Five reasons why the University’s e-library is better than a traditional library

Posted on: 5 May, 2026

When asked to think of a library, the traditional image of dusty tomes, hushed rooms and towering shelves might spring to mind. At the University of the Built Environment, our library is rather different. As a digital campus, we have an e-library that is always open, always fully stocked, and always updated.

Set up from scratch more than a decade ago by our Head of Library Services, Lucy Roper, the e-library has grown into a specialist resource tailored to the built environment.

Here are five reasons why the University of the Built Environment’s e-library is indispensable.

1. As an online library, the e-library provides 24/7 access to a wealth of resources that support students’ studies.

Flexibility is a necessity for many of our students. They are largely working professionals in demanding roles, snatching windows of study time between commitments.

Here is where the always accessible e-library excels. Lucy said: “It’s a resource that’s open 24–7, a go-to place where they can get any piece of information to support them.

“Our students are quite time poor because they are working full time, so being able to gain access to their library at any time in the day to suit their individual needs is crucial.”

2. Students can explore over 40 essential industry-specific databases and educational resources.

As a specialist university, we can offer a more bespoke offering than larger universities, whose libraries have to cover all subject areas.

“Our collections are pretty special,” Lucy said. “We’ve been able to subscribe to some of these big journal databases and get collections for property and built environment, planning, real estate, construction, now architecture as well.

“We’re constantly evolving because, as our programme offering gets wider, we can then add to our collections.”

Lucy describes one standout resource, the Construction Information Service (CIS), as “a library in itself for our profession”. It brings together books, British Standards, technical guidance and research in one place, all directly relevant to the built environment

Rather than sifting through broad academic databases, students can move straight to the material that underpins their discipline.

3. The Sustainability Library supports students who are thinking about greener practices and future skills.

Lucy said: “Obviously as a University we take sustainability very seriously. But it’s not just talking about sustainability, it’s how it impacts the professions we work in and our lives in general.”

Within the platform, she has ensured students can access a dedicated sustainability hub linking to webinars, books, journal articles and thought-provoking content.

Beyond that, many core databases, including the above-mentioned CIS, include their own sustainability sections, integrating environmental considerations into everyday study.

4. The e-library features tools such as the RefWorks citation manager to make academic work smoother.

The recent integration of RefWorks into the e-library’s discovery service overcomes that time-consuming stumbling block of adding references in the correct style. The tool allows students to collect, organize, and format references as they work, building bibliographies as they conduct their research.

“It’s a citation manager system,” Lucy said. “Students can register and then when they’re locating key information, they can export the reference to their citation manager and start building up reference lists, reading lists, and bibliography to help with their assignments.”

This vital service improves accuracy, supports academic integrity, and frees up time for our busy students.

5. The e-Library continually evolves thanks to analysing library usage data and benchmarking services against others.

Perhaps the most distinctive feature of the e-library is that it is not constricted by walls – it has unlimited growth and thus can be boundless in its up-to-date literature.

From the outset, Lucy approached its development with a clear strategy.

“I set up the library around 14 years ago from scratch as a solo librarian,” she said. “So when I first was given the task I did a lot of benchmarking, which I continue to do.”

Alongside benchmarking, the e-library makes extensive use of analytics. Every search, login, and interaction contributes to a clearer picture of how students study.

“For example, with our discovery service, we can see what the hot topics people are searching on,” Lucy said.

“We can also see what time of day our students are searching, so we could perhaps target webinars to suit the times when our students are studying, so I sometimes do webinars in the evening.”

She added: “We can see even down to how many devices people are using – mobiles tend to be used a lot more, unsurprisingly – but also how people interact with our resources. So it’s understanding when our students are studying, what resources, what topics,
so we can direct them to materials that can help them the most.”

This data has practical consequences as it informs decisions about resource investment and highlights emerging areas of interest.

Behind the scenes, systems such as OpenAthens are also streamlining access, reducing the hassle of multiple logins.

All these factors ensure that our e-library remains at the forefront of library and information services.

Interested in finding out more?

Read about how our online learning model works: Online Learning

Explore the online programmes we offer: Our courses