Infozone is an interactive introduction to the services, facilities, resources and support you can expect from Learning Services.  It forms part of your induction but it can be a handy reference tool to use throughout your time here.   Infozone is made up of six sections which you can work through in order or dip in and out of as required, and includes:

• Interactive quizzes
• Guided searches of the Library Catalogue and key electronic databases
• Videos
• Campus Tours

It is available through Blackboard, the University’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).

When looking for resources to support your learning, the best place to start is the library catalogue. The catalogue allows you to search for items in the library and gives you easy, free access to thousands of electronic books, journals and databases.
Use the catalogue to renew and reserve items and see what you have borrowed – look out for the printed ‘How do I…?’ guides throughout the library for more information.

You can access the catalogue 24/7 via the GO Portal

Although many of the resources you need for your studies can be accessed electronically at a time and place to suit you, the University Library provides a physical space where you can study, get help and advice, and of course borrow books.

The library is laid out over three floors, with each floor offering different resources, facilities and study areas.

Our books and audio-visual items are organised according to the Dewey Decimal System.  This is a system of numbers which groups books on a similar subject together.  You can find bookmark guides in the library listing the Dewey numbers that are relevant to your area of study.

There are two Help Desks in the University library, one on the ground floor and one on the top floor and also one on the ground floor of  the LINC building.  Staff at these desks will be only too happy to help you with your queries, from how to find information for your studies to reporting IT problems.  You can also get in touch with us by phone on 01695 58(4286) or email via lsdesk@edgehill.ac.uk.

Please remember, Learning Services staff are there to help you so if you need any assistance, just ask!

All staff and students on full, part-time or distance learning courses are entitled to access Learning Services resources and facilities.

Students

Students enrolled on a course at Edge Hill University will receive:

• A Unicard that acts as your student identification and can be used to borrow material at any of our sites, including media loans from the LINC building
• A Username and password to access the Edge Hill University computer network
• An email account that can be accessed on and off campus

Students must produce their confirmation letter with their student ID number to obtain a Unicard. Cards will not be produced without this letter.

Staff

A new member of staff should either:

• Be introduced by their line manager in person to a Learning Services help desk at any site OR
• Bring a letter of introduction from their line manager, or a copy of their contract to a Learning Services help desk at any site
• Ask their Line manager to email the Lending Services Manager confirming that you are employed by Edge Hill University. You and your line manager will receive a reply asking you to come into the Library to arrange your account.
• Learning Services staff will then set up your library account.
• To get access to the Edge Hill University computer network staff need to contact I.T. Services

This is the maximum number of items that you are allowed to borrow from the Library, but does not include media equipment (allocation of a further 10 items).

Each item in Learning Services collections has an allocated loan period, generally indicated by a coloured sticker that reflects the anticipated demand on that item. These are as follows

• Overnight Loan (blue sticker)
• 1 week loan (red sticker)
• 3 week loan (no sticker)
• 12 week loan (green sticker)
• No Loan / Reference Material (yellow sticker)

You should return all items on or before the due date stamped on the date label, or printed on your receipt from the self-issue machines, University Library Ormskirk.

• Items can be returned to any University Library.
• A book returns box is available at each site so that items can be returned outside of our normal open hours.
• Fines are charged on items that are not returned or renewed before the due date.

Items that you have on loan can be renewed provided that: 

• Someone else has not requested them
• That they have not had the maximum number of renewals
• They are not overdue

There are 3 ways to renew:

• Using the Library Catalogue - click on My Account and sign in
• By telephone on 01695 584333
• At any Library Helpdesk

Learning Services will send you a courtesy reminder by email, 2 days before an item is due back as a prompt for you to renew or return the item.

Renewal Limits

There is a limit to the number of times an item can be renewed using a combination of telephone renewals and the Library Catalogue.
After renewal limits have been met, the item must be taken to a help desk, at any site, for return or renewal. The current renewal limits are:

To encourage the prompt return of items fines are imposed for late return. Our current rates:

• The maximum fine is currently £5 per item.
• Learning Services will send you 2 reminders when an item becomes overdue.
• You will not be allowed to borrow if you have a fine of £10 or more.
• If an item is not returned it will progress to the Invoice stage.

