How do I request an item?
Answer
To request a book or DVD that is on loan
These requests can only be made where all of the one week loan and three week loan copies are unavailable.
Log into your Library account first. Then find the book/DVD on the catalogue and click on the title to view the item, which displays the number of copies and their availability. If all of the one week and three week loan copies are unavailable, you can place a request. To do this, click on the link to place a request.
Then click to confirm the request:
Requested items can be seen on your Library account:
Requests are not allowed if you already have a copy of the same book on loan. You may only make one request per book.
When you place a request for a book, the library system will allocate the first book returned, regardless of loan period. It is not possible to request a particular loan type.
Available items and store items
If an item appears on the catalogue as available, you will not be able to request it on the catalogue. You can come in anytime during our opening hours, find the item on the shelves and use the item in the library or borrow it. If you need help finding an item, please ask a member of staff.
If you have difficulty retrieving items from the shelves, You can use the online request form to have items fetched for you. These will be held for you on the reservation shelves near the ground floor library desk. Birkbeck staff and students can ask for available items to be posted to them.
The same form can be used to request items which are in the Russell Square store.