Borrow, Reserve & Return
How to borrow, reserve and return books, recommend items for purchase and more.
Borrow & Reserve
Finding books is simple using Library Search, and the quickest way to get the books you need is to visit our buildings where you can also browse the shelves. Self-issue kiosks are available to enable you to borrow books easily, or take them to a member of staff at the Library Help desk who will issue them to you. If a book you need is already on loan, be sure to request it via Library Search and we will arrange to get a copy to you as soon as possible.
If you prefer to minimise your time in the Library, you can use our Click & Collect service to request items that are on the shelf at any Library and arrange to collect them at a time convenient time for you, from the Philip Robinson Library and Walton Library.
The Short Loan collection is a selection of Library materials in heavy demand or defined as essential course reading. These items can be borrowed for a maximum of 2 days.
Items located in the Research Reserve need to be requested and will be available to collect from the Philip Robinson Library or Walton Library. If a journal is available in the Research Reserve you can request an article scan using the Desktop Delivery Service.
Related topics in Library Help
- How many books can I borrow?
Library users have different loan entitlements:
University students may borrow at any one time (auto renew for 20 weeks):
- 35 Long Loan items
- 3 Short Loan items
University staff may borrow at any one time (auto renew for 52 weeks):
- 59 Long Loan items
- 3 Short Loan items
Community borrowers may borrow at any one time (auto renew for 20 weeks):
- 8 Long Loan items
- When is my loan due?
You can borrow a long loan item for a maximum period of 20 weeks for students, or 52 weeks for staff, unless someone else reserves it. The library system will automatically renew your loan every day, up to the maximum loan period or until the book is reserved.
If another customer reserves an item that you have, we will send you a notification and a date will display in the 'Due' field in 'My Account' e.g. Due: 19/09/23.
You will be given 7 days to return a requested item during term time, but please return it sooner if you can.
If you do not return it within 7 days, you will start to accrue an overdue charge of £1.00 per day up to a maximum of £15.00 per book.
If, after the maximum loan period, you still need the book, please bring it to the Library Help Desk and we can return and reissue the book and restart the automatic renewal process.
To find out how to view the maximum loan date for loaned items through your library account click the FAQ linked below.
- What are my options if the book I need is unavailable?
Use the 3Rs to explore the steps to follow when you can't get the books you need:
RESERVE – is the book out on loan? Make a reservation via Library Search, simply look it up, make sure you are logged in, then select 'request this item'
REQUEST – if the book is not in stock make an Inter Library Loan request
RECOMMEND – if the book is not in stock students should contact their module leader or research project supervisor, discuss the options available and ask them to make the request
The Can't Find Your Resources Library Guide brings all the relevant information together in one place.
It can sometimes be tricky to decide when to request a book to be bought and when an ILL would be better:
- If you only require one chapter and not the entire book, an ILL is advisable.
- ILL is also preferred for very specialized books that may never be used again.
- Members of staff should use the staff book recommendation form to order books and DVDs for their own research or books for modules that they are teaching on. They should also use ILLs for their research especially for out-of-print or specialized material. If in doubt please contact the appropriate Liaison staff. Alternatively if resources are needed for taught modules, contact the reading list team
- How can I borrow books from the Library?
Check Library Search to find where the books you are interested in are held in the Library.
All books are marked with a library location and shelf mark or are shown as 'Online access'.
Make a note of the library location and the full shelf mark - the number and all letters - then look on the shelves for the book that has the same shelf mark and title that you're looking for.
Self-issue kiosks are available on each floor where you can self-issue books.
If you can't find the item you're looking for, or if you have problems using the self-issue kiosk, please see a member of staff at the Library Help Desk who will be happy to help.
- How do I request an article to be scanned?
There are two ways to request a scan.
Log in to the Desktop Delivery Service if you know the journal is available in the Research Reserve or the Old Library.
or
Request a scan using Library Search. Login to your account and search for the journal, if the journal is available in the library the catalogue record will feature a 'REQUEST SCAN/BORROW' button which will directly link to the Desktop Delivery Service.
Please complete the request form as fully as possible to ensure the Stores Team can locate the article and fulfil the request without requesting further information.
Copies of articles can be delivered electronically to staff and students of Newcastle University via email, whilst external members can collect a printed copy of the requested article from the Philip Robinson or Walton Library at a cost of 4p per sheet.
Requests are usually satisfied within 24 hours (Monday – Friday, excluding bank holidays). However, this may be longer during busy periods.
