Borrowing

Universities at Medway students and staff are entitled to borrow a total of 16 items on their library account.

Many items are available to borrow for four weeks (ordinary loans). Others are identified as 7-day loans, overnight loans or study loans (which can be borrowed for short periods of time only). Some items are for reference, which means that they can only be used in the library where they are located.

All items in the Drill Hall, Avery Hill and Maritime Greenwich libraries are available to you and are listed on our catalogue. For details of how to use it, see the information on using the library catalogue.

Other Greenwich sites - Avery Hill and Maritime Greenwich

Items from the two other Greenwich libraries can be sent to the Drill Hall. Simply follow the same steps as reserving a book that is on loan (see below). Please allow three to five days for the item to arrive at the Drill Hall. We will send an email to your university account when it arrives – it can then be collected from the reservation shelves near the self-service machines. Items from other Greenwich site libraries can be renewed as usual and can be returned at any Greenwich site.

Other Kent/CCCU sites

Students from Kent can request items from the Templeman Library in Canterbury, and students from CCCU can request items from the site libraries in Canterbury (Augustine House), Broadstairs and Tunbridge Wells (Salomons).

First, check the catalogue for the Templeman Library or the CCCU libraries. Then complete an Inter-Libraries Request Form, available at the Drill Hall Welcome Desk, Student Support Zone or online. Hand the completed form in at the Welcome Desk and we will ask for the item to be sent to us, normally within three to five working days. We will send an email to your university account when it arrives.

Items borrowed from Kent or CCCU libraries must be returned to the Drill Hall Welcome Desk. They can be renewed at the Drill Hall or by phone on 01634 883905 between 9am and 5pm on weekdays.

Students from these institutions will also have a separate library account with Kent/CCCU and can visit their libraries in person to study, read and borrow books.

Journal articles

Paper journals are reference only and cannot be borrowed or transferred across library sites. You can, however, request a photocopy from journals held at the other Greenwich sites at Avery Hill and Maritime Greenwich.

Students and staff registered with Kent and CCCU can also request photocopies of journals held by their home institution’s other libraries.

Please note that due to copyright law you can only request one article per issue and this service covers only paper, not electronic, journals.

Collect an Inter-Libraries Request Form from the Drill Hall Welcome Desk, Student Support Zone or online. Make sure you include as much information as possible to help staff find the article. You must sign the copyright declaration on the form, otherwise we cannot supply the article to you.

We will send an email to your university account when the article arrives and you can collect it from the Welcome Desk.

Please note that photocopying journal articles is charged at 5p per A4 B&W page and 20p per A4 colour page. These charges are payable on collection.

Store

The Medway campus has an off-site storage facility. This contains some older journals, mostly connected to the Natural Resources Institute, and a collection of PhD theses from Greenwich.

If you wish to read something from the store, please complete an Inter-Libraries Request Form with the details of the journal/thesis you would like (theses are only available to Greenwich students and staff) – remember to circle Medway Store. A member of staff will retrieve the item for you to collect from the Welcome Desk. Please allow up to five working days.

Other libraries, including the British Library

Books and other items can also be borrowed from the British Library and other university libraries through our inter-library loans service. It is possible to visit other University libraries in person through a reciprocal access scheme.

Items can be renewed up to 50 times under normal circumstances.

You can renew loans using your student ID card, unless another borrower has reserved the item. Renew your loans using the self-service kiosks or My Library Account. For more information see our guide to Renewing Books Online.

Loans may be recalled if they are needed by another reader; please return these reserved books as soon as you can as you won’t be able to renew them. When one of the books you have on loan is reserved, we will email you to inform you. You can use My Account on the library catalogue to see your current loans. It is your responsibility to keep track of what you borrow, but ask staff if you need any help with this.

Books borrowed from the Drill Hall, Avery Hill and Maritime Greenwich libraries

Most books and other items can be returned to any of the Greenwich libraries (Drill Hall, Avery Hill or Maritime Greenwich) using the self-service machines. At the Drill Hall, these machines are located near the main entrance.

Please note that books borrowed through our inter-library loans service must be returned to the Welcome Desk.

Fines for late return of items

If you do not return or renew books by their due date, you will be charged fines until they are returned or renewed (all charges accrued will still be payable when the books are returned or renewed). These charges are:

• 30p per day for ordinary (four-week loan);
• 50p per day for 7-day loan; and
• 50p per hour for study/overnight loan books.

If fines on your account reach £15 we will send you an automated email alert to your university email address. If you allow your fines to reach £20 your account will automatically be blocked. If this happens, you will need to pay your fines to reactivate your account.

It is your responsibility to keep track of your books; as a courtesy we send an email reminder to you the day before books are due back. Consequently it is essential that you regularly check your university email account.

Fines are charged to ensure books are kept in circulation and are made available to others who need them. If you believe that fines have been charged that you should not have to pay (eg because you have been absent from university due to illness), you will need to complete a Fines Appeal form. This process ensures that everyone is treated equally and fairly. For more details, including invalid reasons for appealing against charges, see the Fines Appeal form.

Fines can be paid at the self-service machines by cash or card.

Books borrowed in person from other Kent or CCCU libraries

There is a book return box in the Drill Hall foyer for books borrowed directly from other Kent and CCCU sites. Please remember that it takes a few days for books to get back to their ‘home’ library and they will remain on your account until this time. Fines are charges at the rate set by the issuing library.

Any books borrowed using our inter-library loans service must be returned to the Welcome Desk.

If you find a book or other item that you want to borrow on the Library catalogue but all copies of it are on loan, you can reserve it to ensure that you get a copy when it is returned. Simply click on the Reserve this item button on the catalogue, enter your borrower number and click Reserve. Make sure that you choose Medway campus if you want to collect the item from the Drill Hall. We will send an email to your university account when the item arrives – it can then be collected from the shelves near the self-service machines.