The system for borrowing and renewing books from Trinity’s library is to undergo an extensive overhaul this year, in a bid to make library books more accessible for students.
The changes, which will come into play from next Monday, September 10th, include an increase in the number of books students can borrow, and the length of time for which they can keep them on loan.
Undergraduate students can now borrow up to 10 general lending books at a time, for a period four weeks before renewal. This is a significant increase from previous borrowing entitlements, which saw undergraduates borrowing a maximum of four books at once, with a loan period of one week.
In addition to this, students will be able to borrow an increased amount of books from counter reserve and stacks, along with getting access to a greater number of legal deposit books, all of which can only be consulted in the library.
Postgraduate students and library staff will also be afforded increased borrowing entitlements, with postgraduates gaining access to a greater number of books to be consulted in the library, and staff being given the option to renew books they have borrowed.
To account for the increased loan time, a new recall system is also being implemented, meaning that loan periods can be shortened by other readers. Additionally, if an item is in high demand, the borrowing period will be limited to two days, or the item will only be available to consult in library reading rooms.
Overdue items, or those that have been requested by other readers, must now be returned to the relevant Service Counter, with students no longer allowed to return them through the library’s self-service FastLane machines.
An email to all staff and students this morning announced the changes: “We have listened to staff and students across the University to ensure that the changes address issues of concern that have been raised over a number of years.”
“Over the coming weeks and months, we will continue to listen and take on board any feedback you may have”, the email continued.
The changes were recently proposed to College’s Library and Information Policy Committee, receiving the committee’s full endorsement.
The full changes are described on the library’s website, in addition to a breakdown of the categories of books on offer.
