Bartlam Library tours

There will be a drop-in introduction to the Bartlam Library at 17:00 on Friday 4 October. Feel free to come along and have a look around and ask any questions you might have about using the library and other libraries in Cambridge.

We will be running bookable tours of the Bartlam Library in the weeks before and after the start of term, and you can also email the library to arrange a tour if the available times don't suit (subject to staff availability).

Books in the Bartlam Library

You are very welcome to borrow books from the library collection, and to suggest books for us to buy.

You may also be interested to know that we have a general reading collection shelved in the library common room and an academic skills & welfare collection shelved on one of the two lower-height bookcases on the first floor. There are also DVDs and portable DVD drives in the two lower-height bookcases.

Libraries in Cambridge

In addition to your college library, you have access to subject libraries and the University Library.

Your faculty or department should have information available to you about your subject library (or libraries), their services, and any introductory materials, guides, and tours. There are also bookable tours of the UL available.

You can also have a look at the library guide for your subject, which will include information about the most useful resources for your subject.

For more general information about the libraries available to you, have a look at the Cambridge Libraries library essentials guide or contact library staff here in Selwyn.

If you are looking for a library space in which to work, a good place to start is Spacefinder. This lists and maps locations in the University Library and subject libraries, together with some non-library and non-University spaces, and gives details on the nature of the space and any access requirements (with regular updates for current restrictions and their implications).

If you need a book, article, or book chapter that is not in Cambridge

If what you're looking for isn't available in Cambridge, you have a couple of options, depending on how urgently you need it: you can request that Cambridge libraries acquire it or you can get it on an interlibrary loan from another library that already has it (digital or print, depending on what you need).

To recommend that Cambridge libraries acquire something, use the request form. This can be used for Selwyn and for any Cambridge University library.

If you would like access to a chapter or article for your research, you can request a digital copy. if what you want is more than a single chapter or article, you should be able to request an interlibrary loan.

Top tips and useful extras

One first top tip would be to download Lean Library and LibKey Nomad as browser plug-ins. They authenticate you and deliver ebooks and articles where there is a Cambridge subscription or look for an open access version if not. Doing your searching through iDiscover can also help with authentication issues.

If the ebook link you find is a red "electronic legal deposit" link, this is an ebook you would need to read at a designated PC in the University Library or one of the subject libraries. Legal deposit books are available at the six copyright libraries in the UK and Ireland and have restrictions associated with them. If you'd like to learn more, there is a guide available on how and where to access them, with added information about context and alternatives.