If further assistance is needed please contact the Stores team.
- I have deferred my hand in date/exams, how do I continue to use the Library?
Access to Library Services is determined by a students' programme progression information held on the Student Portal/SAP.
Full year or part of year deferral:
Undergraduates who are resitting exams or handing in assessed work later in the academic year are given the status "External Candidate" and progression code XF on SAP (via NESS) by their academic school. External Candidates are not expected to be on campus or in lectures, they are entitled to a smartcard for that academic year which will give them read only (i.e. not borrowing) access to the library as well as their NUIT logins and e-resources access.
Undergraduates who are attending lectures and have the progress code XR are classed as an internal candidate and are entitled to a smartcard with full access to all University services (including the library) for that academic year.
Postgraduates who are "writing up" a final part of their dissertation can also be classed as an internal or external candidate with the same level of library access as undergraduate students
If you or your academic school need support or further advice contact Student Data Team via the help desk at Great North House or student-data@ncl.ac.uk
Summer only deferral: Undergraduate smartcards have a smartcard expiry date of 30th September of their final year, meaning access to library e-resources and study spaces is available until that date. Borrowing rights, however, end in mid June (at the end of the regular assessment period) but those with an updated Student Portal/SAP record showing an exam resit or assessment deferral status for August will have their borrowing rights extended into the summer vacation.
Schools have been advised of the following from colleagues at Student Progress:
For final year undergraduate students who have deferred assessments or have resits outstanding their progress decision code on their SAP record needs to be updated to either XT (deferred assessment) or XS (resit) to ensure that they maintain access to library resources over the summer. Please ensure the correct deferral or resit decision has been released in the NESS system after exam boards so that this feeds through and updates their SAP record.”
The library is unable to change expiry dates or input SAP codes, so please check with your school administrators it has been completed, they can contact the Student Progress/Data Management team at: student-data@ncl.ac.uk for help.
If you are waiting confirmation of your deferral or resit status, please contact Library Help or attend the Philip Robinson Library or Walton Library in person during desk services opening hours and borrowing rights can be manually adjusted until the data feed is actioned.
Return
Before your items are due, we will send you an email telling you when you need to return them. You can return long loan items to any of the following locations:
- Philip Robinson Library
- Marjorie Robinson Library Rooms
- Walton Library
- Dame Margaret Barbour Building
- Students Union
- Frederick Douglass Centre
Short loan items must be returned to the Library from which they were borrowed. Some items may be subject to an overdue charge if they are returned late.
Overdue charges
Overdue charges may be incurred for the late return of the following:
- Long loan item requested by another user - £1 per day up to a maximum of £15
- Short Loan item - £1 immediate charge plus £1 per hour after that up to a maximum of £15
- Inter Library Loans - £1 per day up to a maximum of £15
If you have lost an item, you may be required to pay for a replacement.
Overdue charges can be paid online by logging into My Account on Library Search.
Related topics in Library Help
Library Help on returning books
- What happens if I return my book late?
You can borrow a long loan item for as long as you need it unless someone else reserves it.
If another customer reserves an item that you have, we will send you a notification when the item is due back and a date will display in the Due field in My Account e.g. Due: 19/09/22.
You will be given 7 days to return a requested item. If you have any difficulties returning recalled items please let us know at Library Help.
Overdue charges may be incurred for the late return of the following:
- Long loan item requested by another user - £1 per day up to a maximum of £15
- Student Texts Collection item - £1 immediate charge plus £1 per day after that up to a maximum of £15
- Inter Library Loans - £1 per day up to a maximum of £15
If you have lost an item, you may be required to pay for a replacement.
Overdue charges can be paid online by logging into My Account on Library Search.
- What happens if I lose a library book?
The library charges a £50 replacement fee for any lost book, users have the option to pay this fee or supply a replacement copy of the book.
The replacement should be an identical copy and in excellent condition. For example, replacements should not have highlighter pen or biro markings. Additionally copies must not breach copyright regulations, so they should not display a “not for resale sticker” which may be the case when purchased from an online bookseller.
If the exact edition is no longer available, a later edition is acceptable. We are unable to accept any earlier editions.
Invoices are generated automatically approximately one month after the book's due date and it is at this stage where lost books have to be replaced or paid for (as your library services will be blocked).
If replacing or paying for the book is not an option, please contact the Library as soon as possible to discuss the situation as any debt may be passed on to University Finance for recovery.