Using other libraries
This information only applies to St Martin's College staff and students.
If you cannot find the material you want in St Martin's College library or if you live too far away to make it practical to visit the College library often, you may be able to use other libraries. Further down the page you will find details of reciprocal borrowing schemes and other special arrangements.
Don't forget that the St Martin's College library can obtain books and photocopies of articles for you from other libraries - please look at Interlibrary Loans or Information for Distance and Open Learners and Students on the London Campus.
NHS Employees and students on placement in the NHS
If you are employed by the NHS or are on placement in the NHS, please investigate what services and resources your local NHS library can offer you. You will have access to clinical databases and full text journals. You will need a separate Athensusername to access these - the Athens username you may have received from the College library will not allow you access to NHS resources. Please ask in your local NHS library for further information and advice on using these.
Before you visit another library for the first time, please check...
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...that you know where to go. Many large academic institutions have libraries on more than one site so, if this is the case, find out which site has the material you want.
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...whether the library will let you in when you get there. Many libraries will let you in for reference use of their material without any formalities but check in advance.
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...whether the library participates in any of the schemes listed below (some may give you borrowing rights) and, if so, are there any formalities you need to complete before you visit.
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...whether you need to bring anything with you, such as a letter from your home institution. Always have your St Martin's College library card with you as ID.
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...the opening hours. During the vacations, some libraries may be completely or partially closed to allow building works or stock moving - check the library's web site for up-to-date information.
You will usually find the relevant information and the library phone number on the library's web site. You may find the UK Active Map of Universities and HE Institutions useful in locating libraries and their web sites.
You can save yourself time by checking the availability, location and classmarks of material before your visit. The HERO Library page enables you to access the web catalogues (OPACs) of many libraries. A subject or keyword search of the catalogues of other libraries is useful for identifying libraries that stock material on your subject.
Reciprocal borrowing schemes and other special arrangements
Below are details of schemes and special arrangements enabling SMC students and staff to use other libraries. Some arrangements only apply to particular categories of student - check the details carefully. There is an extensive list of UK and Irish Republic national, regional and local access schemes on the SCONUL web site.
UK Libraries Plus scheme
St Martin's College is a member of this scheme. The following groups of St Martin's College-registered students are eligible to use it:
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Part-time undergraduate students
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Students on distance learning courses
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Postgraduate students (full- and part-time)
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Full-time students on a placement of six weeks or more.
You may join up to 3 other participating libraries as a borrower. You must be registered on a course (or research programme) leading to a University award running for a minimum of one year.
Staff and full-time undergraduate students may access other participating libraries on a reference only basis. Franchise students are not eligible to use the scheme.
Look at the UK Libraries Plus web page for a list of participating libraries.
Check the opening hours of the library you wish to visit on its web site. During the vacations, some libraries may be completely or partially closed to allow building works or stock moving. Please check the library's web site for up-to-date information. You will find links to the web sites of individual libraries on the UK Libraries Plus web site, under Member Libraries.
To join the scheme, you can do one of the following:
(N.B. The SMC libraries are those at Ambleside, Carlisle and Lancaster.)
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visit your SMC site library, fill out and have authorised an application form(s) or
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print out the application form (pdf format) and take or send it to your SMC library for them to authorise (there is also a copy on the UK Libraries Plus web site) or
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write, phone, fax or email your campus library and ask them to send you an application form(s), which you will then need to return to your campus library for authorisation.
Full-time students and staff wanting to use other libraries for reference just need to request a Reference Card from their campus library.
ALLIS: Accessing Lancashire Library and Information Services: Access for All
The ALLIS scheme is available to students and staff based at the Lancaster campus and facilitates access to other member libraries (and photocopying where available). It does not allow borrowing from the libraries (other than the public libraries). A printed leaflet is available from the Harold Bridges Library, giving access arrangements for public and academic libraries in the ALLIS partnership.The ALLIS web site gives you more information and links to the web sites of participating libraries.
Addlib Cumbria
Addlib Cumbria is a partnership between almost all the libraries in Cumbria. This means that if you are registered at any of the Addlib Cumbria libraries you can also use any of the other libraries in the Addlib scheme for reference and study purposes. Please look at the Addlib Cumbria web site for information on access to the participating libraries. The CHELPS scheme may allow you limited borrowing rights at other higher education libraries in Cumbria.
NoWAL: North West Academic Libraries
All staff and students of libraries within NoWAL have the right to gain access to other NoWAL libraries for reference purposes, on presentation of their SMC library card (with the exception of the Manchester Business School Library). If you are a student, you may be eligible to join with borrowing rights under the UKLP scheme.
Academic staff and research postgraduates can join NoWAL libraries with borrowing rights under the SCONUL Research Extra scheme.
Check the sites of individual NOWAL participating libraries for their opening hours and other local conditions . If you think you may need specialist help during your visit, it is best to contact libraries in advance.
CHELPS: Cumbria Higher Education Institutions Library Partnership Scheme
Library members from the participating higher education libraries in Cumbria may have limited borrowing rights from the other libraries for free. See the CHELPS web site for full details.
