing, standardising and improving guidelines used to treat patients, and we are part of this project.鈥�

When you鈥檙e studying alongside a clinician looking up clinical procedures in the upstairs quiet study space or taking advantage of the eLearning space a desk away from a life-saving nurse, you can鈥檛 help but feel how the library seems to bring people together in its quiet, subtle ways. It must be something in the atmosphere.

鈥淚 love that we lead the way at 果冻影院 for critical appraisal and developing services for the NHS, and yet we retain a very friendly feeling.鈥�

鈥淲e offer highly specialised services.鈥�

What is the most valuable asset of any library? That would be knowledge 鈥� and the Royal Free Library is one of the most unique libraries on campus when it comes to skills training.

鈥淥ur staff are definitely our greatest strength,鈥� Anna will tell you, 鈥淲e provide regular training sessions with one-to-one assistance, cater for distance learners as well, and are pretty advanced when it comes to eLearning.鈥�

All it takes is a walk down to the lower ground floor to discover the eLearning cluster, where the knowledge of today being used to support 果冻影院 students and NHS staff alike is elegantly juxtaposed against the shelves of historical leather-bound volumes.

From citation tips your tutor didn鈥檛 teach you to critical appraisal skills, you鈥檙e sure to find an offering that鈥檚 going to give you the edge you need just in time 鈥� and all free of charge. Want to find out what鈥檚 being offered at the Royal Free soon? Take a look at the sessions schedule.

鈥淏eyond the ground floor, you may be surprised鈥︹��

If you鈥檙e a casual user, the Royal Free Library might initially seem much like any other library on campus with spacious modern tables and even some bookable pods. Go in a bit deeper, though, and you鈥檒l discover just how much the whole space has to offer.

鈥淏eyond the ground floor, you may be surprised to discover that there are seven different spaces on the first floor, and one more on the lower ground floor,鈥� Anna demonstrates, indicating 听the quiet study space to the left of the top of the stairs, the bookable rooms in front of us, and the computer cluster to the right.
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If you鈥檙e a medical student, you鈥檙e especially going to love the computers with dual access to 果冻影院 and NHS servers wired up to one screen, which 鈥渢urned out to be quite an adventure to configure,鈥� and one that Anna, 鈥渃an鈥檛 thank our resident IT officer enough for.鈥�

In your visit, also keep an eye out for a wooden, leather-surfaced antique desk which is, according to Anna, 鈥渙ne of the favourite spots in the library鈥� 鈥� much to her astonishment.
Whether you鈥檙e after the spaciousness of the atrium, the den-like feel of a pod, the utility of dual-server desktops or the exclusive desk, the Royal Free has got you covered.

Want to get away from the crowds on campus?

鈥淚f the libraries in Bloomsbury ever feel overcrowded, then we鈥檙e only 20 minutes away.鈥�

Whether you鈥檙e a practising medical student, happen to find yourself near the Royal Free or just fancy a change of scenery, why not travel up to Hampstead Heath and experience just what the Royal Free Hospital Medical Library has to offer? In its friendly, collaborative setting, there鈥檒l always be new spots for you to enjoy.

Robert Vilkelis
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