University of Cambridge, AccessAble guides
The University of Cambridge has chosen to work in collaboration with AccessAble to provide information on Accessibility and the University estate for students, staff and the general public.
- AccessAble guide for The University Library, West Road building
- Use the search function within the main University of Cambridge AccessAble guide to find access information for libraries within University Departments, Faculties, Research Centres, Institutes, Museums and other facilities
- Alternatively, search the guide by University Site (see a list of University sites)
Good to know
- Induction hearing loops have been installed at most service points
- Most public areas of the Library are on floors 1-6. From the main entrance on the Ground Floor there is a flight of steps to reach the First Floor. A staff-operated lift is available if needed.
- Most reading rooms and the Tea Room are spacious and have movable furniture
- Some corridors and gangways in the open bookstacks on the north and south fronts and wings are narrow and occupied by reading tables and chairs. There are also some tight corners. Please contact us in advance (disability@lib.cam.ac.uk), or ask any member of staff when you are in the building, if such areas would be inaccessible and books can be fetched for collection.
Assistance animals
The University Library welcomes service animals such as guide dogs. If you are planning to use the Rare Books (rarebooks@lib.cam.ac.uk) or Manuscripts (mss@lib.cam.ac.uk) Reading Rooms please try to email in advance to ensure that staff will be available to assist you.
Requests to bring an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) into the University Library will be considered on a case by case basis. Decisions to allow (or not to allow) an ESA into the University Library will take into account relevant factors, such as the reasons for the request and supporting medical evidence, the health, safety and welfare of members of and visitors to the University Library, arrangements to ensure the health, safety and welfare of the ESA and of other animals, adequacy of training, insurance arrangements, the cost implications of any agreed arrangements and Special Collections use and any other relevant considerations.
Lifts
Large lifts in the north-west and south-west corners of the building give access to the ground and first to fourth floors.
Most reading rooms and the IT Training Room, the Tea Room, the SafePod, the Assistive Technologies Room and the South Wing Study Hub, either open off the landings served by these lifts or can be reached from them via wide corridors.
The following lifts are small (approximate internal dimensions 110 cm. long, 83 cm. wide; doorway 64 cm. wide) and have heavy doors:
- Lifts in the north-east and south-east corners
- These lifts give access to the ground and first to sixth floors of the north wing/north front; first and third to sixth floors of the south wing and first to sixth floors of the south front
- Lifts within the north and south fronts
- These give access to the first to sixth floors of the north and south fronts
- Lifts within the north and south wings
- These give access to the ground to sixth floors of the north wing and first and third to sixth floors of the south wing
Milstein Exhibition Centre and Seminar Rooms
The Milstein Exhibition Centre has a ground floor entrance to the right of the main steps/entrance. Readers should ring the doorbell, and may have to wait briefly for staff to open the door.
The Milstein Seminar Rooms can be accessed through the Exhibition Centre, or through an internal route. Readers wishing to reach the Seminar Rooms are advised to contact staff in advance for advice on the best entrance to use.
Full details about accessing these spaces can be found on our Public Exhibitions and Event Visitors page.
Toilets
There are toilets for disabled readers:
- On the gallery above the Entrance Hall
- On the first floor on the landings in the north-west (outside the Rare Books Reading Room) and south-west corners of the building
- On the third floor on the landings in the north-west (outside the Manuscripts Reading Room) and south-west corners of the building
- In the Milstein Exhibition Centre
Most of the toilets have hand dryers, and some are very noisy. The dryers in the toilets on the first floor landings (near the Alpha and Beta lifts) have been switched off and replaced with paper towel dispensers.
