Home | Help contents | Find a library help <<
Click on a question below for help:
- Is Visit a Library an access scheme?
- Why do I need to declare my institutional affiliation?
- Why do I need to declare my user category?
- What access schemes are used within the M25 Consortium?
- How are the search results displayed?
- What do I do after I've obtained my search results?
- Where can I find further details about the M25 Consortium libraries?
- How can I search the library catalogues of the institutions I may access?
- How should I report errors or problems?
A full index of faq pages is also available.
Is Visit a Library an access scheme?
No! It is only a mechanism to provide information about the various local agreements and national schemes that operate within the M25 Consortium (see below). Thus Visit a Library should not be regarded or referred to as an access scheme.
Why do I need to declare my institutional affiliation?
To find out which libraries you may be eligible to visit, you first must specify your institutional affiliation. To do this, click on the down-arrow symbol at the right of the institution box in Step 1 to reveal the full list of M25 Consortium institutions. Highlight the relevant entry using either the cursor or your keyboard's down-arrow key, and select that entry by pressing the Return key or the left-hand mouse button.
(If you are not affiliated to any of the M25 Consortium institutions listed, simply select the "Other" category at the bottom of the list.)
You should then proceed to select the relevant user category, which is described in the following question.
Why do I need to declare my user category?
The types of service available to users may vary according to their status category (staff, part-time undergraduate, etc.). For the purposes of Visit a Library, three core services have been identified:
- Reference access to all or specified collections within a library;
- The opportunity to borrow a limited number of items;
- The opportunity to reserve a limited number of items that may already be in use by one or more other readers, or that may need to be retrieved from a store or other closed-access facility.
It is imperative therefore that you correctly identify yourself. (Please note that many institutions will require documentary proof of your status. Further details for any library will be given in your search results.)
To make your selection, click on the down-arrow symbol at the right of the user-category box in Step 2 to reveal the full list. Highlight the relevant entry using either the cursor or your keyboard's down-arrow key, and select that entry by pressing the Return key or the left-hand mouse button.
Assuming that you have already specified your institutional affiliation, you may now proceed to execute your query by pressing the Search button.
What access schemes are used within the M25 Consortium Libraries?
Every institution within the M25 Consortium utilises a number of national and local access agreements. These are listed below. Where relevant, you are strongly advised to visit the scheme web pages to get authoritative information on their scope and application.
- SCONUL Access
- SCONUL Access is a co-operative venture between most of the higher education libraries of the UK and Ireland.
It enables staff, research students, full time postgraduates and part-time, distance learning and placement
students to borrow material from other libraries.
- SCONUL Vacation Access Scheme
- Participating institutions within the United Kingdom and Ireland "will
normally" allow undergraduate and taught postgraduate students to obtain
reference access to their collections during the host institution's
vacation periods.
- M25 Access and Borrowing Scheme
- Enables staff and postgraduate research students from selected M25 institutions
to obtain access to and borrow from the libraries of participating M25 institutions.
This scheme is restricted to those M25 institutions that are ineligible
to join the SCONUL Research Extra scheme.
- University of London Access Arrangement
- Selectively extends reference and borrowing facilities to specified categories
of students and staff within the institutions of the University of London. Each
institution's library service will detail its particular application of
the arrangement.
- Institutional bi-lateral agreements
- Various formal agreements exist between particular member institutions
of the M25 Consortium. These may offer a broader than usual range of library
facilities to, for example, students following specified courses or to the
teaching and research staff of designated faculties.
- Institutional public access policies
- These are intended primarily for individuals and organisations not otherwise included in the above schemes and agreements. They may apply, for example, to members of the public and to those undertaking commercial research.
How are the search results displayed?
Results are available in brief and full formats. Once you have executed your search, you will be presented with a brief, summary list of all the institutions to which you may be able to obtain access. Each of the institutional name entries in this list is a link to fuller information on the relevant access schemes operated by that institution. You may be eligible to access an institution under the terms of more than one scheme, so the details of several may be displayed. Each of these full entries will describe, for example, what types of service are available to you, and what proofs of identity you may need to present.
What do I do after I've obtained my search results?
Once you have obtained your results and identified the institutions that you would like to visit, you are strongly recommended to confirm your eligibility. You may do this by contacting personally the relevant library service(s) or by viewing their institutional access-policy web pages. Contact information is provided in the full Visit a Library results display for each institution, or is available from the Find a library service.
You may also wish to discuss your eligibility or entitlements with library staff at your own institution.
Where can I find further details about the M25 Consortium libraries?
Information on the principal libraries of every M25 Consortium member institution can be found in the Find a library service. This includes subject coverage, contact and location details.
How can I search the library catalogues of the institutions I may access?
Once you have submitted a search, the results display will list the institutions to which you may obtain access. Near the top of both the brief and full results displays, you will find a link inviting you to search the relevant library catalogues. This will transfer you to the InforM25 Search catalogues service, with the identified institution(s) already selected as part of your search criteria. You may then proceed to enter your query and simultaneously search the catalogues. (A separate help page is available giving further information on this facility.)
How should I report errors or problems?
If you identify what you believe to be errors in the information displayed in your search results, please report them to the M25 Support Team. The relevant institution(s) will be informed, and Visit a library revised as necessary.
After viewing this help page, if you still have difficulties interpreting the information in the results display, please consult a member of staff at your own library or at the library you are seeking to visit.