Ask questions and get help

Getting help from Libraries & Museums

We provide a central point for answering questions, offering support, and connecting users with the most appropriate teams to resolve their enquiries effectively.

• What we will do
• How this will be delivered

What we will do:

We will support staff, students, and members of the public by providing accessible help and guidance for them to make best use Libraries and Museums services. We will monitor all enquiry channels to ensure a consistent experience, keeping users informed of any delays. We will offer clear and timely responses to enquiries, helping users connect with the right people and/or resources.

How this will be delivered:

• We will communicate through the user’s preferred channel and ensure the query is fully resolved before closing the ticket/email.
• We will respond to enquiries in person and by phone to the Main Library within 3 minutes during Main Library Help Desk operational hours.
• We will respond to LibChat messages within 3 minutes during operational hours.
• We will reply to emails sent to library@st-andrews.ac.uk, unicolls@st-andrews.ac.uk and museumenquiries@st-andrews.ac.uk within 24 hours (Monday to Friday, excluding holidays).
• We will either resolve enquiries immediately or confirm referral to the appropriate team, with a further response within 3 working days. If a query will take longer than 3 days to resolve, we will inform the user and provide updates as needed.
• We will refer specialist or collection-based enquiries to the relevant team, who will dedicate up to one hour of research time and inform the user of any extended timelines.
• We will respond via the user’s preferred contact method however University email addresses are encouraged for speed and security.
• We will record enquiry data from LibChat and LibAnswers to support service improvements and staff training.