Individuals who are at secondary at school are welcome to use the library for study.
These users are entitled to:
- access all levels of the library including group and individual silent study spaces
- borrow a laptop from the Library Desk (available for three-hour loan) to use in the library
- borrow up to three books (two-week loan). Please note there are lost book charges for overdue items
- use our print books and journals stock for reference purposes
- sign up for free Wi-Fi access
- search the library catalogue using the Smart Tables
- support from our Community Team
- use our open access resources
Please note that school pupil members are not able to book our study rooms or use our PCs. Laptops are available to borrow for use on campus.
School pupil members are also unable to access any of GCU's eresources, including articles, journals and databases. However we have a collection of open access resources which you can use. We also recommend you look at the National Library of Scotland's online resources, and Glasgow Life's online resources which are both available with a free membership.
To join, please complete the Library's membership form and ask your school administrator to send an email to library@gcu.ac.uk verifying that you are a pupil there. You will be able to collect your membership card once this has been verified. Please bring your Young Scot card or other photo ID in order to confirm your identity.
By signing up to our membership you are agreeing to our library regulations.
If providing identification is a barrier, please contact us at library@gcu.ac.uk to discuss.
SCONUL Access is a reciprocal access scheme which allows borrowing privileges to many types of library users working or studying at participating higher education libraries in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
SCONUL Access provides borrowing privileges for most:
- academic staff on open or fixed term contracts
- postgraduate research students registered for a PhD, MPhil or similar qualification
- part-time, distance learning and placement students
- full-time postgraduates
SCONUL Access also provides a reference only service for most full-time undergraduate students.
To find out which libraries you can use and how to apply for membership, go to the SCONUL Access web page.
Please note that if you are a student or member of staff from a non-member university (which includes any university outside the UK and Ireland), then you will not be not able to use the scheme.
SCONUL - visiting staff or students from participating universities
To be consistent with the expiry date we give to our own students, we limit membership to students applying from other institutions to a maximum of one academic year, unless the expiry date on their approval email is earlier.
A maximum three years membership applies to permanent, full-time or part-time members of staff.
Go to the SCONUL Access web page and complete the request form.
Once you have received a confirmation email from your home institution, you can apply online to request membership of Glasgow Caledonian University Library.
We will email you when your card is ready; please allow up to five working days. Show the confirmation email from your home institution and your university staff or student ID card to the Library Desk staff on level 0 of the Sir Alex Ferguson Library to receive your card.
Students, who have been approved by their home institution for reference access (Band R), are not required to apply online for membership of GCU library. We operate an open access policy; therefore a membership card is not required. Band R students may use our books and journals for reference purposes.
SCONUL Access membership entitles users to:
SCONUL Library Membership does NOT allow access to PCs or to our eresources - this is only available to GCU students and staff under our licences. Use of our study rooms is also restricted to GCU staff and students.