Borrowing and Renewing

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE PRIVILEGES ASSOCIATED WITH BORROWING ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE

On this page:

• Categories of Collection
  • Open Shelf Collections
    • Undergraduate Lending Collection
    • Open Access Collection
  • Closed Access Collection - Stacks
  • Short Loan (Counter Reserve) Collection
  • Behind Counter Collection
  • Reference Collection
    • Journals
    • Theses
    • Other Material
  • Early Printed Books and Special Collections
  • Manuscripts and Archives Research Library Collections
• Categories of Reader
  • Undergraduates and Higher Diploma Students
  • Higher Degree Postgraduate Students
  • Certificate Students
  • Students Registered with Disability Services
  • Staff
    • Red/Green Stripe
    • Orange Stripe
    • Yellow Stripe
  • Visiting Readers
• Renewing
• Reserving
• Recalling

Whether readers can borrow material, and for how long, is dependent on their status in the University and the type of material.

Items must be returned to the Service Counter from which they are issued.

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Categories of Collections

Open Shelf Collections

The following are located in the reading rooms of the Berkeley/Lecky/Ussher (BLU), Hamilton and John Stearne Medical Libraries.

Undergraduate Lending Collection

Prefixes:

• LEN in BLU Libraries - four week or one week (with yellow spot) loan
• S-LEN in the Hamilton Library - one week loan
• SJ in the John Stearne Medical Library - one week loan
• MUS LEN in the Ussher Library - one week loan

In addition, not technically part of the Undergraduate Loan Collection, but available to all readers with borrowing privileges including undergraduates:

• P-MUS LEN in the Ussher Library - four week loan

Open Access Collection

Prefixes:

• Most Open Access material in the BLU has no prefix, simply the shelfmark
• Some material in the BLU has the legacy prefix ARTS
• No prefix in the Hamilton Library
• SJR in the John Stearne Medical Library

Closed Access Collection - Stacks

These items are in storage, either on campus or the Santry Book Repository, and must be requested using an Automated Stacks Request (ASR) or call slip.

Short Loan (Counter Reserve) Collection

These items are located by the Service Counters of the Berkeley (PDF 101KB), Hamilton (PDF 31KB) and John Stearne Medical Libraries (PDF 83KB). They may not be removed from the reading rooms of the library in which they are located (any reading room in the BLU for items borrowed from the Berkeley Library) - items are borrowed for use in the Library only.

• Students and staff may borrow up to four books (three books for staff with an orange stripe) from the Short Loan (Counter Reserve) Collection in addition to any other books they have borrowed
• Items are issued for five hours
• Must be returned to the appropriate Service Counter
• Heavy fines for late return

Behind Counter Collection

These items cannot be borrowed. They must be asked for at the Service Counters of the Berkeley (PDF 101KB), Hamilton (PDF 31KB) and John Stearne Medical Libraries (PDF 83KB) as appropriate.

Reference Collection

These items cannot be borrowed. Some material is available directly from reading rooms, some is in Closed Access.

Journals

Prefixes PER, SER

Theses

Prefix THESIS. More information on theses is available.

Other Material

DIR (in most cases)

VP

BAN

PAM

REF

BIB

OL

CAT

OPUB (in some cases)

Early Printed Books and Special Collections

These items cannot be borrowed, and may only be consulted in the Early Printed Books Reading Room.

Most items are in storage, either on campus or the Santry Book Repository, and must be requested using a call slip.

Manuscripts and Archives Research Library Collections

These items cannot be borrowed, and may only be consulted in the Manuscripts and Archives Research Library.

