Borrowing from the library

All members (except SCONUL Access Scheme Band R) can borrow and place reservations. The table below lists the allowances for the main categories of member.

Multimedia items (including CDs, DVDs and videos) are available to current staff and students only.

Most of our journals are available online to current staff and students of the University of Dundee. A small number of print only journals are held in our libraries and can be consulted in our libraries, however these are not available for loan to any member.

Loan length 

This depends upon the loan policy assigned to the individual copy of a title. Borrowable stock falls into 3 main categories:

• Standard Loan
• 7 Day Loan (only available to UoD staff and students)
• 1 Day Loan (only available to UoD staff and students).

Demand for a title determines both the number of copies in stock and the loan policy assigned to each one.

If someone else requires a Standard Loan item you have borrowed, it will be recalled and you will receive an email advising you of the new due date. 

Staff and students of the University will be contacted via the @dundee.ac.uk email address attached to their Library Account. Other members of the Library will be contacted via whatever email address they supplied at the time of registration. It is always advisable to check your Library Account regularly. 

If the recall is subsequently cancelled, we will attempt to renew your loan for you.

Loan renewals 

This depends upon the loan policy assigned to the individual item.

• Standard Loan items are eligible for automatical renewal (see below)
• 7 Day and 1 Day Loan items cannot be renewed
• Items borrowed through Inter-library Loan are subject to specific procedures.

Unless someone else has requested the item, we will renew your Standard Loan automatically for up to 24 months. If we cannot renew your loan for any reason, you will be notified by email that the item must be returned by the due date.

If, because of illness or other unforeseen events, you cannot return your loan on or before the due date, please contact us as soon as possible so that we can try to ensure that you do not incur a fine.

Using search to find available books

Library Search will tell you whether an item is out on loan and, if out, when it is due back. Sometimes an item is "On shelf" according to Library Search but cannot be found because someone else is using it in the library. Also, you may be looking in the wrong part of the library or even at the wrong library, so check the item's Location carefully. 

If you are unsure, please ask a member of staff for help. 

Making a reservation request

If the item you want is already out on loan, or only available at one of our libraries which you normally don't visit, you can place a reservation (also known as a hold) on it. When it is available we will contact you by email, and keep it aside for you at the pickup location of your choice for 5 days. You should: 

1. Library Search
2. On the menu bar at the top of the screen click Sign in and use your University of Dundee username and password or, if you are another category of member, the username and password associated with your Library account 
3. Search for the item you want to reserve and click the 'book title' link
4. Click on Request under 'Get It' 
5. Select the Pickup Location most convenient for you (the Reading Room options only apply to items which cannot be removed from the library) 
6. If necessary, add a Comment about the reservation 
7. Click on the blue Request button
8. A message on screen will confirm that the request has been placed (somewhat confusingly, "Place in queue is 0" means that you are first in the queue while "Place in queue is 1" means that you are second in the queue!)

If you are not able to place a reservation, this may be because:

• your membership category determines how many reservations you can place at one time
• reservations may not be permitted on some restricted loan items.

If you decide that you no longer require the item please cancel your reservation by signing in to My Library Account, selecting Requests and clicking on Cancel. The item will then be available for others to borrow or consult.

Late return of loans

Fines are levied on loans which are not returned by their due date. In the case of Standard Loan items this will only be if the item has been requested by someone else (see above). To avoid incurring fines, it is always advisable to check your University email or your Library account. Once you have accrued fines of £15 or more, you will be unable to borrow any additional items; this will not, however, affect the renewal of existing loans. You can pay for charges via your library account.

Fines

From 3rd October 2016