Orchard Learning Resource Centre

The Orchard Learning Resource Centre is situated on our Selly Oak Campus, approximately one mile from the main campus in Edgbaston along the Bristol Road.  

During term-time students can access free travel between both sites using National West Midlands buses.  The codes for travel are available from the reception desk at the Orchard Learning Resource Centre only.

Study spaces

The OLRC has a total of 488 study spaces. This includes over 368 traditional desks (including seven individual study rooms) and 65 PCs.

Study rooms

The OLRC has seven individual study rooms for single occupancy. These rooms can be found on the upper floors, please ask staff if you require assistance in locating them. 

Please be aware that these study rooms are not soundproof so you will need to bring headphones to listen to seminars or online calls. 

Computers

There are computer clusters in each of the three halls on the first floor of the main building. You will need your ADF username and password to use these computers. 

Wireless network 

Wireless access is available throughout the library. 

Photocopying and printing

There are Multifunctional Devices (MFDs) on the ground and first floors of the library. These will allow you to print, photocopy and scan to University email addresses. 

Our managed print system allows you to collect your printing from any of our MFDs and to print from your own laptop or mobile device.  See our main printing, photocopying and scanning page for more information.

 

OLRC holds over 100,000 items, encompassing religious studies, social sciences and humanities. 

Loanable material is on the first floor, in the Religion and Society Hall and the Humanities Hall.

Availability of materials

Some reference material is housed in closed access stacks and is available for library use only. Material from the stacks has to be collected by library staff, and may not be immediately available. Visitors are advised to contact the library in advance to check on the availability of material.

The Mingana collection of Syriac and Arabic manuscripts, plus the Harold Turner collection of documents on the subject of African Initiated Churches, were previously housed in the OLRC. They are now located in the Cadbury Research Library. 

The Baykov Collection, European Documentation Collection, German Documentation Collection, Arabic Collection, and Oriental Collection are now located in the Main Library.

Posters and maps from the Baykov Collection are located in the Cadbury Research Library. OLRC is also home to part of the Eton Myers Collection.

All libraries and resource centres offer the following services:

• Book fetching  
• Stock transfer 
• Assistive software on all PCs

N.B. These services are available in the Orchard Learning Resources Centre (OLRC) at all times when the Centre is open.

Facilities and access

 

• Accessible toilets 
• Parking for people with disabilities 
• Quiet/Silent Study area 
• Wheelchair Access

Additional information

• For general information please see the Disability and Learning Support Service website which includes information for both students with disabilities and their Admissions Tutors.
• Edgbaston Campus mobility map (PDF - 373KB)  showing access to buildings and the location of disabled toilets on the Campus.