Undergraduate Guide to Library Services
1. Starting to use the library
9. Children & Youth Reading Room
1. Starting to use the library
- At the beginning of your programme of study, you will be given a tour of the library and an outline of library services. • A library account will be created for you. • You will also receive an information pack explaining how to become a member of the John Rylands Library at Manchester University, if you wish to do so.
- The librarian and/or the assistant will be pleased to help you with renewals or any information seeking enquiries you may have. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any enquiries regarding library services.
- Suggestions and feedback about the library service are always welcome. There is a suggestions box in the library for this purpose.
- Theology is the principal subject interest of the collection and the library holds around 30,000 items in total. Many of these resources are books but there are also journals, newspapers, audio visual material and dissertations.
- The greater part of the collection is housed in the main library and the remainder is stored in separate locations such as the Postgraduate Reading Room. The majority of the books in the collection are available to borrow although some are available on a reference only basis. The computerised library catalogue will indicate both the location of the books and their availability. • The library uses the Dewey classification scheme. You will find that most of the books are catalogued in the ‘200s’, which is the class number for theology. The class numbers on the end of each stack are intended to help you find your way around the library.
- There are two search terminals in the library and the catalogue can also be accessed online.
- Click here to access the catalogue online. The facility also allows you to log in and access your loan details using your unique reader code.
- Resident undergraduate students are permitted to borrow up to 6 books for 14 days.
- Non-resident undergraduate students are permitted to borrow 8 books for 21 days.
- Books can be returned in person, by post (addressed clearly to the library) or outside of opening hours, via the returned books box in the library corridor.
- Renewals Books may be renewed up to three times, provided that no other student has reserved them. Renewals must be made on or before the initial loan expires.
- Reservations If you need a book that has already been signed out, please ask the librarian to reserve it for you and you will be contacted when it is ready to be collected. You will be contacted if a book you have on loan has been reserved by another reader. The book must be returned to the library by the day the original loan period expires and cannot be renewed.
- Every effort is made to ensure that all books on the reading lists are in the library and available to borrow before the start of any new module. However, occasionally, there may availability or cost issues that make it impossible for the library to obtain the book.
- Books on your required reading lists will be made available on a short loan basis (see Short Loan Collection). It is not possible for the library to purchase multiple copies of all books on your reading lists. Consequently, these books will be borrowed on a first-come, first-served basis. Please make use of the reservations service to obtain books that have already been signed out. Alternatively, it is advised that you try to locate the books in another library or purchase the books yourself (If you need advice, ask your tutor to recommend which books to buy).
- The Short Loan Collection makes all the required reading from undergraduate reading lists available on a short loan basis.
- There are three copies of each book, each available to borrow for three days.
- Please ask at the library office if you wish to borrow any of these books. The books MUST be returned to the library office by the date and time given to you.
- A fine of £1 is charged if a book is handed in late.
- The Belben library currently subscribes to 23 print journals. • The journals are displayed alphabetically in the main library and back issues are kept here for one year.
- Older back issues are stored in the Postgraduate Reading Room. • Journals that have ceased publication and journals that the College no longer subscribes to are also stored in the Postgraduate Reading Room. Please ask the librarian/assistant if you wish to borrow journals that are stored separately. •
- All journal articles can be searched for via the catalogue and the journals may be borrowed or alternatively, articles photocopied.
9. Children & Youth Reading Room
- This space is a dedicated study area for the use of Children and Youth course students. It can be accessed at any time using the keypad on the door. • It holds a number of additional information resources such as key texts which are not to be borrowed or removed from the study area, back issues of journals and databanks of relevant articles.
- Books may be posted out to students at their request. An email should be sent to the librarian listing the titles and authors of the books that are needed.
- A fee of £2.50 is charged for the first book posted out and £1.50 for each additional book. An invoice will be posted with the books and the recipient should send a cheque made payable to Cliff College.
- A photocopying machine is located in the main library. Students can purchase photocopy cards from the library office in the following units:
- 20 credits £1.00
- 50 credits £2.50
- 100 credits £5.00
- UK Copyright regulations are to be observed at all times. Published works remain in copyright throughout an author's lifetime and for 70 years after his/her death. About 10% of the volume is suggested as an appropriate maximum amount to photocopy (this equates to about 1 chapter of a book or two articles from a journal). When copyright has expired, the work is considered by law to be in the public domain and it may be copied freely. Please ask the librarian if you require further information about copyright.
- Powerpoints for laptop use are available in the main library's study area. Computer terminals are available in the computer room and study room on the library corridor.
Security of the library is a crucial priority for everyone at Cliff and all students are expected to use the library responsibly.