Overdues and Invoices category - please replace existing text with this;

When the 2nd overdue is sent, access to "My Account" on the Library catalogue and use of the self service machines are blocked. You will not be able to renew your books online or via the automated telephone service. You must phone the Help line on 01695 584286 and these items will be renewed over the phone.

Overdue items that are not returned will result in an invoice being raised. You will receive an e-mail which is sent to your University e-mail address. You will be charged the replacement cost of any lost items or you can replace with an exact new copy of the item.

Failure to pay an invoice, or return the item will result in the loss of computer access, and may jeopardise graduation.

If items haven't been returned or the invoice paid within 1 month of the invoice being sent out, all computer access will be blocked until the matter is resolved. This means that you will not be able to access Blackboard.

We send library messages by university email so remember to check your email account.

Learning Services welcomes staff and students from other institutions, and members of the public to use our services and facilities for study and reference purposes, and in some cases for borrowing. We participate in a number of reciprocal schemes, locally and nationally, that allows others to access the University’s facilities. Link to access to other libraries pages here.

Students and staff wishing to access Edge Hill University Libraries will need to provide the relevant documentation depending on the scheme that they wish to join:

• E.g. SCONUL Access - an endorsed SCONUL Access card and library card from your home institution
• ALLIS - an endorsed application form from your library service provider Can we link these back to the access to other libraries pages

Under the arrangements for reciprocal borrowing you can:

• Borrow 5 items from the 3 week loan stock only
• Access all stock for reference purposes
• Use self-service photocopying facilities at a cost of 5p per copy
• Seek staff assistance from any of our help desks
• Access user guides and support documentation

The service excludes:

• Items from our Education Resource Collection, one week and overnight loans, inter-library loans and CD-Roms
• Network access

• Graduates of Edge Hill University are eligible to apply for membership.
• On registration applicants will receive a Unicard and access to the Edge Hill University network.
• This excludes access to electronic resources from home.
• The cost for Alumni membership is currently £70 per annum, or £20 per quarter.
• Your network account will be available within 48 hours of application.

This category is available to:

• Open University students
• A student on a course with no alternative library support
• NHS Trust staff who are not based at Aintree campus but live local to Edge Hill University Libraries
• Someone who has a justifiable need and no alternative library support

The fee for external membership is £100 per annum (£50 if unwaged) or £30 per quarter.

Any company or organisation may join Learning Services on an annual subscription. Those wishing to join the scheme should contact:

If you need an item which is not in stock in any of our libraries, and is not available via our electronic resources, you may request an Inter Library Loan.

We will do our best to obtain it for you either from the British Library or from another location through either the national or international inter-library loan network. All requests are currently charged at £1 and this charge is non-refundable. This payment needs to be made when you request the item/s you want.

• All members of staff, researchers and postgraduates and Undergraduates can currently access the service.
• Inter Library Loan requests are only available for materials to support the teaching and learning needs of Edge Hill University Students and Staff.

Each individual is allocated a fixed number of Inter Library Loan requests for each academic year. The quotas are:

If your work is such that you need requests above and beyond your allocated quota, please contact a member of the ILL team.

You can ask for almost any sort of printed materials:

• Books
• Journal articles
• Conference proceedings
• Theses
• Reports
• Book chapters
• Whole issues of journals etc

Please check the library catalogue before you make an ILL request to ensure that the item you require is not available.

• If we do not have the item you need, please check the Copac website. If the item is not listed on this web-site, it is unlikely we will be able to obtain the item through the Inter- Library Loan Service.
• Please don’t request items already in stock at Edge Hill University, as this slows down genuine requests.

If the book you require is part of the Library Catalogue, but is already out on loan to another reader, please request the book using 'My Account'.

