Academic staff based at Walton Hall, regions and nations

Online Library resources

As an OU member of staff you have access to a world-class collection of library resources.

These high quality and trusted resources support your work, research, module writing or studies and include resources such as academic journals, newspapers, and academic books.

Improving student skills

One of our aims is to help students study successfully and to develop skills valued by employers through the information literacy programme.

We provide a clear vision and support for the integration of information literacy in to the curriculum alongside a number of student facing guides and online training sessions:

• We provide a range of online training sessions. Students can attend live sessions or listen to a recording at a time to suit them. Topics covered include an introduction to Library Services and how to use the online resources
• The series of short 'How do I..' guides available from most pages within the site give you practical, step-by-step guidance about a range of topics
• Self-guided online tools such as Safari and Info-rate are also available to support students to develop their skills

Advice and guidance

If you are involved in module production our Library Services for Module Teams intranet site should be your first port of call.

Library Helpdesk staff are available seven days a week to support you with more general enquiries and can be contacted by phone, email or webchat.

Support and guidance is also available for students who would like advice about where to find library resources or how to use them. These include:

• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) which provide clear answers to the most commonly asked questions
• 24/7 access to personal help and advice through the Library Helpdesk

Open Research Online

Open Research Online (ORO) is the OU's open access online repository for its peer-reviewed, published research outputs. OU academic staff and researchers are encouraged to deposit their peer reviewed research publications in ORO.  There are many benefits in doing so:

• Wider access to your research
• Enhanced impact of your work
• Long-term preservation of your publications
• Funding body compliance

Electronic copies of OU awarded theses can also be deposited in ORO.

Using the Library at Walton Hall

If you wish to use the Library at Walton Hall to borrow books, DVDs and videos, or to use the document delivery service, you will first need to join the Library and bring your Library card with you at each visit.