Information Services

Access to our collections for visitors

Students and researchers who are not members of Cardiff University may be entitled to use Information Services library facilities under the following schemes:

• SCONUL Access - enables particular categories of users from SCONUL member libraries to borrow material and others to have reference access
• Cardiff Metropolitan University (formerly UWIC) - reciprocal borrowing scheme for students
• CROESO - for undergraduate students from other Welsh Higher Education Institutions
• Inspire - access for members of the public under the "Inspire" collaboration scheme
• Cardiff University Alumni - borrowing scheme for Alumni members of Cardiff University

Visitors may also use the Walk-In Access to Electronic Resources service. This service gives users access to a number of electronic resources, such as ejournals and databases, where licensing agreements allow.

SCONUL Access

SCONUL Access is a reciprocal access scheme and grants borrowing privileges or reference access under different bands.

Please contact your home institution library to discuss details of how to join the SCONUL Access scheme. All members of this scheme are able to use Cardiff University Library collections for study and consultation. Please note that the library may impose access and borrowing restrictions on specific types of material or facility.

Bands A, B and C

When coming to Cardiff University to register for SCONUL Access scheme Bands A, B or C, please bring:

• An authorised SCONUL Access card or your printed email introduction
• Your home institution library/ID card for identification purposes

When you register, you will be issued with a Cardiff University identity card. ID cards can be issued during the following times: 

• Cathays Park library sites: Monday to Friday 9.30am to 4.00pm
• Heath Park library sites: Monday to Friday 10.00am to 12.00pm

Please ensure you make your first visit to Cardiff University libraries during the above hours if you want to register. For information on when you can access the libraries once you have registered please check library opening hours.

Band R (Reference)

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Cardiff Metropolitan University (formerly UWIC)

There is a reciprocal arrangement between the University Library Service of Cardiff University and the library service of Cardiff Metropolitan University to share certain facilities and services for their respective user communities. (Notwithstanding any other arrangements extant under the CROESO or SCONUL schemes.)

The two services undertake to extend to each others’ students the library privileges listed below, subject to the conditions set out below.

At the Cardiff University Library Service

Conditions of access to the service: 

• Cardiff Metropolitan University Students will be individually authorised by a letter of recommendation from the Cardiff Metropolitan University Librarian, and will present to Cardiff University Library staff that letter and evidence of their identity

Entitlements

Cardiff Metropolitan University students will, on registering with the Cardiff University Library Service and agreeing to comply with the library regulations in force,  be able to:  

• make reference use of printed library material;
• borrow up to two items of long-term loan stock at a time; 
• receive simple enquiry and orientation assistance from library staff; 
• make use of the library catalogue

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CROESO

The CROESO scheme allows students registered on higher education courses in Wales to gain access, without charge and throughout the year, to the buildings and collections of the libraries of other H.E. Institutions in Wales.

Through CROESO students will be able to:

• use the library catalogue to find books and journals
• refer to books and journals in the library (you will not be able to borrow them)

The following institutions participate in the scheme:

• Aberystwyth University
• Bangor University
• Cardiff Metropolitan University (formerly UWIC)
• Cardiff University
• University of Wales, Newport
• University of Glamorgan
• Glyndŵr University
• Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama
• Swansea Metropolitan University
• Swansea University
• University of Wales Trinity Saint David
• The National Library of Wales also offers access to its collections for reference purposes.

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Inspire

Cardiff University's library welcomes users of other libraries under the "Inspire" collaboration scheme.

If you are a member of the public who uses a library in the Inspire scheme then you can ask to be referred to use the libraries at Cardiff University, subject to the normal service conditions applied by the University.

"Inspire"  is a collaboration programme for academic, public, government and private libraries developed at first in England but now established in Cardiff at the University Library's Cathays Park sites.

It provides a system for referring library users from one library to others, using standard procedures and documentation.  Find out more at Inspire - the UK national web site for the scheme.

At Cardiff, you can visit any of the libraries in the city centre which are not specialist medical libraries.   Some libraries are inside University buildings, but with an "Inspire" letter of introduction and/or personal I.D. you will be able to enter and explain your visit to Security staff who can direct you to a Library.

You will be able to:

• use the on-line catalogue terminals in the libraries to find what materials they own;
• use the libraries' printed collections for reference.  (Borrowing — taking items out of a library — is not possible under the Inspire scheme.)   Some library materials are in closed stores.  You can ask for those items to be brought to the library for you to read. (Library staff will explain the procedure; there may be a day or so delay.);
• buy writing and computing materials, book-binding, scanning and printing services;
• read microfilms in some libraries;
• use your own laptop computer in the libraries.   However you will not be able to connect to the Internet or the University's computer network.

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Cardiff University Alumni

Alumni members of Cardiff University are eligible for annual membership of the library. For full details of the scheme, please visit the Alumni Benefits webpage.

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