• Edge Hill University charges £1 for each request.
• If you are a member of staff or a Researcher – you can re-charge this amount back to your Department. Each Department sets their own limits for their staff for each year. This information is available on request.
• Each ILL costs the library an average of £10+, so please think carefully before you make a request.
• Please ensure you have checked the Library Catalogue to ensure we do not stock the item, and that you have checked Copac to see if it is obtainable from the British Library.

The supply of Theses from the British Library has changed.

• EThOS: Electronic Theses Online Service is a new service giving you access to UK doctoral theses. You now request all UK doctoral theses directly from the EThOS Service.
• The British Library in association with Higher Education institutions in the UK will provide online access to the full text of UK doctoral theses through EThOS.
• You can search for all the 250,000 UK theses currently listed in the British Library Catalogue and you can download any of the 12,000 full text theses that are already held in EThOS. More theses will be added in digital format to the EThOS database as they are received.

EThOS will replace the current British Theses Service; microfilms will no longer be available from the British Library.

EThOS is online at http://ethos.bl.uk
To read or download theses you must register with EThOS:

• You need to  register with EThOS yourself
• You need to search the database yourself
• If you need help, please contact the Inter Library Loan team (mailto:ills@edgehill.ac.uk)
• Before you can download a thesis you must accept the terms and conditions of use. They protect the rights of the author or other rights owners

If the doctoral thesis you want is held by EThOS you can download it immediately free of charge.

• If EThOS doesn't hold the thesis ready for immediate download, you can request it through the EThOS website. Whenever a thesis is requested EThOS will contact the higher education institution where the thesis is held to try to arrange for a free digital copy of the thesis to be made available for download through EThOS; it will keep you informed of the status of your request. When the thesis is made available EThOS will advise you by email.
• If a digitised version of a thesis can't be made available, EThOS will tell you. In that case you can then submit an inter-library loan request to us in the usual way and we will try to obtain the original copy of the thesis direct from the institution that holds it.
• As an optional service from EThOS, you can choose to order a printed copy of the thesis you want or a copy on CD/DVD. EThOS makes a charge for this service which you have to pay yourself.Payment can be made by credit card on the EThOS website.

If you have any further questions about this new service - please email the ILL Team, who will be happy to answer your questions.

• Check the Library Catalogue first, to see if we have the item in our stock
• Log in to http://library.edgehill.ac.uk/
• Click on My account
• Log in using your student number from your Unicard (this starts with either a 1 or 2) and your network password
• OR Log in using your library number and pin (for staff only)
• Search for the items you require
• If we do not have the item please print out one of the forms below :

Paid request [PDF]

Re-charge form [PDF] – we are in the process of updating these – we will have them finished by the launch of the web-site

• Fill in request details as fully and accurately as you can. The more detail you can provide the better. If you have seen the item advertised elsewhere, please include this source of information e.g Amazon, Newspaper, Journal etc.
• Make sure you have provided us with full up to date contact details (address and e-mail). Most photocopied items will be sent to the address you provide (or e-mail address if you use the SED service).
• Please ensure that you sign the form (we need this because of Copyright law) and return to us either by post or e-mail the ILL Team.
• If there is a date after which the item will no longer be of any use to you, please state this on the request form. This saves us the cost of obtaining items which are no longer required.

How do I make a request if I don't have access to a Home PC?

Inter Library Loan request forms are available from the help desk at all University Library sites.

• Please search the Library Catalogue first – remember all requests are charged and non-refundable
• Please help us to help you by writing clearly, and filling in as many details as possible.
• If you are applying for a photocopy of an article, paper, or chapter, please remember to sign the copyright declaration
• Completed forms can be handed back to the desk, or sent to us by post.

• The Secure Electronic Delivery (SED) service is available to all users of the service.
• By choosing the SED option means that, where possible, documents will be delivered to you by email instead of through the post.
• Please note that in order to use this service; you must have Adobe Reader 6 or higher on your computer.
• SED requests will be available to you to view for 14 days following delivery, and may only be printed off once.
• The PDF file can only be opened on 1 computer – so please make sure that you open this on your home or office computer.

