Borrowing from other Libraries
Use the interlibrary loan service is available if you wish to borrow books, journals or other items which are not held in Cardiff University libraries.
Most requests are delivered within 1-2 weeks. Journal articles are usually delivered within a week. Obscure or in demand material can take longer.
Requesting interlibrary loans
Complete an interlibrary loan request form for each item required. These are available from the libraries. Please make your requests at your home library.
Some academic departments require requests to be authorised: if so, ask your School/ Departmental signatory to sign the form before handing it into the library.
Payment
Requests are normally paid for by your School.
For staff of Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust, payment will be allocated from the School of Medicine budget.
This service is expensive to run therefore, please ensure that you only request high-quality items which will provide good value for money.
Collecting your request
Journal articles are supplied as photocopies for you to keep. These are usually sent to your School or home address. You will be notified if you need to collect them from the library.
Other items, mainly books can be collected from your home library. You will be notified by email or post when your request is available for collection.
Books from the British Library can usually be borrowed for three weeks with a further extension of three weeks unless the item is recalled. Other libraries set their own loan periods. Some items, especially theses, must only be used within the library.
Copyright
When making a request you must sign the copyright declaration to confirm that your request is for non-commercial purposes. If the request is for commercial purposes then an additional fee will be charged to comply with copyright law.