The UK Higher Education system is based on reading and writing
In the UK, you have to do a lot of independent study instead of taking exams for your university degree: this means, you have to read a lot and write assignments and dissertations based on your reading and research.
Your lecturers have provided you with your initial reading in Library Reading Lists to get you started with your programme modules.
How do I know what to read for my studies?
Your lecturers recommend books and other resources to read for each module. By reading them, you understand your module topics and prepare for writing your assignments and dissertations.
You can find these module reading lists in Library Reading Lists. Your reading lists are accessible both from our website at the top (you have to log in) and from Canvas.
- In your reading list, firstly, identify your essential reading if there are any.
- If there are no essential reading listed, look at your Canvas units to identify topics you are studying and identify books related to those topics.
- Come and borrow them from the library (or read the electronic versions online).
Watch the video below for more information.
What kinds of resources are there and what are they for?
BOOKS: Books are for learning general topics and theories. However, a book may be published five years ago and there may not be another edition. So, you have to use other sources as well to get the latest data on your subject areas.
JOURNALS: Journals are subject specific academic magazines that contain latest academic articles by various authors. They are published frequently at regular intervals (quarterly, monthly, even weekly).
DATABASES: Databases are large collections of latest subject specific resources in different formats. They may contain, for example, case studies, company/industry/market research reports, audio and video files, statistics, photographs, and more...
GOOD QUALITY WEBSITES: These are websites that are not there to sell products but give reliable information. They are for getting government reports and statistics, health data, corporate information, data from professional bodies, and more...
How do I borrow books?
Borrowing books means taking them home. You will need your student card, which is your library card as well, to do this. Do not forget to bring your card with you.
- Find your book in Library Reading Lists or Library Search.
- Look to see whether the book is listed as 'Available', meaning it is on the shelves.
- Identify the London Library shelfmark (the numbers and letters) for your book and make note of it.
- Follow numbers and letters on our bookshelves until you find your book with the numbers and letters you noted.
- Use our touchscreen self-service circulation machine to borrow the book by selecting BORROW and following the instructions on the screen.
Electronic books: you can read them online or download for a short a period of time. Every e-book has a different rule; please check the front page of the e-book which tells you what you can and cannot do.
How do I return books?
You do not need your library card when returning books.
- Go to our touchscreen self-service circulation machine.
- Select RETURN and follow instructions on the screen.
- After you complete the process, please make sure you put the returned books in our locked drop-box.
How do I renew my books?
If no one else is waiting to borrow the book you have, you can renew your books several times. This means keeping them for longer.
- Renewing from home (or from anywhere in the world): sign in to your library account in Library Search to extend the due dates of you book/s.
- Renewing on Campus: use our touchscreen self-service circulation machine by selecting RENEW and following instructions on the screen.
How do I request books?
You can request books from London or Sunderland. This means asking to get books that are not on our shelves in London or asking to get books that are available in Sunderland only.
- Find the book in Library Search and use the REQUEST option (you have to be signed in).
- Make sure London Library is the pickup location and confirm.
- You will receive an email once the item is ready for collection.
- You will then have 5 working days to collect your requested items from the library area.
You can watch the video below to view the process of requesting books.
My Library Account
Manage your library account online by signing in to Library Search.
You can use your account to:
- view your loans and return dates
- renew your books
- request resources and manage your requests
- view and pay any library charges (if you damaged or lost any of our books)
- view your loan history
- view all notification emails you have received from the library system
Your library account may be suspended if you have outstanding charges. If this happens:
- renew your books or return any overdue books to the library
- for lost or damaged books, please pay any outstanding charges online by signing in to Library Search
- please contact us if you have any questions regarding the suspension
Please note that you will not be able to renew or borrow any further items until the suspension has been resolved.
You can watch the video below for more information on your Library Account.