Finding and borrowing books
Your library card
Your College ID card is also your library card
Our online collections: the Library is bigger than it looks
Borrowing books
How do I borrow a book?
Take the book to a self-service machine and use your College ID card to borrow it - at the Central Library they are on level 1.
Alternatively, take it to a member of staff at any of our service points.
How many books can I borrow?
You can borrow up to 40 items, they'll be issued for 1 week (3 weeks for research postgraduates) and we'll renew them automatically for you.
If someone requests a book you have on loan, we'll ask you to return it and there will be a fine if you're late (50p per day).
What happens if a book isn't on the shelf?
If you can't find the book on the shelf check Library Search - someone else might have it.
Look for information like "checked out" or "on loan until".
To get hold of it you need to Request it. Sign in to Library Search to see the Request link.
If we do not have the book in stock you can ask for it to be borrowed from another library using Document Delivery or suggest that we purchase it.
What if the Library doesn't have the book I need?
If we don't have the book you need, you can:
- ask our Document Delivery to borrow it for you from another Library
or
- ask us to buy it by completing a book suggestion form
These services are free!
How do I know which books I have on loan?
Each week we will send you an email detailing which books you have on loan.
Look out for other emails from Library Services: they will tell you when a book is overdue for return or if someone else has requested it.
You can also see all the books you have by signing in to your account on Library Search.