Borrowing, renewing and returning

How many items can I borrow?

Students and staff can borrow the following number of items from our libraries:

In addition to the above, if you are a current teaching practice student you can borrow up to 20 items for use in the classroom from the Teaching Practice Collection located at our Mary Seacole Library.

For information about borrowing a laptop please visit our IT Support page.

How long can I borrow items for?

Items can be borrowed for the following periods of time:

Please visit the Renewing tab for more information regarding our auto renewals.

How do I borrow items?

You can borrow items at our self-service kiosks using your ID card.

Alternatively you can reserve items for collection if they are out on loan or located at another campus. When your reserved items are available for collection we will notify you by email. We hold your items for 7 days from the date the email was sent. 

Can someone else borrow items on my behalf?

As a first resort we encourage students and staff to make use of our electronic resources if they are unable to borrow books in person.

In exceptional circumstances we may give permission for another student or staff member to borrow books on your behalf. We will require:

• A letter from your personal tutor or head of department confirming that you have exceptional circumstances which mean you are unable to come into campus.
• A signed and dated letter, as proof of evidence from you that they are your nominated borrower (valid for use only on the day the letter is dated).
• Proof of their own identification, either one current and official form of photo ID or two recent (less than three months old) documents including their name and current address.

Please contact a Customer Services Supervisor for permission prior to arranging any collection.

How do I borrow items as a Distance Learner?

If you are a UK-based student on a course which is officially delivered via the distance learning mode of study, you should be eligible for postal loans. Click on the button below to submit your postal loan requests:

Postal loan request form

• Items can only be posted to a UK address
• Available for four week and two week loan types only
• Initial loan periods will be increased to allow for time spent in the post
• Items on loan will be reserved and posted when they have been returned

Items can be returned by post using the address labels provided. You are responsible for the cost of returning your items by post and we advise that you keep your proof of postage in case you encounter any problems.