SCONUL Research Extra
St Martin's College is a member of this scheme. It is for academic staff on open or fixed term contracts and postgraduate research students registered for a PhD, MPhil or similar qualification awarded purely by research. It allows you to borrow from other member libraries. Ask in your campus library if you wish to join. Look at the SRX web site for further details, a list of participating institutions and a copy of the application form.
SCONUL Vacation Access Scheme
Undergraduate students and postgraduate students following taught courses will normally be granted reference use of other higher education libraries free of charge during the vacations of the host institution. Check the SCONUL Vacation Access web page for further information.
Lancaster University Library
You can use the library at Lancaster University for reference purposes free of charge. Before you go, please ask in the college library for an ALLIS: Access to All card.
Students on a full degree course can pay £20 a year to borrow books (3
at a time). To do this, you need to take a completed form from the St Martin's
College library, your library card and a passport photo.
N.B. Part time, distance learning and placement students can join and borrow
for free under the UK Libraries Plus scheme.
Taught postgraduate students can join for free under the NoWAL
scheme.
Teaching staff and research postgraduates can join for free under the SCONUL
Research Extra scheme.
You can check the Library
Catalogue on the web.
University of Central Lancashire Library, Preston
Please note: This summer, new shelving is being installed on the first floor of the Library building at the Preston campus of the University of Central Lancashire, followed by the moving of virtually every book in the Library. The main movement of stock will start on 26 June, with a target completion date of the 31 August. The library at UCLAN apologises to anybody who is inconvenienced by this programme; they will be doing their best to maintain services to their users throughout. You are advised to check their website or phone before making a special journey.
If you wish to use the UCLan library for reference purposes, please ask in the college library for an ALLIS: Access to All card, before you go.
St Martin's College staff and students (on courses of one term or longer) can
join and borrow on payment of £20 a year. You need to take your St Martin's
College library card, a letter from the College library confirming that you
are in good standing with the library and a passport size photo. Applications
can only be accepted during staffed hours (you are advised to phone UCLan Library
in advance on 01772-892279 to check) and will normally take a couple of days
to process.
N.B. Part time, distance learning and placement students can join and borrow
for free under the UK Libraries Plus scheme.
Taught postgraduate students can join for free under the NoWAL
scheme.
Teaching staff and research postgraduates can join for free under the SCONUL
Research Extra scheme.
You can check the Library
catalogue on the web.
Cumberland Infirmary, The Education Centre Library
Carlisle (tel: 01228-814879)
West Cumberland Hospital, Education Centre Library
Whitehaven (tel: 01946 523826 )
Students and staff in the Faculty of Health and Social Care are entitled to join these libraries. Please check the Whitehaven and North Cumbria NHS Library and Web Services web sites for further information.
Furness General Hospital, Barrow
Staff and students based at the SMC Barrow site and students on placement in the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust can join the Education Centre Library at Furness General Hospital. Please see the Barrow page for more information.
Royal Lancaster Infirmary, The Education Centre Library
Ashton Road (tel: 01524-516021 email: rli.library@mbht.nhs.uk)
Staff and students can join the Education Centre Library under the pilot P2P scheme.
P2P: Passport to Partnership scheme
Cumbria and Lancashire Health Libraries Passport Scheme
This is being run as a pilot scheme from 1st September 2006 - 31st August 2007. It enables St Martin's students and staff to join and borrow from participating NHS libraries in Cumbria and Lancashire. Please look at the P2P Directory for information on the libraries and conditions of use. If you wish to join a participating NHS library, please ask in the College library for an application form or download one here. Please complete it and return it to the College library for authorisation.
Tower Hamlets Schools Library Service
If you are based at St Martin's College London Tower Hamlets, you can join and borrow from this library. Please look at the Tower Hamlets Schools Library Service web site for more information - click on St Martin's College for information specific to St Martin's students and tutors.
Woolwich Polytechnic
Students on the SMC European Teacher Programme can join the Polytechnic Learning Resources Centre.
Queen Mary, University of London
Students based at SMC Tower Hamlets and on the European Teacher Programme at Woolwich Polytechnic can use the library at Queen Mary for reference. For further information, please look at the European Teacher Programme, Tower Hamlets campus and Queen Mary web pages.
Diocesan Resources Centre, West Walls, Carlisle
A collection of resources on religious education, theology, youth and children's
work. St Martin's students and staff can register to borrow.
email: dir-educ@carlisle-c-of-e.org
or phone 01228 538086 for further information.
Local public libraries
You are eligible to join the library service of the area you live and/or work in. Many public library services (including Cumbria and Lancashire) have catalogues which you can search on the web.
Please look at the UK Public Libraries web site for more information and links to web catalogues.
Health and social care students can make use of the NHS-Public Library Partnership which offers access to PCs and online resources, printed material and support for your information needs from public libraries in the North West.
The Cumbria Social Care Specialist Library is housed in the main public library in Carlisle and can be accessed at Carlisle or via your local public library, as long as you are a Cumbria public library member - you can join online. Check the Cumbria Libraries website for further information and to check the library catalogue.
If you have any queries about the information on this page, please contact Margaret Gill: MAGill@ucsm.ac.uk or 01524-384254.