Requesting Materials

For resources to be used for personal study, research, or to support our aim of diversifying our collection, please fill in the Book Recommendation form providing as much bibliographic information as possible. This form can also be used to request additional copies of books we already hold.

For resources that are being used on a module reading list, please add the details to the relevant module reading list on the reading list system. The Library is alerted every time edits are made to a reading list and will then endeavour to provision access to these resources, taking into account cohort sizes and whether the text is a key reading. For resources made available digitally, our preferred format, we will ensure links are in place so students can access the texts directly from the reading list.

There is information on our webpages on how to edit reading lists, as well as guidance on best practice.

If you need a specific extract from a book, or an individual journal article, our Document Supply service may be able to help with that. Please complete an online inter-library loan request form and we will try to obtain the required item from another Library for you. It is also possible to borrow books, conference proceedings and theses from other libraries if they are only needed short term, for individuals, or if they are no longer available to purchase. We also supply standards, technical reports and other sorts of documents where they are available.

More information about the service, including access to our online request form is available on our inter-library loan and Document Supply service webpages.

Any long loan item can be requested via the Library Catalogue if all of the available copies are out on loan. Login to your account and click on 'place a title level request.' A recall notice will be sent out for the book and the borrower will have 7 days to return the item. Once the book is returned, it will be placed on hold for you and a 'book waiting' notification will be sent to your University email address. Hold requests can be collected from the self-collection shelves located on level 3 of the Library and issued at the self-service machines.

If a book is out on loan and you would like to borrow a copy, please place a hold request on the item. When a title is being heavily requested, the Library is notified and we will look to purchase more copies. If a title is not being requested, we assume that the current holdings are sufficient.

If you need a specific extract from a book, or an individual journal article, our Document Supply service may be able to help with that. Please complete an online inter-library loan request form and we will try to obtain the required item from another Library for you.

More information about the service, including access to our online request form is available on our inter-library loan and Document Supply service webpages.

For articles that are needed for a module reading list, please add the details to the relevant module reading list on the reading list system. The Library is alerted every time edits are made to a reading list and will then endeavour to provision access to these resources, linking to subscribed content or by sourcing a copyright cleared extract of the article if possible.

If you would like to make a recommendation for a new journal or serial, please complete a Journal Request form. As the Library budget is fully committed, to take on new subscriptions, we may need to make cancellations or obtain additional funding. Due to this, it would be helpful when completing the form if you explain why the resource is needed so we can make a business case if required.

Please note that all new journal subscriptions run from January to December.

Academic staff that would like to suggest resources they feel the Library should consider purchasing, subscribing to, or supporting, are encouraged to complete the Database and Journal Package Request form. Students or doctoral researchers should speak to their supervisor or School in the first instance.

To ensure the Library can make informed decisions on requests for new resources, it is important we are provided with details of what the resource is, why it is needed, who will be using it, and why it is different and unique to other resources that we currently subscribe to. This is important as the Library budget is fully committed, so if new resources are needed, we may need to make a business case for them. To help with this, wherever possible, the Library will try to arrange trials of resources being requested. These trials will all take place in February, and we will ask for feedback on the trials so we can effectively evaluate these resources and if required, use the feedback provided to help make a bid for extra funding at budget submission.