Borrowing Information
Requests from other campuses and reservations
How Many Books Can I Borrow?
Students |
15 |
| Staff and research students | 35 |
| External readers and associate staff | 4 |
And for how long?
Standard Loan (Staff) |
8 weeks |
Standard Loan (All others) |
4 weeks |
One Week Loan |
1 week |
| Journals | 1 week |
Short Loan |
3 hours |
NB: items in high demand, of specific types or belonging to our partner institutions may not be available for loan.
recalls
If a 4 Week Loan item that you have out on loan is in high demand, the item may be recalled before the 4 week due date. You will receive a recall notice giving you a week to return the item. The due date of the item will then change and any fines for late return will be charged from the new due date.
Fines
The library operates a fining system for the late return of items. After a 2 days fines accumulate at 20p a day to a maximum of £10 per item. Short Loan fines rise by £1.00 per 30 minutes to a maximum of £10 per item. Readers are liable for the replacement cost of non-returned items.
Renewals
Loans can be renewed online using the My Account tab on the Library Catalogue. You will need your borrower number (student ID number) and Library PIN number to log in. A Library PIN number is available from the Issue Desk of your local campus library.
Loans may be renewed by asking at or phoning the Issue Desk - remember to have your borrower number (student ID) to hand.
Loans can also be renewed by email . Remember to include your borrower number in the message, and say whether or not you want all your loans renewed. Click here to renew by email. From off-campus send your loan renewals to circserv@uws.ac.uk.
If another reader requests an item it cannot be renewed. If there are no reservations, an item may be renewed 5 times. After 5 renewals an item must be presented at the Issue Desk for re-issue. Items borrowed from the short loan collection cannot be renewed.
Can I reserve an item that is on loan OR an item held at ANOTHER campus?
Staff and students may reserve or request items from another Campus by clicking on the Request button on the Library Catalogue. You will need your borrower number and Library PIN number. A Library PIN number is available from the Issue Desk of your local campus library. You can specify at which campus you want to collect the item.
Alternatively, note down the control number for the item you require; this is quoted in the Library Catalogue record. Hand the details and your library card to a library assistant at the Issue Desk and the reservation will be placed. The item will be held for you, and a notification sent to your student email.
Books travel between the 4 campus libraries every day so it should not take long for your book to arrive.
membership
UWS students
All students become Library members following enrolment. Show your student ID card to borrow from our campus libraries in Ayr, Dumfries, Hamilton and Paisley. Your student ID number is also your library borrower number. Activate your library record at the Issue Desk and you will be given a 4 digit library PIN number that allows you to manage your own library account.
UWS staff
Register at the Issue Desk and you will be given a staff card and a 4 digit library PIN number that allows you to manage your own library account. Confirmation from your School will be required. It is also a good idea to contact your Subject Librarian to have your Athens account set up and discuss your areas of interest.
Students from other institutions
Free external membership may apply through the SCONUL Access scheme. Click here for details.
Visitors
You can search our catalogue and browse our collections in Ayr, Dumfries, Hamilton and Paisley or ask about annual membership if you want to borrow from our collections - a small fee may apply and identification is required.