Study facilities
Goldsmiths has a wide range of facilities that will help you make the most of
your time here, enabling you to develop your understanding of your chosen
subject and investigate areas of interest beyond your studies.
Rutherford Building
The Rutherford Building (RB) at Goldsmiths gives you access on one site to library books, journals, computer workstations, language-learning resources, extensive multimedia and audio-visual facilities, and computer-based teaching rooms.
Long opening hours mean that you can be flexible in terms of when you choose to study. The building stays open until midnight seven days a week during term time and Christmas and Easter vacations.
Library
Our library is well equipped with an extensive collection of printed and electronic resources, as well as special collections and archives covering a range of 20th-century creative and performing arts, and social sciences. 
You can take a virtual tour of the library online. These web pages also provide a comprehensive guide to the services and collections available to you, and act as a pathway to a range of useful resources such as online newspapers, electronic exam papers, and digital images. You’ll be given a library tour and information skills training when you arrive at Goldsmiths.
University of London Library and other libraries
As a Goldsmiths degree student you’re able to borrow books from the University of London Library, Senate House. Senate House Library is a large research library covering arts, humanities and social sciences, and is a great supplement to the facilities at Goldsmiths, housing around two million books, as well as electronic resources. As a University of London student you will also be able to use the libraries of other UoL institutions to consult specialised materials not available in the library at Goldsmiths. See www.ull.ac.uk.
IT facilities
Computing facilities
Computer workstations within the RB comprise a mixture of PCs and Apple Macs. In addition to Microsoft Office, PCs have software for statistical analysis, bibliography, graphics and web authoring, while Mac systems have similar software but with more emphasis on industry-standard graphics, desktop publishing, and multimedia. All computers have e-mail facilities, and provide access to the internet, and to central shared resources such as course and training materials. We also have scanners, specialist equipment for video editing, and rooms for computer-based class teaching. Help Desk staff are available to answer any queries you have.
The wireless network at Goldsmiths will enable you to bring your own laptop onto campus and benefit from access to the web, your College shared files, and e-mail. There are dozens of wireless hotspots across the campus, including the Library, the Students’ Union and Refectory, and on the back field. (Three halls of residence provide network access from student rooms, while a further two have access from communal areas.)
As a Goldsmiths student you’ll have access to many online facilities. Our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), learn.gold, is a highly interactive website where lecturers can provide students with course materials, practice assessments, and learner support. Students can also start their own website, wiki or blog.
See IT Services for the full range of facilities offered.
Media facilities
The Media Services Centre in the RB provides materials, facilities, support and services to help you with all your media requirements from video to audio, and from photography to photocopying. If you need assistance when preparing for a project in a particular audio-visual medium then it’s the place to come. The Centre offers various do-it-yourself creative and production facilities including digital video editing (adding special effects, titles, and so on), video copying, making stills from videos, downloading digital stills, copying images from books or artwork to digital camera or 35mm slide or print, and sound copying and recording.
Computers in the RB can print to monochrome and colour printers, and a Copy Centre provides self-service photocopying, and binding and laminating facilities. A new videoconferencing service offers high definition face-to-face communication linking up to three remote sites for distance learning and collaborative work.
There's a Media Equipment Centre in the Richard Hoggart Building which provides an equipment loan service. Students can borrow equipment including video camcorders, digital and 35mm cameras, cassette recorders, and projectors.
Language-learning facilities
Whether you’re interested in learning a new language, studying a language as part of your degree, or keen to build on existing language skills, the Languages Resource Centre in the RB can help you achieve your goals. Facilities include bookable video viewing rooms, computers with software for computer assisted language learning, listening facilities, a large open access area where you can view video broadcasts, and foreign language periodicals. A comprehensive collection of foreign language documentaries and feature films will aid your progression in this area, and staff at the Language Advisory Desk can guide you through the materials available.
The stunning new Ben Pimlott Building - with its signature 'scribble in the sky' - has state-of-the-art facilities that reflect Goldsmiths’ famous interdisciplinary approach to higher education. It houses studios and teaching facilities for the Department of Art, and through the Goldsmiths Digital Studios provides opportunities to study the interrelation between the fields of visual arts practice, design, computing, media and cultural theory. The Centre for Cognition, Computation and Culture is based in the building, enabling students to fuse together research on the scientific and cultural aspects of human cognition. [ find out more ]
Departmental facilities
Many of the academic departments within Goldsmiths have special facilities designed to aid and enhance the learning experience of their students. These facilities include: nine specialist research laboratories in the Department of Art (casting; constructed textiles, digital media and video; fine art printmaking; metalwork; photography; print and dye; stitch and fabric; woodwork); extensive workshop facilities covering production processes, modelling for mass production, and a computing suite enabling 2D and 3D media, multimedia and CAD in Design; a 160-seat theatre and three performance studios in the Department of Drama; and a photography studio, radio studio, TV studio, editing suites and video animation facilities in Media and Communications.