Library resources to inspire your studies or help you recharge this exam season

We know exam season is stressful, and keeping up your energy and motivation can be tough. Finding the balance between studying and switching off isn’t always easy but stepping away from your desk now and then can make all the difference.

To help you do this, we’ve pulled together a list of resources to help you relax, reset and feel inspired as you work your way through the next few weeks.

Jump straight to what you need: 

• Relax
• Get inspired
• Revision tools

Resources to help you relax

Where to enjoy your next study break

It can feel like you don’t have time for breaks during exam season but giving your brain a chance to rest is important. Luckily, there are plenty of things to do in or near UCL’s libraries to help you reset.

• If you’re after something mindful, there are community jigsaws, origami materials, colouring resources and community games available in lots of the libraries across UCL campus.
• If you’re studying in or near the Main Library, pop down to the Octagon Gallery to see the objects on show as part of the UCL200 exhibition, including Hugo the gorilla and a rocket nose cone! And if you need some inspiration, be sure to check out some of the Faces of UCL in the Wilkins Building and the Japanese Garden and learn about the achievements of staff and students who came before you.
• It’s also free to visit UCL’s museums. The Grant Museum and the Petrie Museum are open Tuesday-Saturday, and the Art Museum will be reopening on Wednesday afternoons from mid-May. On your next study break you could see some of the oldest religious texts in the world or take a look at one of only seven known quagga (a now extinct type of zebra) skeletons in the world! Check opening times online before planning your visit.
• Or if fresh air is what you need you can use Nearby nature to find green spaces in and around the UCL campus. Remember, UCL researchers have found that spending time in nature boosts wellbeing and improves mental health!

Book to attend a wellbeing event

Join the Grant or Petrie Museum at a relaxed, intergenerational workshop or head to the Object Based Learning Laboratory on a Wednesday afternoon for a free talk.

• Head to the Petrie Museum to make a lavender bag, traditionally used to help sleep.
• Get hands on at the Grant Museum’s Collage Club workshops.
• Learn about the value of object based learning at "I Object Wednesdays".

Find a book to read for pleasure

Reading, not for your studies, but your own enjoyment, has a multitude of benefits. It can lower stress levels, help you sleep better, and boost feelings of social connection. There are plenty of places on campus that you can pick up a new book, so why not try making some time to read this exam season:

• The Main Library has a fantastic range of fiction, art and design books, which you can borrow from any UCL Library via the Click and Collect service. Check out our latest book recommendations if you need some inspiration for what to pick!
• Several libraries have fiction and wellbeing collections which you can browse during your study breaks.
• Book swaps are a great way to declutter your shelves and find brilliant new reads. Keep an eye on the UCL Libraries Instagram account to find out which UCL libraries are hosting book swaps.
• We also recommend joining your local public library. Anyone can join Camden and Islington libraries, while Westminster accepts anyone with a permanent UK address.

E-books and digital collections

Even if you’re not on campus, you can access a huge range of literature online.  

• UCL Press – the world’s first fully open access university press has published 443 books which have been accessed over 13 million times.
• Digital Collections - many important items from our world-renowned Special Collections have been digitised, including medieval manuscripts, archives from the Slade School of Art, and items of international importance from our Jewish Collections.
• Literature online (LION) - access more than 350,000 works spanning a huge array of authors, from Jane Austen to Toni Morrison.
• Oxford World's Classics - read over 450 great novels and other books spanning from the medieval period to the 20th century.

Resources to inspire you

If you’re ready to get back to your studies we’ve got plenty of resources to help you get excited about your academic interests.

Magazines

Reading contemporary journalism is a great way to discover new perspectives, while magazine and newspaper archives are a rich resource for looking at social history.

• Newspapers – access thousands of current newspapers from around the world, as well as historical materials from leading publications such as the Financial Times, the Telegraph, and the Guardian, and the British Library newspaper archive.
• National Geographic – Read about interesting people, places, customs, activities and nature in the latest editions of the magazine, and archival copies spanning back to 1977.  
• Vogue – We have every issue of Vogue from 1892, a brilliant resource for social history! 
• New Scientist – Keep abreast of science and technology news from around the world. 
• If you’re looking to explore outside of the mainstream, UCL Special Collections Small Press Collection consists of underground newspapers with a political and countercultural emphasis, non-commercial periodicals, and avant-garde writing and visual work.
• We also have access to The New Yorker, Forbes, London Review of Books and much more…

Films

UCL subscribes to several audio-visual databases which provide a rich selection of films and TV shows to support your studies.

• Kanopy – there is truly something for everybody on Kanopy, whether you want to watch a 90s rom com, a Hollywood classic or a critically acclaimed documentary.
• British Film Institute (BFI) Online (only available from the UK) - hundreds of exceptional films handpicked by the BFI and made available to UCL students and staff for academic purposes only – including new, cult and classic films.
• Bloomsbury Video Library: Arts and Humanities Collection – filmed performances and documentaries covering dance, music, visual arts, and film, as well as interviews with renowned art practitioners.
• Drama Online - get access to a vast array of theatre productions representing the work of more than 2,000 playwrights.
• World Cinema Collection: Films on Demand – watch films from around the world, from the silent era to present day, plus interviews and commentary from filmmakers.

Check the Databases: Audio-visual page for a full list of databases containing films, TV shows and theatre performances to support academic research or study.

Resources for assessments from Library Services

• Past Exam Papers - electronic copies of past exam papers at UCL. 
• Support for Dissertations and Research Projects - a guide to resources and support for undertaking dissertations or research projects. 
• Library subject guides - a helpful starting point for identifying library collections and resources to support your discipline of study. 
• LibrarySkills@UCL - develop your library and information literacy skills and make the best use of UCL’s libraries and resources.