Taking books home over Easter?

As you know, we usually renew your books for you automatically if they haven't been requested. However, over the Easter holidays things work a little differently.

Renewals

• Even though we will try to automatically renew your loans by Saturday 12 March, we may encounter some issues, such as another student requesting your book. Because of this, we’re asking you to please remember to check your library account through StarPlus, and renew any items due for return before going off home for the holidays.
• Once your book has been renewed, you’ll be able to keep it over the holidays and - as long as no one else requests it - we’ll continue to renew it for you once term starts. If someone does make a request for a book that you have on loan, you will need to bring it back to us by Monday 11 April.

Requests

• If you’ve made any requests for books that you no longer need over Easter, please remember to cancel them online.
• So that we can get your requested books to you even faster, if anyone has a book that’s overdue they won’t be able to place a request.

Read online

• If we don’t have a physical copy of the book you need, don’t worry, we also have a wide selection of e-books and other online resources available through StarPlus. Just log in to MUSE and read our ebooks from your desktop, wherever you are, 24/7.

If you encounter any difficulties, please contact the Library on 0114 222 7200 or email library@sheffield.ac.uk

Introduction to Library services

Last chances for you to drop into one of our induction sessions tomorrow in the IC at 1pm in Collaboratory 1 and at 3pm in Classroom 3.

If you've missed out, or want a reminder, here's the presentation

IC Induction 2011

It's also showing on plasma screens in the IC and other library sites, and available from the Quick Link on our web page

Feedback from Lending Services Survey

We had a great response to our Lending Services Survey and thanks to everyone who took the time to respond.

The results of the survey are now available, along with comments.

Important Customer Services Notice

Change to Library loan periods September 2009

The Library constantly reviews its practices with regard to loans, and recent modifications to the reservations system have prompted us to try to further improve the way in which material is circulated. We have changed the lending service so that Library material ‘manages itself’. An in-demand item automatically has a shorter loan period which then reverts back to a normal loan period once the demand has been satisfied.

Why change the system?

• In the past when you requested a book it was arbitrary which item you received – it may have been a normal loan or a short loan. You’ve told us this is unfair.


• Short loan items were not in-demand all the time, and it was difficult to understand why you couldn’t have items for longer if no-one else needed them. Also, you had to remember to renew short loans every other day and it was easy to build up large fines.


• Part-time and distance-learning students found it difficult to borrow short loan items.

With the new system what will happen when I borrow a book?

All items in stock in the Library now have a ‘normal’ loan period, the length of which is determined by the type of student, as previously. So, if you’re a full-time undergraduate or a postgraduate on a taught course books are issued for 1 week, if you’re a part-time student books are issued for 2 weeks, and if you’re a research student books are issued for 4 weeks.

If no-one else wants the book you can keep renewing it and each time it will be issued for the standard loan period.

We have also increased the number of self-renewals to 20, so staff don’t need to renew items for you until you reach that limit.

Full details of the new lending service can be found on the Library website under using the library. Remember - it’s essential to check myLibrary Account via MUSE regularly to avoid fines and check no-one has reserved the items you have on loan.