The majority of our collection is online so always search Discover first before making a request. There may be times when a resource is only available as a physical copy in the library. We are unable to post hardcopy books to you. If you are unable to come on campus or you are distance learning we can help.
Groups of Students
If you are part of a group of students who need access to the same content contact us at resourcelists@gcu.ac.uk and we will work with your lecturer to digitise a chapter or the relevant section and make this available on your course or module Resource List. We can also suggest online alternatives.
Individual students, researchers and staff
Individual students (and researchers and staff) can use our Scan and Deliver service to order a digital copy of print materials from the library collection for personal study or research.
How much can be digitised (scanned)?
We can digitise one article from a journal, or one chapter or 10% of a book and will email this to you for your personal use only.
What do I need to do?
Send the details of what you need to the GCU Library Scan and Deliver service and complete a copyright declaration to say it is for your own personal study or non-commercial research and that you agree not to share it with anyone else.
How long does it take?
We aim to fulfil your request within 5 working days and requests are processed Monday to Friday.
Requests may not be possible if the item is unavailable for digitisation or if you have requested more than 10% or one chapter of a book or more than one article from an issue of a journal.
If we are able to simply send you a link to an ebook or electronic journal article already available in the library collection we will aim to do so.
Who can I contact?
If you would like to speak to someone in our Scanning Team or need any help please contact clascanrequests@gcu.ac.uk.
Items outside of the library collections
If you require a book or article that we don’t have you can check other libraries' catalogues. If what you need is unavailable elsewhere, please place a request with us and we can arrange for this to be sent to your email address - we call this an inter-library loan.
Distance learners in the UK and Ireland can sign up to the SCONUL Access scheme - this allows you to use another university’s library for study and sometimes borrowing books. Please note that while you may be able to use Eduroam to log on to Wi-Fi on your own device, you will not get access to another university library’s computers or online collections.
If you are in Scotland, we also recommend you look at the National Library of Scotland's online resources which are available with free membership.
Your local public library is also a very good resource - they can arrange for books to be brought in and often have online resources too. The OCLC WorldCat library search can help you locate your nearest library. Your National Library will also be able to help you source materials if you are outside of the UK.
