How can you make the most of Catalyst and all it has to offer? Follow this step-by-step guide below to create the beginning of your very own Catalyst experience.

Step 1: Find your time

At Catalyst you definitely won’t be short for time – the building is open 24/7 during term. This means whether you’re up nice bright and early for the day ahead, or a night owl, Catalyst has you covered. Just bring along your UniCard past 8pm to enter the Catalyst doors.

Step 2: Find your space

Catalyst has no shortage of space. Split into four floors, Catalyst has catered for its various types of students, offering a groupwork space to work collaboratively, quiet study zones and a silent floor for those who prefer no noise at all. With computers based on every floor, and bookable individual or group study rooms, students can find their preferred working space at ease. One hundred laptop loans are offered on the ground floor too, where students can borrow laptops at the swipe of their card and find their perfect study space.

Step 3: Find your resources

Whether you need books, ebooks, journals, online journals or audio-visual resources, Catalyst has your back. With over 200,000 available resources you are spoilt for choice with material to help you with your assignments.

Needing to use an online journal? Edge Hill’s Discover More page locates any materials, both online and in the library, that are available to you, all easily accessible. Use these resources to create your own collection of information.

Step 4: Find your taste

Catalyst are proud to offer you 53.3° Café on the ground floor. With an array of hot and cold drinks and food to be tasted, why don’t you find your favourite bites from the new café?

Step 5: Now enjoy

Now enjoy! You have created your very own library experience where all that Catalyst has to offer is at your fingertips.

Need help?

Catalyst is home to three different services: Library and Learning Services, Student Services and Careers. These three services have been merged into the same building to provide a central point for all students to access the help, support and guidance they may need. Catalyst helpdesk is your first point of call for any queries, no matter how big or small, with any of the services.

We also offer UniSkills workshops for starting or developing your academic writing and 1-1 appointments with Student Advisors to ask about locating library resources, accessing the VLE and referencing.

However you may need it, Catalyst is here to help.

Written by: DYLAN BOOTH

3rd Year Creative Writing Student

Student Advisor for Library & Learning Services

We are running a Study Happy campaign next week (Monday 22^nd October – Friday 26^th October). This campaign is aimed at promoting a happier and healthier study experience for students.

It is well known that one of the most important factors to be successful at University is your health and wellbeing, and sometimes we all need a little bit of a boost 😀. It is important to find a good balance between valuable time for yourself and time for study. This week we will be providing free healthy drinks💧, snacks🍎 and activities. There will be free healthy snacks and water and you can take a well-earned break from your studies by taking part in the following activities: mindful colouring, stay organised with a planner, wordsearches, mindmap revision tips and time management tips. These activities are a great opportunity for you to take a break and have fun, spending time developing new time management and organisational skills. We will also have a Study Happy Book Display on the ground floor of Catalyst, so spend some time seeing what literature is available to help you with your studies.

Come along to Catalyst (11am-4pm) Monday 22^nd October – Friday 26^th October and get involved with Study Happy week.

Happy National Dictionary Day! The day is held in memory of Noah Webster, a founder of the American Dictionary in 1758. Take this day as an opportunity to broaden your knowledge of the English language and the study of the dictionary. There are thousands of obscure and wonderful words you may want to acquaint yourself with.

Some interesting words I found earlier are:

argle-bargle [mass noun]

Copious but meaningless talk or writing; waffle

floccinaucinihilipilification [mass noun]

The action or habit of estimating something as worthless.

hoddy-noddy [noun]

A fool, simpleton, noodle.

opsimath [noun]

a person who begins to learn or study late in life

Why not equip yourself with a dictionary from Catalyst, or go online, and discover new words that could benefit you in your academic assignments or everyday life?

It is never too late to experience the amazing extent of the English language.

Written by: DYLAN BOOTH

3rd Year Creative Writing Student

Student Advisor for Library & Learning Services

We may be biased, but here in Learning Services we absolutely love libraries.

