Library Support Assistant

Our Library Support Assistants are practitioners who provide support for disabled students in using the Library services. 

Role of a Library Support Assistant

Frequently Asked Questions

Library Assistant support is not usually provided through the Disabled Students Allowance (DSA). Library Support Assistants are recommended by your Disability Advisor and funded by the University of Derby. 

Contact your Disability Advisor for Disability Support

If you have been recommended a Library Support Assistant, please contact the Student Support team on nmh@derby.ac.uk

If you require Library Support for your first weeks of university, please ensure you meet your Disability Advisor prior to starting university. Your Disability Advisor will put in a recommendation for a Library Support Assistant. 

Please email the Student Support team on nmh@derby.ac.uk to share your availability for this support as early as possible.

 

Organising my support

  1.  Please contact the Student Support team on nmh@derby.ac.uk to be allocated a Library Support Assistant, either by the University of Derby, Cosmic People or Randstad.  
  2. One of the team will get in touch to ask you some follow up questions about your support preferences. 
  3. You will be provided with the name and photograph of your Library Support Assistant.

In the first instance, please speak to your Library Support Assistant to discuss the meeting location and use of your library support hours. Your feedback is important to ensure the support is right for you. 

The Student Support team will contact you in your first and second semester to ensure your support is satisfactory. However, please do not hesitate to contact the Student Support team throughout the semester if you need any further support or make any changes.

After my session

Support sessions provided by the University of Derby are recorded using a platform called Connect. You will receive a weekly email to your Unimail account from Connect asking you to confirm whether your session took place or not. This allows the Student Support team to keep track of how many hours of support you have used. 

If you do not confirm your support, we will ask your Library Support Assistant to confirm your sessions on a paper timesheet. 

To confirm that your sessions either took place or not, please log on to your Connect platform

No, the University of Derby will fund a Library Support Assistant, if recommended by your Disability Advisor. The only responsibility you have is to confirm your sessions using the Connect system. 

Please email the Student Support team on nmh@derby.ac.uk who will send you a link to reset your password on Connect.  

Making changes to my support

Contact the Student Support team at the University of Derby on nmh@derby.ac.uk or 07860097674 (text only)

If you support has been provided by Cosmic People contact them on support@cosmic.co.uk or 01283716333 

If you support has been provided by Randstad contact them on StudentSupportCentral@randstad.co.uk or 01612478800

Please note your Library Support Assistant will claim for a booked session even if it lasts for a shorter time and any session that is cancelled with less than 24 hours' notice. 

If you run out of your University funded hours, you can discuss your ongoing support needs with your Disability Advisor. Your Disability Advisor can process a request for additional funded hours. 

Please contact the Student Support team on nmh@derby.ac.uk if you need to check how many hours you have used in the academic year.

Please contact the Student Support team if you need to make a change to your Library Support Assistant support. Be as open and honest as you possibly can to ensure we get the support right for you. 

Please note that support may need to continue with your current Library Support Assistant for a short period whilst we find a replacement.