You can request an item through our Library Search if it is on loan, or request an item from one campus to collect at another. This also means an item you have on loan may be recalled by another person, so do regularly check your student/ staff emails as this is how we will contact you.
For any items that are on the shelf, you will be able to come in and collect the items you want and borrow them using our self service machines.
When an item you have reserved is ready to collect, you will receive an email.
Please note that we are unable to retrieve items from our Stores during the weekend. If you require an item from our Stores at the weekend we kindly ask you to request it in advance.
Placing reservations allows you to request physical items from the library when:
To place a reservation, find the item you wish to borrow in the Library Search and click on the title.
You will need to be signed in to see the options under 'Get it'.
You can tell if an item is available by checking under it's location. In the example above, there is 1 copy available at Colchester - you would be able to request this one to collect from Loughton or Southend, but if you were based at Colchester you would need to go to the shelf to collect it rather than requesting it.
If there were no copies available, you can also click on the Request link to recall a copy from someone who currently has the item. They will be given 7 days to return the book to the library.
When you click on the Request link, you will see the reservation options
The first option will ask you which library you want to pick the item up from. Select the campus you want to collect from. If your preferred campus does not appear in the list, this may mean it is already available on the shelves at that library.
The second option asks for a date that you don't need the request after. This is optional. If you want, you can choose a date after which the request will be cancelled if it hasn't been returned by then. Please note that if all copies are out of the library, you may have to wait up to 7 days for a copy to be returned.
When you’re happy with your request, click Send Request.
When you do, you’ll see a confirmation screen.
When the item is available and ready to be collected, you will receive an email from the library letting you know, and you will have 7 days to pick the item up. If you are unable to collect the item within this timeframe, please contact the library.
You can also use this service to request items from one library to another. To do so, select the item you wish to borrow from another campus, and select the campus you wish to collect it from.
Please be aware, this can take up to 5 additional days as the items will need to be transported between the different locations.
