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The Library offers all the usual facilities for students to borrow books and consult other materials. These include 2,400 periodical titles to which the Library subscribes, covering all the major publications in the academic areas in which the University specializes.
There is a sophisticated information retrieval system which includes a database of information about theses and dissertations written by Bradford students. Naturally, access to CD-ROM and on-line databases is provided.
The Library has a number of specialist collections. We have been designated as a European Documentation Centre, so our collection of the official publications of the European Community is almost complete. We house the Library of the Commonweal Trust, which is devoted to works on non-violent action and the peace movement. There are also important collections on the history of pharmacy, and dyeing.
No modern library can be comprehensive, and in the course of your studies you may well have to consult materials that we ourselves do not hold. Through our inter-library loans scheme you can have access to all major collections in the UK, and many overseas.
The Library is a crucial resource in the success of academic work in all disciplines. The Librarian and the Library staff are anxious that all students are able to use the Library to the best advantage. They are always available to answer your queries, and help if you have difficulties in obtaining books or information.
The Computer Centre is currently installing a number of powerful UNIX-based servers and workstations which offer a wide range of programming languages and software packages. The new facility comprises a number of workstation clusters, powerful central computing facilities, a large central filestore with archiving facilities, and general-purpose systems for dealing with database access and electronic mail.
Also available within the Centre are three rooms equipped with IBM PC compatible microcomputers, and one room with Apple Macintosh microcomputers, which can be used at any time of the day or night except when booked for class use. Additional public access PC clusters are situated in the Richmond Building, the Phoenix complex and the Library.
An extensive campus network has been installed as part of a major computerization project which started in 1989. Central computing equipment and PCs in the Computer Centre are linked to this network, which can provide access to the supercomputers at Manchester Computer Centre and the Science and Engineering Research Council at Rutherford. Computers in the J B Priestley Library and certain departments are also connected to the network. Many rooms across the campus are already wired in to the campus network, and the remainder should be connected during 1991.
The Computer Centre offers a large range of computer-related courses and documentation, covering everything from the most basic wordprocessing to advanced graphics usage. A HELP desk service is available to assist all users.
As part of the computerization project, you can also arrange to purchase your own personal computer system at very advantageous rates, and obtain a wide range of free software for it. The Computer Reception Desk has details of prices and a list of site-licensed PC software.
We suggest you write to the Accommodation Office as soon as you have been accepted for a place at Bradford. In your letter you should state your requirements and preferences. If you require an application form for University accommodation, you should write to the Senior Warden. If your prospective department has already sent you a form, you should complete it and send it to him.
University accommodation is available either in traditional Halls of Residence, where many meals are provided as part of the fee, or in rooms in self-catering blocks. However, the number of places for postgraduate students is limited. In allocating the space available, we give preference to new students from outside the European Community who are following taught courses.
There is a large amount of privately-owned accommodation available to rent, much of it very close to the University.
We will be able to supply lists of suitable addresses, and help in other, more practical ways. For example, if you are able to come to Bradford a little before you begin your studies, we can provide a temporary room while you look for something permanent. We can then advise on the various types of lease, tenancy and contractual agreements into which you will have to enter. Full details of all these facilities and arrangements will be sent to you if you write to the Accommodation Office, or if you have applied for a place in University accommodation but have not been given one.
Finding suitable accommodation when moving to a new place is always a worry, especially if you are coming from abroad. We believe that this process is easier in Bradford than in other university cities in the UK, and the staff in the Accommodation Office will do their best to ensure that this is so.
Whichever you choose, the services provided by the University doctors and the Medical Centre will be available to you free of charge. The Centre is close to the Halls of Residence, and has full-time nursing staff as well as the services of three doctors. It has a well-equipped Sick Bay with eight bedrooms for students who need nursing care but not hospital treatment.
Consultations and treatment are strictly confidential, and nothing is disclosed to any other member of the University without your permission. But with your agreement, the doctors can work closely with academic staff and the Counselling Service to ensure your studies do not suffer as a result of any health problem.
Counsellors are trained to deal with all the problems likely to be encountered by students: legal, practical, financial or emotional. They may call upon specialized professionals if necessary.
The University has also appointed two advisers to overseas students, who specialize in the sorts of questions you may have if you come to study from abroad. They will try to contact you on arrival (if not before) to help you settle in. (See also page 105.)
We would especially encourage you to join student clubs and societies. This will help you make new friends and speed your integration into university life at Bradford. There is no shortage of things to do.
There is a 25-metre swimming pool, a 15-metre climbing wall, and a weights training room. Elsewhere on campus, or nearby, there are tennis courts, and football, cricket and rugby pitches.
The Athletics Association (part of the Students' Union) oversees the activities of about 50 clubs, each dedicated to the promotion of a particular sport. You can join one or more of these (and there are few better ways to make friends), or merely make use of the facilities on a casual basis. In either case, you will be able to participate in your favourite sport at nominal cost.
The University's Theatre in the Mill features the work of the student theatre group, and also provides a base for touring professional shows. The University orchestra and choir give concerts in the University and in the City Cathedral. The University Gallery has regular exhibitions by local and national artists; the famous and the upcoming.
Our music and theatre programmes give you the opportunity to participate directly (acting, directing, singing, playing, dancing, or working backstage, on light or sound) or merely to enjoy the finished product.
The Students' Union is also responsible for funding over 50 other student societies. These range from the national, religious or political, through the departmental and special interest, to the purely recreational. These clubs and societies are an excellent basis for getting to know other students with similar interests.
The Students' Union also organizes entertainments. These range from the grandeur of the Charter Ball to the informality of the Friday Night Disco, and include regular gigs and concerts by leading bands.
One particularly refreshing aspect of student life at Bradford is the extent to which it is integrated into the local community. Young people from the city can and do freely join student clubs, participate in many sporting and cultural activities, drink in the Union bars and come to student discos.