Finding and borrowing books

Your library card

Your College ID card is also your library card

Use your Imperial username and password to log in to your library account to access online resources and request items
Search for books and articles
Now you have your College ID card, you can borrow books and other items.
 
To find a book on the shelf search for the title using Library Search.
 
Note down the floor number or "Level" and the shelf mark e.g. 333.91 FEL.
 
When you visit the level indicated you will find the books in number order. If lots of books have the same number look for the three letters to locate the one you want.
 
If a book is at another campus library you can sign in to Library Search to request it and it will be sent to the library you choose, see Requesting a book.
 

Our online collections: the library is bigger than it looks

 
Although we have a large number of books, most of our collection is online. This means we are well equipped to help you if you study off-site from any location. 
 
Once you've activated your College computer account you will be able to use our collection of over 430,000 e-books, e-journals and databases. Our e-journals give you access to millions of articles. 
 
Search for what interests you and click on the results that show "Online access".
 

Recreational reading

 

As well as books and resources for your course, we support you with our fiction and recreational reading collections.

You can find most of these items on display on Level 1 and Level 5 at Abdus Salam Library, as well as at the campus libraries and as e-books and audiobooks. Use the Libby app from Overdrive to download some e-books and audiobooks to your phone.

Borrowing books

Take the book to a self-service machine and use your College ID card to borrow it - at the Abdus Salam Library they are on level 1.

Alternatively, take it to a member of staff at any of our service points.

You can borrow up to 40 items, they'll be issued for 1 week (3 weeks for research postgraduates) and we'll renew them automatically for you.

If someone requests a book you have on loan, we'll ask you to return it and there will be a fine if you're late (50p per day).

If you can't find the book on the shelf check Library Search - someone else might have it.

Look for information like "checked out" or "on loan until".

To get hold of it you need to Request it. Sign in to Library Search to see the Request link.

If we do not have the book in stock you can ask for it to be borrowed from another library using Document Delivery or suggest that we purchase it.

If we don't have the book you need, you can:

or

These services are free!

Each week we'll send you an email telling you which books you have on loan.

Look out for other emails from Library Services - they will tell you when a book is overdue for return or if someone else has requested it.

You can also see all the books you have by signing in to your account on Library Search.

Your books will renew automatically for up to a year unless they are requested by another library user.

After a year we will ask you to bring the books back.

Look out for emails from Library Services, this is how we'll contact you if the book is requested or has been on loan to you for a year.