LibrarySearch has changed
29 July 2016
We’ve implemented our new library management system, which has enabled us to offer improvements to our services and to the way you see information in LibrarySearch. The search options and initial results screens remain the same, but the numbers and availability for each title are displayed together in the ‘Find & Request’ tab:
No need to renew your loans
Most of your loans will be renewed automatically, provided they haven’t been requested by anyone else. Two-hour and four-hour loans won’t renew automatically: you will need to return them by the due date and time.
Will I still be able to renew them on LibrarySearch?
You won’t find a renew option on LibrarySearch, because you won’t need to use it.
Will I be able to contact library staff and ask them to renew my loans?
Library staff won’t be able to renew your loans, because this will stop the automatic renewal. So please don’t think we’re being unhelpful: we’re just making sure that your items continue to renew (until they’re requested of course!).
What about returning my loans?
You can still return your loans at any time before the due date, and to any Cardiff University library.
Automatic renewal means fewer fines
We’ll only be charging fines on items requested by another borrower, that you haven’t returned by the due date: and also the two- and four-hour loans, because these are in high demand.
How will I know if one of my items has been reserved?
If you check the My Library Account tab in LibrarySearch, you’ll see ‘Not renewable’ in the ‘Status’ column on the right of the screen:
We’ll also send you an email if your item has been requested, so you’ll know that it won’t be renewed, and must be returned by the due date. We won’t shorten the loan period, so you’ll be able to keep the book until the due date, and then return it to any Cardiff University library.
What happens if the request is cancelled?
If the request for your book is cancelled, we’ll let you know: the book should be renewed automatically again, but you should always be prepared to return a requested book.
We’d also advise against leaving the Cardiff area with any 1 day, 3 day or 1 week loan items, unless you know that you can return them to us if they’re requested.
Automatic renewal means you may need to request the books you need
If all copies of the item you need are on loan, we’d advise that you request it, rather than rely on a copy being returned.
How do I do this? I always found it difficult to request multiple copies in the past
It’s much clearer and easier to request a book in LibrarySearch now: just make sure that you’re signed in, and then click on the ‘Request’ option in the ‘Find & Request’ tab:
If the book is available for more than one loan period, you can select the one you’d prefer, and then you must select a library in ‘Pickup Location’. Then scroll down the screen, and click on the orange ‘Request’ button.
Do I have to select the library that holds the book I’m requesting?
No, you can select any library in the list, and the book will be sent there for you to collect.
How long will that take?
If the book is available (i.e. on the shelf), we anticipate a minimum of 24 hours to send the book from one site to another, depending on demand.
What if I need the book urgently and can’t wait that long?
If the book is on the shelf in the other library and you need it urgently, we’ll always advise you that it would be quicker for you go directly to that library. If the book is on loan, then we’d advise requesting the shortest loan period.
Just to be clear, does this mean that we can request books that aren’t on loan? I didn’t think we could do this?
Yes, you can request any book to be sent to any Cardiff University library for collection.
How will I know when to collect it?
We’ll send an email to your Cardiff University email account, and you’ll have 2 days to collect it.
View your loan history
You can view a list of all items you’ve borrowed previously, from the ‘My Library Account’ tab:
