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Request material for the Library for purchase

How to request course reading list items

Books and eBooks

Academic staff can request items on a reading list to be purchased by the library by -

• sending reading lists to Eve Dick, Riccarton Library early in the summer vacation. Eve will check that we have the most recent edition of recommended books in sufficient numbers to meet demand and will order as required.

• completing a Recommendation for Order form at any point in the academic year and marking it "Course Book". Completed forms should be sent to Eve Dick, Riccarton Library.

Please include the following details on your reading lists / recommendation for order forms -

• if an electronic (eBook) is required

• number of students on course

• for items in print format -

  • how many copies you require                                                                                                      

  • what type of loan you'd like applied to each copy (e.g 3 hour loan, week loan or standard loan)         

  • If 3 hour loan, the Semester the course is running in

Course reading list items are bought from the Library's course book fund.

The Library's policy is to buy at least one copy of each book on the reading lists for undergraduate and postgraduate courses. We usually buy additional copies for large classes, or where there is evidence of demand from lending records. We also consider purchasing eBooks for large classes or distance learning courses. See our our newly published books page for request ideas.

Scans, PDFs and links

Staff can request reading materials to be added to VISION courses using our Digital Copies Service.  This can provide -

• scans (PDFs) of print book extracts or articles (including material outside our own collection)

Using the InVision Toolkit or contacting their Subject Librarian, staff can also find out how to link to -

• PDFs of full-text articles from some of our electronic subscriptions

• subscribed full-text materials using stable, persistent links

Uploading scans/PDFs of published materials in Vision must be done through the Library.  In order that the University does not breach the terms of it's copyright licence, a standard copyright coversheet must be attached to all PDFs and use reported to the Copyright Licencing Agency.

Photocopies for the Library

Staff can place photocopies of print book chapters or journal articles in the library for students to on-copy or refer to.  However, these must be from print materials owned by the Library or be a copyright cleared copy purchased from the British Library (unless the material is out of copyright, copyright has been waived or you have written permission to copy from the rights holder).  To request a copyright cleared photocopy for this purpose please contact libill@hw.ac.uk or call ext 3575 for more information or go to our Photocopy Collection page.

How to request non-course reading list items

Items which are not on course reading lists (e.g. for research, dissertations, theses and projects or for general reading) can be requested as follows:

To order items for Riccarton Library which are not on a course reading list (other than journals),  fill in a Recommendation for Order form and pass it to your School's Library Representative, who will approve the suggestion and send it to the Library for ordering if it is within the departmental library book budget.

To order items for Scottish Borders Campus Library which are not on a course reading list (other than journals), fill in a Recommendation for Order form and pass it to Peter Sandison in Scottish Borders Campus Library, who will check the suggestion and arrange for it to be ordered if it is within the book budget.

These items are purchased from the School's book budget.

See our our newly published books page for request ideas.
 

What happens to your book/eBook orders?

Orders are normally placed with our suppliers on the day we receive the request or recommendation form. Items ordered for the Library are listed in the catalogue and have the status "On Order". Most orders are received within a few weeks, but we cannot guarantee this for any particular item. If you wish to find out the status of any particular book order, please contact Mrs. Eve Dick, ext 3573, e-mail E.Dick@hw.ac.uk

When books are received from our suppliers, they are catalogued and print items are prepared for shelving, normally within the week. New print books are displayed in the Library for a week and books which have been received within the last 4 weeks can also be seen by clicking on the New Books tab in the catalogue. We also list a selection of new books in InformS our library blog.

Recommendation forms are returned to your School's Library Representative, who will normally then forward them to the original requester.
 

How to request journals

There is a separate Library budget for journals. Each summer, Schools are asked to consider their current subscriptions and decide whether they wish to make any changes. Suggestions for new journals should be forwarded to your School's Library Representative for discussion within the School.  However, because of the high rate of price increases for academic journals, funds for new subscriptions are very limited, and usually require the cancellation of other subscriptions of equivalent value. 

About the budget

The University gives the Library an annual budget to buy materials to support learning, teaching and research. The University Librarian, in conjunction with Library Committee, allocates each academic School a budget for the purchase of library materials, with each School having a School book fund (a budget for book purchases excluding course books) and a proportion of the journals budget.  Course books (reading list items) and digital extracts from course readings are purchased from library budgets, not the School's book fund.