Please allow a minimum of two weeks. Most straightforward requests will arrive within this time, but others may take much longer. Unfortunately, we are not able to give any guarantees on arrival time as this is entirely dependent on how easy the item is to locate, and how quickly the lending location is able to respond. It is always best to allow plenty of time.

• Photocopied articles will be yours to keep, and, where possible, will be posted directly to the preferred delivery address you have stated.
• Staff and all students may choose to have documents delivered electronically (SED).
• When a loan item is available for collection, you will be notified straight away via your Edge Hill GroupWise e-mail account.
• All loanable items should be collected from the library you placed your request at. Most may be taken out, but a few libraries stipulate that items they lend must be kept inside the library building.
• If you have placed an inter library loan request, please make sure that you collect it. If you no longer require an item, please let us know.
• Sometimes an item will be recalled by the lending library before the original due date. Where this happens, we will inform you of the recall and a new due date. Please note that overdue charges will start to accrue if the item is not returned by this new date.

When you collect your loan, the date it is issued to is attached to the book. This is the day the book must be returned by. However everything is subject to immediate recall during this extension period. However, all photocopies are yours to keep.

Sorry, the majority of items obtained are from the British Library and these cannot be renewed

• It is essential that we do not jeopardise future services by losing books which are lent to us, or returning them late.
• The British Library imposes a minimum charge of £135 for lost or seriously overdue items, and other lending locations will charge as they see fit.
• Any such charges will be passed on to you, the borrower.

Because ILL items do not belong to Edge Hill University, it is especially important that they are returned on time. Late returns may jeopardise our future use of any lending location.

All ILL’s should be returned at the help desks and not on the Self Return machines. Any items that are lost will result in you being fined for the replacement cost by the Original Lending Library.

• Overdue publications are charged at a rate of 50p per day on ILLs
• Any additional charges made by the lending libraries for lost or unreturned items will be passed directly to the user
• The British Library charges at least £135 for lost or very late items

Once you have returned an item you are able to place a second hold on that title. However you have to wait a month before you can submit your second request. Due to the nature of this material, you may have to wait longer if there is a heavy demand for these items from other users and other Libraries.

The scheme provides access at over 170 universities across the country, and enables Staff, research students, part-time, distance learning, placement students, full time taught post graduate students to borrow from university libraries in the area that they live. Full time Undergraduate students can apply for reference access only. Full details can be found here.

To apply for a Sconul Access Card please download this form, complete it and return to a Library help desk. Alternatively post the completed form back to us at:

• On receipt, we will post your Sconul Card out to you.
• To use this service you need to have a Unicard, as you will be asked to present this along with your Sconul Access Card at the Institution you wish to use.
• Please check on the Sconul Web-site to see if you need to take any other additional information with you on your first visit.
• Full details of how to apply for a UNIcard can be found here.

• Inspire is a national scheme which is available to all.
• Academic, Public, health and Specialist Libraries have come together to allow everyone to have reference access to their collections.
• Details for use are on the find it! website.

• The scheme facilitates access to HE, FE and Public Libraries across the region.
• As a member of Edge Hill you can be referred for reference access to another participating site.
• Further details and information about other collections are available via the ALLIS web pages.
• Application forms and membership cards are available from any Edge Hill Library Help Desk.

• Offers external membership to full-time Edge Hill students at a cost of £20 per annum.
• You will need to take your Unicard, a letter confirming you are a current Edge Hill student in good standing, and a passport sized photo.
• You are advised to check Lancaster's website for details of opening hours and staff availability.

The links below provide access to the home pages and catalogues of public and academic libraries, locally and nationally.

Of particular interest is The British Library. It holds millions of books, journals and newspaper titles, and sound recordings covering a wide range of topics. Full details of The British Library catalogue, and how to apply for a Readers Pass can be found here.

