The Jerwood Library is self-service. To borrow books, please use the self-issue machine (SIU) in the Library entrance hall. You will need your blue Cambridge University ID card to borrow items.

Please view the How to use the self-issue machine video or guide for instructions on how to use the book checkout machine:

Sometimes you may be blocked from borrowing. Find out more about possible blocks here.

You can return books 24/7 using the book returns box just outside the library. Items will be returned each morning Mon-Fri. During library opening hours you can also use the self-issue machine to return Trinity Hall library books and DVDs by selecting this icon on the touch screen:

All  books that have been returned using the machine should be placed in the returns box below the desk that the machine is on.

All current undergraduates, graduate students, Fellows and staff of the College with an active Cambridge University ID card may borrow up to 15 books and a maximum of 5 DVDs at one time.

Books are issued for an initial 7 day period for undergraduates and an initial 28 day period for graduates and staff. As long as no-one else requests that you return the item(s), they will automatically be renewed.

You can login into your library account (link opens in new window) at any time to see what items you have on loan and when they are due back.

During term, if you need an item that's on loan to someone else, you can log in to iDiscover and use the ‘request’ option to ask for it to be returned.

If a book is recalled, the person who has the book on loan receives an automatic email notification straight away letting them know that they should return the book to the library within 3 days (excluding weekends). You will be notified as soon as the item is returned and available to collect from the library. You will have 7 days to pick it up, after which it will go back on the library shelves.

During the vacation, items you have on loan should not be able to be requested and they will continue to auto renew. The dates for the switch to vacation borrowing are available here.

Please note that you can only recall books on loan from libraries that you are registered with.

Your loans will be automatically renewed on the library system 3 days before they are due, so you do not need to worry about renewing the items yourself. 

You will receive an email courtesy notice if items cannot be automatically renewed due to a recall request, in which case the books must be returned. 

The automatic renewal process will continue until you leave the University, at which point, you must return all of your library books. You will receive a monthly statement showing your library loans and overdue items, sent from:

DO-NOT-REPLY@lib.cam.ac.uk. 

If you have 2 or more overdue recalled items loaned from ANY library then your card will be blocked from borrowing until the requested items are returned.

It is recommended that you check your library account regularly to keep track of your loans. You can see what you have borrowed by logging into your library account via iDiscover.

The Library offers a Request and Collect service for those who need it for accessibility reasons. You can email the library with up to 5 books which will be fetched for you to collect from trolley in the Library foyer.