Most University services will be closed from 5pm on Thursday 21 December, re-opening on Tuesday 2 January. Find out more about the support and services that will be available to you during the holiday period.
Seasonal break University closure dates
For the full schedule of the 2023/24 holiday closure dates, please see the University Seasonal Break Closure dates 2023/24 table.
Student Support Services
Library and Student Centre arrangements for the festive period
Monday 18 December
- Library spaces will be open 9am – 6pm
- Student Centre counters will be open 9am – 6pm
- Student Hub Chat will be open 9am – 8pm
Tuesday 19 December
- Library spaces will be open 9am – 6pm
- Student Centre counters will be open 9am – 1pm (2pm at Cavendish Library)
- Student Hub Chat will be open 9am – 2pm
Wednesday 20 December
- Library spaces will be open 9am – 6pm
- Student Centre counters will be open 10am – 6pm
- Student Hub Chat will be open 9am – 8pm
Thursday 21 December
- Library spaces will be open 9am – 5pm
- Student Centre counters will be open 9am – 5pm
- Student Hub Chat will be open 9am – 8pm
Friday 22 December – Tuesday 26 December
- All Libraries, Student Centre counters and Student Hub Live Chat will be closed
Wednesday 27 December – Monday 1 January
- Marylebone Library will be open from 10am – 8pm. (Please note there will be no staffed service during this time – the Student Centre counter will be closed). See our festive hours page for more information.
- Cavendish and Harrow Libraries and Student Centre counters will be closed during this period and will reopen on Tuesday 2 January 2024.
Online Library and Student Centre support and resources
The Student Hub Live Chat service will operate as normal until 8pm on Thursday 21 December and will reopen at 9am on Tuesday 2 January 2024. The Guide to Library and Archives Services web page includes links to our large collection of electronic resources and academic skills training, all of which can be accessed at any time.
There will be no Inter Library Loan (ILL) service from 5pm on Thursday 21 December to 9am on Tuesday 2 January.
University residences
University residences will operate throughout the closure period with support available via the staffed receptions.
Online learning support and resources
Services and support for Blackboard and other online learning tools will operate as usual until 5pm on Thursday 21 December and will resume from 9am on Tuesday 2 January 2024. Between these dates you can access our online support resources and knowledge bank for advice and guidance.
In addition, there will be 24/7 monitoring of Blackboard during the closure period by our service provider who will address any system issues or outages.
IT Service Desk and Information Systems and Support (ISS) maintenance
The IT Service Support Desk and ISS will operate as normal until 6pm on Thursday 21 December and will resume at 8am on Tuesday 2 January 2024.
Access to University online resources and platforms will still be available as normal during the seasonal break.
Security
During the holiday period, there will be a security presence at all our locations, even though our sites will be closed.
Our maintenance provider will also provide cover over the closure period to respond to any emergency maintenance issues.
For an emergency Estates-related issue only, please call 020 7911 5000 from a mobile or dial extension 5555 from an internal landline. You will be directed to an out of hours operator who will respond to the Estates-related emergency issue.
Waste collections
Please ensure that any perishable waste is removed from University campuses and Halls of Residence. Waste collections will take place less frequently over the winter break.
Careers and Employability Service
The Careers and Employability Service (CES) will close from 4.30pm on Thursday 21 December to 9.30 am on Tuesday 2 January. There will still be some exciting content on the Careers’ social media channels during the seasonal break, focusing on careers, wellbeing and festivities via our CES Instagram. Stay tuned and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and log into Engage for Careers resources, available 24/7. You can also catch up with the career guides and Engage how-to videos, available on demand on the CES YouTube channel.
Students’ Union
Your Students' Union services will be closed from 5pm on Friday 15 December and will re-open on Monday 8 January with usual opening hours. If you have any urgent queries, please email [email protected] and mark it as such in the email subject line. If you require immediate support, drop your UWSU a message on Instagram or Facebook. Please note that during the holiday period, these channels will be intermittently checked by colleagues. For any academic advice, please visit uwsu.com/advice.
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