The working Library contains almost forty-five thousand books, most of which are on the open shelves. You can borrow up to ten books at a time. They'll automatically renew each week, and you'll receive regular emails to show you what you have on loan.
All our books are listed on iDiscover (idiscover.lib.cam.ac.uk), the University's search interface for library resources, which will give you information on the book's location, availability and classmark – a numeric code, telling you exactly where to find the book. iDiscover also lists books in Department and Faculty Libraries, and the University Library. It can be a little confusing, so if you’re unsure whether we have something, just ask.
Click here to search for books in our libraries, or here to search across the Cambridge library network.
Ebooks are also accessed through iDiscover, as are journal articles.
The library has a dedicated catalogue machine, but iDiscover can be searched through your laptop or phone from any location.
Limitations on space mean that some of our books are in storage. These display the note 'Request from Librarian' in iDiscover, and can be fetched for you.
If you need a book, and we don’t have it, please speak to us, email us, or fill in our book request form. It’s not always possible, but we aim to get most requests into your hands in 24-48 hours.
