Borrowing
All students, academic staff and support staff are able to borrow items from the library.
How do I get a library card?
Your university I.D. card is also your library card and it will be issued to you when you enroll at the start of your course or at the beginning of your employment with us. You will need to have your university I.D. with you if you wish to borrow any items from the library. If at any time your card is lost or stolen you will need to contact Registry to arrange for a new card to be issued to you.
How long can I borrow an item for?
Items in the library have different loan periods depending on how much demand there is for the item. The loan categories are 4-week loan, 7-day loan, 24-hour loan, 4-hour loan and reference.
The 24-hour loan items are due back before the library closes the following day. No exceptions can be made to this.
4-hour loan items are kept behind the library counter and will be issued to you for reference use only within the library. A dummy book is kept on the main library shelves in its place. This dummy book must be brought to the issue desk to exchange for the 4-hour loan copies.
Reference items are for use in the library only.
How many items can I borrow?
Students may borrow:
15 x 4-week loans
5 x 7-day loans
4 x 24-hour loans or 4-hour loans
Staff may borrow:
25 x 4-week loans
5 x 7-day loans
4 x 24-hour loans or 4-hour loans
How can I check my library account?
You can check your library account at any time online. Access our library catalogue through the website, select 'my account' from the tab menu at the top of the page and enter your borrower number (this is the number on the reverse of your card below the barcode, omitting any dashes). This will take you to your account and will display what items you currently have on loan, when these items are due for return and any outstanding fines that you may have.
How can I renew my items?
You can renew any 4-week loan or 7-day loan item as long as it has not been reserved by another user. To renew an item, log in to your library account and check the boxes alongside the item(s) you wish to renew. Select the renew button at the bottom of the page and wait for the confirmation page to load. If another user has reserved your item(s) it will not be renewed. If your items do not automatically renew through your account as requested, please contact the library either by phone or by email. If your books are not renewed or returned before the due date you may incur charges.
Please note that 24 hour loans and 4 hour loans cannot be renewed under any circumstances. Failure to return these high demand items will result in fines being incurred.
How can I reserve items?
Any 4-week loan or 7-day loan item can be reserved if all available copies are currently on loan. To reserve an item, log in to your library account on the catalogue, search for the item and select 'request' on the item's record. You will be taken to a reservation page. Input a 'last useful' date (e.g. your assignment deadline) and click request. If you are not automatically taken to a confirmation page please contact the library either by phone or by email.
Please note that you can only place a reservation on 4-week loan and 7-day loan items. You can only reserve an item if all available 4-week loan and 7-day loan copies are currently unavailable.
Why are my items being recalled?
If the items that you have borrowed are reserved by another user the items will be recalled from you. You will receive email notification of which items are being recalled and you will not be able to renew the item for any longer than the original due date. Please return the item to us as soon as you have finished with it so that it may be passed on to the next user.
Lost, damaged or stolen items
When items are issued to you, you are accepting responsibility for them. If any items are lost, stolen or damaged whilst they are issued to you you will be libale for the cost of replacement. For these reasons we strongly advise against borrowing items on behalf of others.