Membership

All library users are encouraged to join our library services. Membership helps us ensure a safe and supportive environment for everyone.

Please note: You may be asked to show your membership card while using the library. If you are unable to do so, you may be asked to leave.

Please apply for one of the free memberships or access schemes below.

We offer free community membership to the public. If you are under 16, you should be accompanied by an adult when using the library.

Community users are entitled to:

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 paper books and journals stock for reference purposes
sign up for free Wi-Fi access
search the library catalogue using the Smart Tables
support from the Library Desk team
use our open access resources

Please note that community members are not able to book our study rooms or use our PCs. Laptops are available to borrow for use on campus.

Community 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 fill in the online community membership form. You may reapply online when your membership expires.

You can either complete the form at home or use our smart tables in the library. Please bring two forms of identification to the Library Desk on level 0 (one from each section below). We need to see the original documents for verification.

You may reapply online when your membership expires. Please note that photographic ID and proof of address will be required.

Section one - photo ID:

National identity card
Passport
Photocard driving licence

Section two - proof of address:

Must be dated no more than three months old and contain your name and current address.

Bank statement
Council Tax statement or other Local Authority letter
Government letter (pension, benefit and so on)
Utility bill (gas, electricity, telephone or mobile)

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:

borrow up to seven items (books are two-week loan). Please note there are lost book charges for overdue items
use our paper books and journals stock for reference purposes
connect to eduroam at GCU. Provided your home institution uses eduroam and you are already registered, you may use eduroam at GCU
sign up for free Wi-Fi Guest access
use our open access resources
search the library catalogue using the Smart Tables on levels 0, 2, 3 and 4
support from our Academic Librarians

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.