Student Services: Library Catalogue

The library catalogue can be confusing for both the first years and the third years, but here is a very basic easy guide on how to use the online library catalogue the University of Cumbria provides.

The library catalogue can be accessed easily from the ‘current students’ section on the University of Cumbria website here: www.cumbria.ac.uk/InformationFor/CurrentStudents/Home.aspx

From here you should be greeted with the library catalogue homepage: 

The search bar will allow you to search for any book you are looking in the topic or subject you are looking to research. If you do not know specifically the exact book you are looking for it is advisable to search keywords or phrases.

I have used; for example, ‘William Wordsworth’ for my search and I am presented with a list of results.

From here, select books that you feel are relevant to your search and list the lending collection number which will usually appear as a series of numbers and letters e.g. 821.7/Wor

There are occasions when the book you require may not be available at Lancaster campus, but accessible from other University of Cumbria campuses such as Carlisle for example. There is a reservation process and the selected book will become available at Lancaster campus. This is as simple as clicking ‘reserve’ on the webpage.

From here the library staff will notify you when the book becomes available at Lancaster campus, where you can get it from a section in the library designated for reserved books. This is easy to find as it is in the main entrance of the library, but if you are unsure there is always a member of staff available to help you, don’t be afraid to ask!

If you do not have direct access to the library at the time you are checking for the books you need, you can easily login to your account and create a list of the book you wish to get, and save it for later. This means when you login you your library account the list of books will be already therefore you, making the process faster when finding the books.

This step to step post has been designed to make your library browsing easier, and remember, the library books are split into different sections also so finding the books becomes easier again. If you need help, always ask a member of staff as they are there to help you.