Local Public Libraries

Online access to the home pages of libraries in the North West

• Lancashire County Council - Public Libraries
• Liverpool City Council - Public Libraries
• Knowsley Council- Public Libraries
• Sefton Council - Public Libraries
• Wirral Council - Public Libraries

Academic Libraries

•  Library Catalogues in UK Higher Education
•  Copac Research Libraries
•  BOPAC2
•  UK Library Web Pages
•  LibWeb

National Libraries

•  British Library           
•  Library of Congress
•  National Library of Australia
•  Bibliotheque Nationale de France
•  National Library of Canada

Public Libraries

•  UK Public Libraries
•  Public Record Office

• Load the Edge Hill home page
• Click on LoginClick on Login and sign into the Go Portal
• Select Library from the tabs at the top of the screen
• You are now in the Library catalogue
• Click on My Account
• Enter your Student ID number and your Network password
• For staff enter your Library number and your PIN
• By doing this you will be able to access all of the Library Catalogue’s functions without being asked to type in your details again.

A basic search option is available on the first screen of the Edge Hill Library Catalogue

Looking for something specific?

To search for a specific item (i.e. an item from a reading list):

• Select the format you wish to search in, e.g. Title, Author, by clicking on the drop-down option, and enter your search term, e.g. Blood Pressure, in the text box
• You can search the whole Catalogue, or limit your search to a specific location, e.g. Aintree, by clicking on the drop-down option
• Click Go
• A results list will be displayed. Searching by title will find items of that title, or that contain your search term.
• Click on a title for further details - location and availability
• To find an item on the shelves, make a note of the location and class number.

Not sure what you're looking for?

Use keyword search to find items that contain your search term in the title or subject field.

• Select Keyword from the drop-down option
• Enter your search term, e.g. media studies in the text box
• Click Go
• A results list will be displayed showing item location, availability and material type
• Click on a title for the location and class number
• You can limit your search to find available items

You can also search for reading lists online by module code – by selecting Module code in the first drop down box and typing in your Module code. We collect reading lists from Faculty areas to populate this area, if your list isn’t available, ask your lecturer to send their reading list to the Library.

You can compile a list of items you are interested in, then email the list to yourself, or request the items

• Click in the white box next to the title, then click Save Marked Records. Or click, Save to Book Cart
• To view the list click View Saved
• To Email the list to your account click Export Saved, and enter your email address
• To request your saved records click Multiple Requests and enter your username and password
• Select Request Available, or Request Selected
• A message will be displayed informing you of the result

If an item you need is out on loan, or available at another site, you can request it using the Library Catalogue.

When you have found an item that you want:

• Click Request
• Log in as prompted
• Select the site you want to collect your request from - choose a Pickup Location from the drop-down menu
• If the item that you want will be of no use to you after a certain date, enter the date in the Cancel if not filled by... option
• Click Submit

A message will be displayed informing you of the result. If there is a problem please contact 01695 584286.

When the item becomes available you will be sent notification via your Edge Hill email account asking you to collect the item within 7 days.

If you no longer require an item that you have requested you can cancel the hold yourself using the Edge Hill Library Catalogue.

Use My Library to view the items that you have requested and want to cancel:

• Click My Account and Log in
• My Record displays the number of items you have on Hold
• Click on the link to view the list and scroll down hte screen
• Click the box next to the title that you want to cancel
• Click Cancel Selected, the Hold will be cancelled

This allows you to check the following information:

• How many items you have out on loan, and when they are due for return or renewal
• Whether you have any overdue items, or any outstanding fines
• If items that you have requested are ready for collection
• My Reading History - allows you to check what items you have previously borrowed

To check your library record:

• Click My Account on the left hand side of the screen and log in

Patron Record displays the total number of items that you currently have on loan. Click on the link and scroll down to view the items, the date they are due for return, and any fines that may be owing.

• To renew all the items you have on loan click Renew All
• To renew selected items click in the white box next to each item, then click Renew Selected
• The items will be renewed and the new due date will be displayed
• If there has been a problem with the renewal Renew not allowed will be displayed in red type - contact Learning Services for more details.
• You will be unable to renew an item if it has been requested by someone else, or if you have renewed the item the maximum number of times