Visitors' guide to the Library: Borrow books

Borrowing a book

When you've searched for a book using Library Search and found it on the shelves, you'll need to take it to one of the self-service borrowing machines.  At Adsetts Library, they're on Level 4.  At Collegiate, one is on the first floor and one is in quiet study.  Make sure you've got your Associate Member SHUcard with you.  You won't be able to borrow anything without it!

You can borrow up to 3 books from the Library and for a period of 1 week.  If a book is not recalled for another user then we will automatically renew it for a maximum of 46 weeks or until your account expires.

Requesting books

If a book that you want is on loan to someone else, you can request it and the next copy that gets returned will be reserved for you to borrow.  You can also place a request on a book that is available at Adsetts Library to collect at Collegiate, and vice versa.  

To get started, just search for the book or other item you want in Library Search and then sign in using the 'Associate members' link at the top of the search results page.  Next, click on 'Find in library' underneath the title and then on the 'Request' link.  Make sure that the form is filled in with the options you want and click on the Request button to confirm.  This will request the book for you.

You can have 1 active request at a time but there's no limit to how many times you can use the requests system.

Managing your loans

Any books that you borrow will be renewed automatically by the library system unless someone else has requested them.  If that happens, you'll need to bring them back to the library.  You will be notified about this by email using the email address you provided when you registered to become an Associate Member.  Please check your emails regularly.

If a book goes overdue by 28 days, we'll assume that it's lost and charge you for a replacement copy.  If you need to pay fees, please use the University's secure online payments system.

You can use My Library Account to find out when your books are due back.

Returning books

Books can be returned using the self-service machines at either of the libraries.  For example, if you borrow a book from Adsetts, it's absolutely fine to return it to Collegiate.  If you want to return any books by post, please leave plenty of time for them to reach us and use the addresses below.

My Library Account

My Library Account allows you to

• see the books you have on loan and when they are due back
• view your requests and whether they are ready to pick up, and cancel any you don't need any more
• display a list of books you have borrowed before

Any books you have on loan will renew automatically unless someone else requests them.  If this happens, you will need to return them to the library. You will receive an email to your student account to let you know if a book needs to be returned, but it is a good idea check My Library Account regularly as well.

Click on the link 'My Library Account' link on Library Online, and enter the AM number (e.g. AM123456) from your SHUcard and your password to sign in.  If you can't remember what your password is, contact the library.