Library Ergonomic Equipment and Assistive Technology

The Social Science Library has a range of ergonomic equipment, furniture and assistive technology, designed to help you work more comfortably and efficiently in our library.

Let’s take a look at what we have on offer:

Furniture

The library has 7 height-adjustable desks (5 electronic, 2 manual).

A height adjustable desk in the open plan seating area in the SSL, facing the window.

Two are located in our open plan reading room area which you can reach by going around the corner from our Issue Desk and then turning right to go past the rows of bookshelves. They have recently been moved to face the windows, following reader feedback.

A height adjustable desk in the Silent Study Room in the SSL, facing the window.

Two are located in our Silent Study Room. One has recently been moved to face the windows, following reader feedback.

A height adjustable desk in the Quiet Study Room in the SSL.

One is located in our Quiet Study Room.

Two height adjustable desks behind the PC area in the SSL.

Two are located behind our main computer area and have computers on them.

An ergonomic chair in the Social Science Library

Standard adjustable chairs are available in our two Study Rooms and at desks equipped with PCs. Library staff are happy to fetch or move these on request for you. We also have ten ergonomic chairs available for your use, one of these is pictured above.

Assistive Equipment

The DaVinci Pro’ CCTV/OCR magnifier on a desk in the Social Science Library

The library has a ‘DaVinci Pro’ CCTV/OCR magnifier, which is kept in the south-west area of the library, near the microfilm reader and microfiche reader. This device can display high-definition enlarged images which can be of benefit to readers with low vision. It also has an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) mode which can take snapshots of written text and convert them to audio speech. Please ask library staff for assistance and guidance with the device. A full instruction manual can be obtained from the Issue Desk, and there is a video introducing the device’s main features.

A member of SSL staff sat at the SSL Issue Desk. On the front of the desk is a hearing loop sign.

A hearing induction loop is fitted in the middle of the issue desk, the position indicated by a sticker on the front of the desk.

A group photo of the SSL book rests, coloured acetate sheets, magnifier, Lumie desk lamp, desk lamp, ergnomic keyboard and light touch keyboard.

The following equipment is available to borrow from the issue desk for use in the library:

  • book rests
  • coloured acetate overlay sheets (red, green, orange, blue, yellow, rose & aqua)
  • desk lamps (including 2 Lumie daylight lamps)
  • ergonomic keyboard (recommended for readers with conditions such as RSI)
  • headphones
  • magnifiers (suspended hands-free)
  • slim ‘light touch’ keyboard

Ask Issue Desk if you would like help with locating or using any of these items. Also see our web page on the ‘Social Science Library for Disabled Readers.’

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