Borrow and return items

Most loans are lent for 1 week at a time. If they are not required by another student, they will be automatically renewed on their due date up to 25 times (6 months). We will email you if an item has not renewed and you need to return it to the Library.

Some items (e.g. School Experience Centre material) have different loan lengths so check when an item is due back when you take it out. You can check what you have out by looking at My Account.

Short loan items have much shorter loan lengths (1 day) and have higher fines.

Undergraduates

• Undergraduates can borrow 20 books plus 5 short loan items at a time
• Undergraduates doing dissertations can borrow 30 books plus 5 short loan items at a time
• Undergraduate students with concessionary status can borrow 30 books plus 5 short loan items at a time

Postgraduates

• Postgraduates can borrow 30 books plus 5 short loan items at a time
• Postgraduates with concessionary status can borrow 40 books plus 5 short loan items at a time

Staff

• Staff can borrow 30 books plus 5 short loan items at a time

External borrowers

• External borrowers (e.g. Alumni / SCONUL A,B,C, Institutional members) can borrow 5 books at a time

• Most loans will be automatically renewed on the date they are due
• Items that have been reserved by someone else will not be automatically renewed and must be returned
• Books and other items can be renewed via My Account
• Most loans will be renewed up to 25 times before they have to be returned to the library, unless they have been reserved. Harcourt Hill 6 week loan classroom resources will only be renewed automatically for up to 6 months

• Short loan items and dissertations must be returned to the library from which they were borrowed. You can return all other items to any of our campus libraries
• If the library is closed, you can return your book to the external book box, or at Headington you can use the automatic return slots on level 1
• You do not need your student card in order to return an item

If an item is on loan you can place a hold on it. You may also place a hold on items that are not on loan, but usually the quickest way to obtain material that is not on loan is to collect for yourself from the library shelves.

If an item that you need is at another site you also may place a hold on it. When it is available we will email you and keep it for you to collect from the site of your choice within 7 days. 

How do I place a hold on an item?

• Search for the item using LibrarySearch
• Click on the 'Place Hold' button
• Sign in using your Brookes ID and password
• Choose the Library from which you wish to collect the item
• Sign out using button near the top of the screen
• Please contact us if you need help

Why can’t I see a place hold button?

• It is not possible to place holds on Short Loan or Reference items
• Please contact us if you need help placing a hold

How many holds may I have?

• You may have 15 active holds at any one time

How will I know when my hold is available for collection?

• An email will be sent to your Brookes address when your hold is available . Registered Library Visitors will be notified by email if an address has been provided
• You can check the status of your holds via My Account

Where should I collect my hold?

• Your hold can be collected from the Library you chose
• At Harcourt Hill: collect holds from the shelves next to the self issue machines in the Library foyer
• At Headington: collect holds from the Short Loan and Reservations area, next to the Welcome Desk, on level 1
• At Swindon: collect holds from the shelves next to the silent study room
• Some holds (e.g. dissertations and interlibrary loans) have to be collected from the staff desk

Do I need to check out my hold?

• Yes, please make sure you check your hold out on the self issue machine. The only exception to this are items you have had to collect from the staff desk: we will check these out for you

• Fines are payable on items returned late although we will give you 5 days to return an item before fines are payable
• You can check the date an item is due for return via My Account
• The fine for all overdue items, except for those from the Short Loan Collection, is £1 per day
• The fine for items from the Short Loan Collection is £1 per hour
• Fines can only be paid online, via My Account
• If you have a large fine please come and discuss options for payment with us
• All outstanding fines must be paid off before you finish your course

Lost items

• If you think you may have lost a book or other item, then please contact us at libraryenquiries@brookes.ac.uk as soon as possible
• There is a charge for lost or long overdue books (£35). Alternatively, you may supply a replacement copy if it is the same edition or a newer edition of the lost item
• Please note that if you replace an item and then find the lost copy, a refund will not be given