As items will be automatically renewed every three weeks, it’s important you make use of our reserve service if you need to borrow a book already on loan.
You can place a reservation on the following items:
Visit our Request guide for information on requesting a new purchase or an additional copy, or to request items through Inter-Library Loans, Scan and Deliver or Postal Loans services.
To reserve an item, log in to Discover, find the item you want and click ‘reserve’ on the item record.
If the item is already out on loan, the person who has it will be notified that the item has been reserved and the due date will be reduced to seven days (unless the item is already due within one week). This stops the automatic renewal on the item, and they will need to return it to the library.
Once returned, you will receive an email notifying you that it is ready for collection.
Reservations for items held at Divines Library or our Remote Store are processed once a week – you will receive an email when the item(s) are ready for you to collect.
When another person places a reservation request for an item you have on loan, this stops the automatic renewal, and you will need to return it to the Library.
You will receive a notice to your University email account letting you know that the item has been reserved, confirming its due date – which may be shortened from its original due date - and asking you to return the item to the library you borrowed it from.
All items on loan can be reserved, both during term time and vacation, so you must always be prepared to return a reserved item to the Library. If items you have borrowed have been reserved and you are not in Durham, you can return them using our free postal returns service.
If you place a reservation and another person has also reserved the item, you will only be able to borrow it for 3 days - you won't be able to renew the item and will need to return it to the Library after the 3-day loan period.
Please be aware that you won’t receive any separate notifications confirming when you need to return the item – the due date will be on the email you receive once you’ve checked the item out.
You can always log in to your “My Library Card” account to check the due dates for all your items.
If you do not return an item that has been reserved by its due date, you will incur a charge of £1 for each day it is overdue. See our Library Charges guide for more information.
For students who are studying online or are part of a distance learning programme, visit our Request guide for more information on how you can request access to our print resources.
You can get in touch through our live chat service or by email, and search our FAQs for answers to your questions.
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