University of Exeter – students and staff
Thanks to a funded partnership agreement with the University of Exeter, we are able to offer a limited number of complimentary memberships for current academic staff and students.
The University of Exeter and the DEI have a close working relationship. The Institution is a small independent library and educational charity and not part of the University, but we enjoy a long-standing and positive partnership. As well as through University membership, students and staff also join us as volunteers, interns, and through special projects and taught modules.
Eligibility
The DEI offers a limited number of complimentary University memberships for current students and serving academic staff. Administrative and Professional Services staff, and honorary or retired academic staff are not eligible for this type of membership.
HOW TO JOIN US
Complimentary University membership is subject to a one-off £15 joining fee. To become a University member of the DEI, you can either pop in and sign up in person, or you can do it online here. (Scroll down and select ‘University membership’, continue to the checkout, and follow the instructions for creating your membership account.)
Once you are on our system and your payment has gone through, you will receive an email from us officially welcoming you to the Institution, with our Welcome Pack attached. Please do take the time to read this, as it contains lots of helpful information about using our building and resources. If you join online, when you visit the DEI for the first time, please make yourself known as a new University member at the front desk, so that we can check your Uni ID.
*IMPORTANT* Renewing your University membership
University membership is renewable before the start of each new academic year, irrespective of when you join. You will receive an email from us in May/June asking you to confirm if you are still eligible and would like to continue with your membership. If you wish to continue as a member, it is important that you reply to this email, otherwise we will assume you have left the University and your details will be removed from our system. If you then subsequently wish to re-join, you will need to re-pay the £15 joining fee.
Making the most of your University membership
If you would like a 15-minute library orientation session (including an introduction to the library catalogue, as well as an overview of the collections and how to access them), please contact [email protected] in advance.
If you would like to make a research appointment to view a collection item, please follow the instructions here. And you can search our catalogue here.
Please note, University members do not have AGM voting rights and are not able to borrow books.
Thank you for your interest in the DEI. We look forward to welcoming you to the Institution.
“The Institution is, to me, an essential learning and studying space that I have been honoured to use since I joined the university. To be able to enter a space filled with beautiful heritage that is calm, quiet and completely free from the distractions of the university campus is a huge privilege. I will never forget the times spent with my fellow students on dark cold evenings in December, where working on essays in such an incredible building becomes a joy rather than a chore.”
English Literature Student, Second Year
“I Will Never Consent” – Enys Tregarthen’s Powerful Padstow Mermaid
Mermaids are woven throughout South-Western folklore, but are rarely considered as "hidden histories" of marginalised figures. In this Book of the Month blog one of our volunteers, Becky Rae, explores Enys Tregarthen's fascinating forgotten tale, "The Legend of Padstow Doombar."
An intricate and arduous undertaking: George Montagu (1753-1815) and his collection of shells
Beautiful, intricate and varied, shells have adorned our clothes, our homes and our objects of art for centuries. From the end of the 17th century, natural scientists began to collect, organise, observe and draw them in earnest. George Montagu’s Testacea Britannica (1803) is one of the most important works of natural history to come out of the Age of Enlightenment – and it has a special significance for Exeter.
Why we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover
In this week's guest blog, Beth Howell reveals the fascinating contents of an unassuming volume of poisonous and noxious plants.