Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to complete the Library survey so far. We’ve received lots of positive comments about the services we provide and our Library staff – thank you! As the survey is anonymous we cannot respond personally to your comments; however we would like to provide the following responses to some of the feedback we’ve received so far.

“I am new to the Library as a freshly enrolled MSc postgraduate and my immediate impressions of the Library and its staff are most excellent. My experience is only let down by the remote accessibility of Library services i.e. working from home on my laptop I have a problem in that the system constantly logs me off making me re-authenticate every 5 minutes”

Thank you for bringing this problem to our attention. In collaboration with our colleagues in the IT department we have increased the time-out period to 90 minutes with a pop-up reminder appearing 15 minutes prior to logging you off. If you are still having difficulties please contact us.


“Electronic facilities are very difficult to use to the point that I don't even try anymore. This may be lack of knowledge on my part or it could be the IT system. I have tried the tutorials but don't find them useful. Lunchtime sessions not a lot of use as I am rarely on site.”

Unfortunately we have received a number of comments of this nature. Behind the scenes we are working with our electronic providers to develop more intuitive access to our electronic resources; however this will not be resolved overnight. In the interim we are keen to support you wherever you are. You will find written help guides on our Studying Off Site page, alternatively we can offer training sessions online to groups or individuals. If you are struggling to access something specifically we can remotely link to your desktop and talk you through how to access our resources. If you would like our help and support please contact us.


“Occasionally, when I need to access a paper that is provided through springerlink, it seems that the library often doesn't have a subscription.”

You can check which electronic journals we provide access to through the Main Library Catalogue and the A-Z e-Journal’s list. If you need an article for your studies from a title we do not subscribe to we’ll be more than happy to source this for you through our Inter-Library Loan service. Please see the Inter-Library Loan help guide for more information.


“The service, both at the Shrivenham library itself and via the web, is excellent.  The IT can, however, be intermittent, particularly at the weekends”

We’d like to apologise for the disruption to our IT services over the weekends. This is a result of ongoing electrical works at the Defence Academy which requires power outages affecting our servers.


“I have found that the library staff who work on the front desk are very friendly and helpful. I have found the e-journals library sites to be very useful and easy to search, which is important to me. However, it would be nice to see more electronic copies of previous student dissertations and general books that the library stock, as this makes it much easier for research and reading to be done from home (via the extranet) or a computer room on site.”

Where possible we make digital versions of previous student dissertations available through the Shrivenham Repository, please see our guide on accessing dissertations for more information.

eBooks are still a growing area for the Barrington Library and as more electronic titles are published we intend to develop our collection in line with the needs of our customers. If there is a specific title you would like to recommend please let us know via our Book Suggestion form.


“The staff at the Barrington Library are BRILLIANT.  Whether in person or on the phone they always have time for us and they always go the extra mile to help.  They've emailed instructions, articles, and spent a lot of time making sure we get what we need.
However, there are a few things that would help:
(a) Stop changing the name of the library!  Many of us 'google' to get access and this is hard when it keeps changing (plus we all wonder how much it costs to replace the bookplates!)
(b) Bring back Athens - many of us use Google Scholar because, despite protests otherwise, it is honestly easier and quicker and the searches are more relevant and offer more articles.  Athens worked like a dream.  Most students working remotely now have to do a dual process of finding the article via Google Scholar and then having the work the library system to re-find it.  We know you hate hearing that, but it's the way we all work so...
(c) Please could it always be that the due date for books for those who attend site sporadically is the next time they are due to attend a residential?  It would make life easier for all.
I'm about to leave Shrivenham due to graduation, but it will always have the best library staff I've met.”

Thank you for your feedback, we aim to please! In response to your comments:
(a) Please be assured the name Barrington Library is here to stay.
(b) If you log into the Barrington Digital Library via the off-site access button and then go to Google Scholar it will work as though you’re searching on site. Also, if you change your Scholar Preferences link to Cranfield Library our collection will be highlighted in your search results. Please remember however that Google Scholar does not cover everything and it will not provide you with a comprehensive search.
(c) Please speak to your Information Specialist about this when you’re next on site and we’ll see what we can do.
Good luck with your career and remember the Barrington Library will still be available to you through our Alumni service.


“The withdrawal of EBSCO and other similar online search tools is unhelpful and has made research more difficult.”

We’re sorry if you’ve been having difficulties accessing EBSCO, please be assured we have not cancelled our subscription to it. You can access EBSCO through the Barrington Digital Library. If you are having difficulties accessing any of our resources please contact us, we’ll be happy to help.


“The quiet room is a great idea…”

We’re glad you like it. We intend to keep this room as quiet study from now on following the successful trial.


“Basic items such as past exam papers from current taught causes are not held.”

Past exam papers should be accessible to you through the VLE. If you cannot locate them please speak to your module leader.


“I cannot access a couple of electronic articles only available at APA_PxycNET”

The American Psychological Association titles are not part of our Library collection. If you need an article for your studies we’ll be more than happy to source this for you through our Inter-Library Loan service. Please see the Inter-Library Loan help guide for more information.


“I really would like to have electronic access of all articles (electronic journals) through Cranfield University after I finish my Master's Course.”

The Barrington Library Alumni Service offers access to some electronic articles once you have completed your studies. Please see our Alumni page for more information.


“I find that I do not have access to the electronic journals I need, I am researching topics new to my field but used in other fields such as pharmaceuticals however I cannot access pharma journals.”

You can check which electronic journals we provide access to through the Main Library Catalogue and the A-Z e-Journal’s list. If you need an article for your studies from a title we do not subscribe to we’ll be more than happy to source this for you through our Inter-Library Loan service. Please see the Inter-Library Loan help guide for more information.


“I found the Defence Academy Library and Barrington Library very useful. Staff was friendly and helpful, enabling me to find related research quickly. We were briefly shown how to research topics online, but it was not in enough detail and done too quickly, this is an area that could be improved.”

We are sorry to hear you did not receive sufficient training; we are more than willing to provide additional training. If you and your colleagues would like a refresher session please contact your Information Specialist.

If you would like a personal response to your feedback please submit an enquiry via our Ask a Librarian service.