Borrowing, Renewing & Returning Books
Borrowing items
All University staff and students can borrow from the Library using their ID card.
ID cards are not transferable and should only be used by the person who owns the card.
How do I borrow?
Take your books to the Self-service machines and follow the instructions on the screen to issue them. Please remember that you’re responsible for all items borrowed on your account.
How long can I borrow items for?
We have a few different loan periods for our items. Some are reference only - this means they can only be used inside the Library. Our loan periods are listed below.
- Main stock items - 2 weeks
- School Experience items – 6 weeks
- Journals – Reference (can only be used inside the Library)
How many items may I borrow?
Students and staff can borrow 30 items in total.
Automatic renewals
Nearly all the items you borrow will automatically renew up to a total of 18 times. This means you only have to return an item if someone else has reserved it or if it has reached its maximum number of renewals.
You will receive automatic emails from the Library (no-reply@oclc.org) to your university email account, letting you know what has been renewed. Keep an eye on your Junk or Other folder, as sometimes they end up in there.
We no longer charge Library fines for overdue books. Instead, your borrower permissions will be "blocked". When an item is due, you have a 7-day grace period to return it and your account will not be affected. However, if you do not return the item by the end of the 7-day period, we'll stop your borrowing rights until you bring the item(s) back.
Self-renewals
Although many items will renew automatically, you can also renew items yourself online through your Library account, which you can get to through the Library homepage. To learn more about accessing your account and renewing items manually, please see our How to Renew Your Items FAQ.
If you experience any difficulties in returning items, please contact us.
Where do I return items?
Returning items at the Library is easy. All you need to do is gently push one item at a time through our returns machines, and they will be removed from your account. Inter library loans can also returned through the returns machines, if you have any queries please speak to staff at our Welcome Desk.
There's also a book returns bin in the Foyer, next to the Welcome Desk.
How do I reserve an item?
You can reserve an item if there are no copies in the Library that can be borrowed. To reserve and pick up an item:
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Find the item on the UR Library Search and place a reservation by selecting the ‘Reserve’ button, located under 'Access Options' to the right of the item's record.
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When the item is returned, you’ll receive an email to your university email account from the Library saying it is ready for you to collect.
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You can pick up your item from the self-service Reservation Shelf on the upper ground floor of the Library, near the Welcome Desk. To find your reservation, check the reservation slip for your name. You can then borrow the item using the self-service machines.
Library Fees
We don't add fines to most overdue items, instead your account will be temporarily blocked so you won't be able to borrow anything else until you can return the item(s) or a replacement charge is paid.
We have also introduced a standard replacement fee of £30.00 for most items. To pay your Library fees, log into your Library Account through the Library homepage and select the 'Fees' tab.