Whether for losing yourself in some fabulous fiction or stretching your academic skills muscles, a great library is a breeding ground for personal development, good mental health and connecting with your university or local community. What’s more, the dawning of the digital age has meant not only have many libraries embraced technology, but some have even re-written the rules and catapulted the sector into the user experience stratosphere (hello, Catalyst!)

In celebration of our commitment to innovation and student happiness, we’re just-finished-a-book delighted to be putting on our arts and craft hats for this year’s Libraries Week. With a national theme of ‘Wellbeing’, here are just a few of the events we have planned…

Take What You Need Tree @ Catalyst Help Desk

All week

We all need a little pick me up now and again. For some its chocolate, for others its spending sprees, and for some, a nice note from a beautiful synthetic tree just hits the spot. Feeling kind? Take a tag and write a supportive or encouraging message for fellow students. We’re feeling fuzzy inside already 🙂

Mindful Colouring @ Catalyst 

All week

There’s no doubt about it, adult colouring is all the rage. Why? Research suggests just 10 minutes a day can boost your mood and help to reduce depression and anxiety. We’ll take 10 crayons, please!

Self Help book display @ Catalyst

All week

Who doesn’t love a good self-help book? With shelves lined with expertise from psychologists and psychotherapists alike, we’ve decided to collate our favourites into a one-stop-shop for feel-good literature. Got a recommendation? Join the conversation on Twitter with #LibrariesWeek.

Book Club Launch @ Oak Room

Monday 8^th October 13:00-14:00

In collaboration with Edge Hill’s Big Read, Monday marks the launch of #CatalystBookClub. Bring your friends and thoughts on Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine and be ready to leave inspired, raring for the next one and perhaps even with a few goodies.

Paper Flowers workshop @ Oak Room

Tuesday 9^th October 12:00-13:00

Whether you’re an avid reader or merely a cereal box browser, everybody has a piece of literature that lingers with them long after it has been read. How cool would it be, then, if you could take your favourite pages and make an origami rose? Back by popular demand, this session will show you how.

Knit a bookmark workshop @ Oak Room

Wednesday 10^th October 13:00-14:00

Nourishing your soul, practicing mindfulness and impressing your grandma are just a few of the benefits of coming along to our knit a bookmark workshop. Aimed at beginners and with all materials provided, we’ll show you step by step how to create an envy-inducing page holder.

The Great Textbook Giveaway @ The Hub

Thursday 11^th October 11:00-2:00

Following the donation of over 800 books as part of our successful Pass the Book scheme, we now have a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction titles seeking a new home. This means you can come along to The Hub and take away your next read **completely free!**

Bullet Journal Workshop @ Oak Room

Friday 12^th October 12:00-13:00

Staying organised is one of the biggest challenges of university life. Providing stationary, templates and #BulletJournal inspiration a plenty, we’ll show you how to set up a fun and creative system that means no essay deadline can ever go amiss.

All workshops are bookable on CareerHub.

Written by Maisie Prior.

Catalyst tours are taking place weekdays from Monday 17th September to Friday 28th September. Tours start at 10am and are taking place every half an hour, with the last tour meeting at 3:30pm.

The tours are being led by our current Student Advisors’ who will show you around Catalyst, giving you the opportunity to see all of the fabulous facilities, learning spaces and student support available!

These tours will give you the opportunity to learn more about:

• The library facilities and learning spaces in Catalyst,
• How to access print and digital resources, including Learning Edge,
• How to access a wide range of support from Learning Services, Student Services and Careers.

All tours also include a virtual tour of Learning Edge, demonstrating how to navigate Learning Edge, the My Library tab, how to conduct searches using the Library Catalogue and Discover More and an introduction to the print and digital resources available.

Tours leave from the ground floor of Catalyst every half hour 10am- 4pm (weekdays) on a drop-in basis (last tour 3:30pm). There is no booking required – just drop in!

For more information please see the following webpage and look at our upcoming events.