Accessibility and Welfare

Accessibility and Welfare

The Disability Resource Centre

The Accessibility and Disability Resource Centre provides confidential information and help for students with disabilities and accessibility requirements. You can choose to disclose a disability to the University via a Student Support Document in order to apply for reasonable adjustments to academic work, to access assistive technology, and for further support. This can be done at any point during your time in Cambridge including before you arrive.

Magdalene Library Services

Equipment

The College Library has a growing range of equipment for all students to use in the Library including book stands, laptop stands, laptop docking stations, writing slopes, blankets, and ear plugs in Easter term, all kept on the ground floor. A standing desk converter is on the ground floor desk by the bathrooms. Please let us know if there is equipment you require or which would be particularly helpful.

Click and collect

A Click and Collect service for any item is available to students who have disclosed a Student Support Document to the College Library. Please use our form to select the items you wish to borrow and these will be fetched by Library staff and left for you to collect from the ground floor. 

All students can use Click and Collect for items with the location 'Reserve Collection'. 

Individual Bookable desks

Three bookable desks (one per floor) are available to students who have disclosed a Student Support Document to the Library. These are available during weekdays for a morning, afternoon and evening slot and you can book consecutive slots. Booking opens one week beforehand for the following week.

  • You can check availability and make a booking on the Cambridge Libraries Calendar.
  • You can arrive at any point during the timeslot.
  • These desks are available to any student while they are not booked, a sign on them will indicate when they are booked.
  • Please note: the Ground floor desk is a standing desk converter.  

Magdalene Library Collections

The collections listed below are on the ground floor. If you’d like to suggest an item for purchase for these collections, you can use our Recommending Items Form.

Welfare and Wellbeing

Books on a range of topics to promote and support health and wellbeing. Browse the Welfare Collection in iDiscover.

Study Skills

Books to help develop academic skills such as research, writing style, referencing, critical thinking, exams etc. Browse the Study Skills Collection in iDiscover.

Board Games

There is a growing selection of board games which can be borrowed on a short (4 day) loan. Not for playing in the Library please! Browse the Board Game Collection in iDiscover.

University Library Services

Cambridge University Libraries Training - A calendar showing the various research skills sessions available, including sessions for postgraduates, Phd and Mphil students. 

Documentary Delivery Services - The homepage for a range of services including scan and deliver, inter-library loans and e-legal deposit.

UL Click and Collect - Postgraduates, and undergraduates who have disclosed a student support document, can use the University Library’s Click and Collect service to request 5 items. 

Ebooks Libguide - Information about how to request and access ebooks, e-resources, and alternative formats. 

Cambridge Libraries Accessibility Libguide - Provides information about accessibility and libraries including spaces, equipment, alternative formats and the University wellbeing ebook collection.

Acoustic booths - Booking link for the individual soundproof booths in the UL and Faculty Libraries. 

Sensus Access - A free resource which converts PDFs, JPEGs and other files into an e-book, text file, audio or braille.

Useful Resources

AccessAble - Provides accessibility guides for locations and venues across the UK.

Diversity and Ability - Pulls together useful resources, programs, tools and guides.

Flora App - A time management app to help with distractions. Block apps and notifications while you grow a virtual tree on your phone, build up a forest and unlock new trees as you focus! 

Open University Study Skills - Provides guidance and resources to support academic and life skills.

NaturalReader - A free text to speech conversion tool.

Study Skills: Reading on Screen - A LibGuide providing help and tips on managing screen reading and reducing fatigue.