Categories of Reader

Undergraduates and Higher Diploma Students

These readers have a yellow stripe on their Trinity College Dublin ID cards. They may borrow:

• Four items from the Undergraduate Lending Collection
• Four items with the prefix P-MUS LEN (Printed Music)
• Four items from the Short Loan (Counter Reserve) Collection

Higher Degree Postgraduate Students

These readers have a blue stripe on their Trinity College Dublin ID cards. They may borrow:

• Ten items in total, normally from the Open Access or Closed Access (excepting Reference) Collections
• Borrowed Inter-Library Loan books count as part of this ten item allowance
• Four items from the Undergraduate Lending Collection as part of their ten books, if all other Open Access or Closed Access copies are borrowed
• Four items with the prefix P-MUS LEN (Printed Music)
• Four items from the Short Loan (Counter Reserve) Collection

Certificate Students

• Four items from the Short Loan (Counter Reserve) Collection may be borrowed at a time; these can only be used in the Library
• Five items may be ordered from Closed Access for consultation. Again, these can only be used in the Library

They may consult, but not borrow, all other material.

Students Registered with Disability Services

These readers may borrow:

• Eight items in total, including material from the Open Access or Closed Access (excepting Reference) Collections
• Borrowed Inter-Library Loan books count as part of this eight item allowance
• Four items from the Undergraduate Lending Collection as part of their eight books
• Four items with the prefix P-MUS LEN (Printed Music)
• Four items from the Short Loan (Counter Reserve) Collection

Staff

Red/Green Stripe

Staff with a red or green stripe, after they sign the Library Bond, may borrow:

• 20 items in total from the Open Access or Closed Access (excepting Reference) Collections. These books are lent for 12 weeks, but may be recalled by Library staff.
• Borrowed Inter-Library Loan books count as part of this 20 item allowance
• Four items with the prefix P-MUS LEN (Printed Music)
• Four items from the Short Loan (Counter Reserve) Collection

The Library Bond is an indemnity to pay €650 in the situation that books are damaged or not returned. The sum is not paid in advance.

Bond forms are either obtained at the Staff Office, or at the Admissions Counter, Berkeley Library (PDF 101KB) during its opening hours, and must be completed and returned to the Admissions Counter.

Orange Stripe

Weekly-paid staff have an orange stripe on their Trinity College Dublin ID cards. Those who are on permanent contracts and already employed by Trinity College Dublin for two years or more may apply for borrowing privileges.

• Three items in total from the Open Access or Closed Access (excepting Reference) Collections. These books are lent for four weeks at a time
• Three items from the Short Loan (Counter Reserve) Collection

Yellow Stripe

Staff with a yellow stripe may consult, but not borrow, Library material.

Visiting Readers

Visiting readers may consult, but not borrow, Library material.

Renewing

Items may be renewed for another loan period under certain circumstances. Students may repeat this for a total of seven renewals for one-week loan items, or one renewal for four-week loan items. LIBRARY STAFF CANNOT OVERRIDE THIS. After this the material must be returned to the Library, but may then be borrowed again.

Staff cannot renew items online, due to the extended length of borrowing time they are allowed. The material must be returned to the Library, but may then be borrowed again.

• Items cannot be renewed if a student has outstanding fines
• Items cannot be renewed if another reader has reserved the item

The Library recommends renewing items online via the reader's Library Account, which details items borrowed and current return date.

As renewing may be disallowed by another reader reserving an item, it may be prudent to renew books the day before they are due to be returned, to allow time to return the item and not incur a fine.

Items may also be renewed in person by bringing the item to the Service Counter from which they were issued.

Items cannot be renewed by telephone or e-mail. Readers are asked to not employ these methods.

Reserving

If an item is out on loan to a reader, Trinity College Dublin students can reserve it using the Online Catalogue. This means that those who currently have a copy of the item will not be able to renew it for another loan period, until one is returned.

Only items that a reader can borrow may be reserved. Staff need to make reservations in person at a Service Counter.

Recalling

Under certain circumstances, staff and students can ask Library staff to recall an item.

• Undergraduates may recall from both postgraduates and staff if needed for course reading
• Staff cannot recall from students, but may recall from another staff member once the item has been on loan for at least four weeks
• Postgraduate students cannot recall from undergraduate students, but may recall from another postgraduate or from staff if needed for course reading

To recall an item, contact the Library Recalls Officer. Include contact details, TCD ID number, title of item and shelfmark.