Using Library Search for your assignment
Wednesday, 30 October, 2024 - 12:30
Learn how to find specific resources and how to find information on a topic using Library Search.
The British Library is one of the main suppliers of the Open University’s inter-library books and article loans. They are currently experiencing a major technology outage, as a result of a cyber incident. This is affecting their online systems, services and website. Unfortunately this has impacted on our Document delivery and Inter-library lending service. We apologise for any delays; we will try to respond to and fulfil your requests as quickly as possible by sourcing from other libraries.
We offer Inter-library print book loan requests and the Secure Electronic Delivery (SEDs) service for electronic journal article and book chapter requests.
Please note: all Inter-library print book loans will need to be collected from and returned to the library building. If you require disability user support please contact the Resource Sharing/Inter-library Loan team and we will be able to discuss alternative delivery options for you.
Only one article from the same issue of the same journal can be requested under UK Copyright Law.
If you have any queries please contact the Resource Sharing/Inter-library Loan team at ilmail@open.ac.uk
The Resource Sharing and Inter-library loans service provides access to items not held by the Open University Library.
Please use Library Search to check whether we have an item in stock before ordering it via Resource Sharing.
You will need to be registered with the library before you can use the service.
See: Joining the Open University Library
If you are not eligible to use Resource Sharing there may be services available from libraries near you or you could use the Suggest New Titles facility. Please note that we give preference to purchasing ebooks unless you specifically require a print copy.
If you have any enquiries about the Resource Sharing service, including your eligibility to use it, please contact the Library Helpdesk
New Resource Sharing Requests can be submitted by using the Blank Request Form in Library Search.
Resource Sharing requests can be viewed by signing into your Library Account in Library Search.
If an item is available electronically via Resource Sharing it may be obtained quickly. If it has to be borrowed physically from another library, via inter-library loan, this can take much longer. The loan periods for inter-library loans are set by the institutions who lend them, not by The Open University.
You can get help with Resource Sharing by contacting the Resource Sharing team
The form goes to the British Library first. We only see the form if it is bounced back from BL because they cannot supply the item. An automated e-mail is sent to the patron to let them know that there may be a delay as we will be searching National and International catalogues to fulfil the request.
Electronic documents are available online, via the British Library platform, on any device.
The email will arrive to your Open University email address. When you are connected to the internet, click on the link and you will be invited to create an account, with username and password. You will only have to do this once. After you have created your account you will be able to log in on multiple devices to access the document.
Once you have downloaded the article you cannot share it with another user. You can only print the document once. This is due to Copyright Law.
Please note that:
The Document Delivery team cannot access the server where the article is held so if you have any problems please contact the British Library’s Customer Services on 01937 546060.
If an item is available electronically via Resource Sharing it can often be obtained quickly but if it has to be borrowed physically from another library, via inter-library loan, this can take much longer. The loan periods for inter-library loans are set by the institutions who lend them, not by The Open University.
If the British Library (BL) is able to fulfil a request it should arrive within five working days. If the BL cannot supply the item we will forward the request to another UK institution. If we are able to source the loan from another UK library it can take up to three weeks to arrive. If the item cannot be loaned from within the UK we will approach international libraries. It can take several weeks to fulfil these requests.
In addition, there will be times of the year which are busier than others and this will impact on delivery times. Many libraries temporarily close their inter-lending sections owing to staff shortages or limit their service during the summer, in the run up to Christmas and New Year break.
Each Library has its own loan period, but it is normally 4-6 weeks. The slip that comes in the book will give the due date for it coming back to us.
All Resource Sharing items must be returned to us on time. You may be charged overdue fees for late returns.
We don’t impose fines on our stock, but other libraries may do so. If the book is lost, then the patron is responsible for a replacement and / or Admin costs. That is why we recommend a postal option that gives insurance / proof of postage and receipt when patrons return items to us. Any fines that are accrued are the responsibility of the patron and not the OU Library.
Items returned by post must be sent by recorded delivery to the address below:
Resource Sharing
The Open University Library
The Open University
Walton Hall
Milton Keynes
MK7 6AA
If you have the proof that you have posted the item back to us then we may be able to negotiate with the loaning library.
We do not supply items to individuals but will supply loans and copies to other institutions via Inter-Library Loan/Resource Sharing services. You can get help with Resource Sharing by contacting the Resource Sharing team
Wednesday, 30 October, 2024 - 12:30
Learn how to find specific resources and how to find information on a topic using Library Search.