Using our libraries

Use the options underneath the search bar to only show results in a particular format e.g. books, articles, journals.

Filter results further using the options in the Refine your results column on the left side of the screen, such as available online, published in a particular year, or by author.

Select or exclude multiple filters using the checkboxes that appear when hovering over an option.

Results can also be sorted by relevance, date, title or author.

When viewing results in UDiscover, books will show as ‘Available online’ if they are available as an eBook.

Filter the search results in UDiscover by format using the icons underneath the search bar and select Books to only show books in your results.

To filter your search to only show eBooks, use the Availability filter on the left of the screen and select Available online.

Click on a result to view more information about the book. In the ‘View Online’ section, use the link to access the full text. If prompted, log in with your University email address and password, or follow the advice provided underneath the link in UDiscover.

When viewing results in UDiscover, books will show as ‘Available at [campus] Library’ if they are available as a print or physical copy.

• If a book is available at multiple campuses, it will also show ‘and other locations’

Filter the search results in UDiscover by format using the icons underneath the search bar and select Books to only show books in your results.

To only view results for print books, change the search type using the drop-down at the end of the search bar to Campus Libraries, and select whether you want to search only a particular campus library or all locations.

To filter an existing search to only show print books, use the Availability filter on the left of the screen and select Held by library.

Click on a result to view more information about a book:

• All campus locations which have copies of the book will be displayed, including information about whether a copy is available or on loan.
• You can also view how long you’re able to borrow a book for (either Standard or 3 hour loan period) by clicking on the library name for more information.
• Details of where a book is shelved are also displayed in UDiscover. A ‘Classmark’ appears after the library name – this will normally be a sequence of letters such as LB1D (European Union), LNAC5 (Arbitration), LNCD (Business and Company), LNF (Crime).
  • Print books are labelled with the classmark and shelved alphabetically by classmark and author surname. For example, LB1D FOS would come before LB1D WAE.
  • There are signs in the campus libraries to help you locate books on the shelf, or you can ask a member of staff for help. Books can be used in the library or borrowed using the self issue machines.

Journal articles are included in UDiscover search results by default. To filter existing search results to show only articles, click on Articles underneath the search bar.

Click on a title to view more information about the article.

Use the link in the View Online section to access the full text. If prompted, log in with your University email address and password, or follow the advice provided underneath the link in UDiscover.

In most cases, the link will direct straight to the article and normally there will be an option to download a PDF copy.

• For some articles, the link in UDiscover will direct only to the journal homepage and require you to browse to the right journal volume and issue to access. This information will be available on the record in UDiscover, alongside the year of publication.

If a link to an article is broken, or you’re unable to access, click on the ❕ icon in UDiscover to report this to the library. Include your email address if you'd like a response.

To filter existing search results to show only journals, click on Journals underneath the search bar.

To search only for journals in the library collection, select Journal Search either underneath the UDiscover search box on the library website, or from the top menu if you’re already in UDiscover.

Search for journals either by title or ISSN, or in Journal Search use the category list to browse journals by subject area.

Both electronic and print journal results will be shown in results - click on a title to view more information about the journal, including the date range of issues held.

If a book at your campus library is on loan, you can request it on UDiscover. The 'Request' option will only appear if there are no copies on the shelves at your campus.

Fill out the Request form with the required details and you'll receive an email when the book is ready to collect.

If it looks like the book is available at other campus libraries, please email library@law.ac.uk and library staff can look into arranging a loan between campuses.

If your search isn’t returning any results, check the following:

• Make sure you aren’t copying a full citation into the search bar. Try searching for just the title, or the title and author
• Check that search terms are spelled correctly
• For some resources, such as cases and legislation, or market reports, you may need to search databases directly

Use the Request a Book or Article form if you would like the library to look into obtaining a resource not currently held in the library collection.

Library & Learning Skills provide access to all the resources (print and electronic) required to support your course. If during assessment periods, copies of in-demand titles are difficult to obtain, please contact library@law.ac.uk or speak to library staff at your campus library. They can investigate borrowing a copy held by another Campus Library, purchasing additional copies or suggest alternative resources.

For academic staff, if there is a new database or journal subscription required for your programme, please contact library@law.ac.uk or your Programme Lead Librarian to discuss your request.

Sign into your Library Account in the top-right corner of the UDiscover screen. If you are logged in, your name will show.

Once signed in, view and manage any active loans and requests by selecting Library Card from the drop-down menu underneath your name.

If signed in when searching for a resource,  'pin' results to Favourites for quick access by pressing the 📌 icon.

Save searches by clicking the save query option at the top of the search results list.

To view saved searches and results, select the 📌 icon next to your name. Alerts can also be set up for saved searches to send email alerts when new results matching your search terms are added to UDiscover.

UDiscover does not include any cases or legislation. Search legal databases directly to find this type of material:

View a full list of databases and other Online Resources:

• As your loans will renew automatically, there is no need to renew your books manually.
• If your loans have stopped renewing automatically, this is likely because the renewal limit has been reached. If you still need the books after reaching this limit, simply return and reissue the books at the self-issue machine in your campus library: this will cause the renewal cycle to begin again.

• We only charge fees if an item which is reserved by another student is not returned on time. If another student reserves an item which you have on loan you will be notified by email to confirm that you will not be able to renew the item and it must be returned by the due date. Therefore, it is important that you check your University email account regularly.
• If the item is not returned on time a fee of £5 will be charged the day after the return date. It is important for students to obtain quick access to the items they need to meet assessment deadlines. The fees system is intended to discourage borrowers from retaining items required by other students for longer than expected.
• Fees are also charged for the replacement cost of the book if items are not renewed. These fees will be removed from your account when the item is returned. We send you an email reminder when items are due for return.
• You can find out how much you owe in library fees by checking your Library Account
• There is no maximum library fees limit as books that are overdue will be marked as lost and the replacement cost will be added to your account.
• If your total library fees reach £25, your library account will be blocked, and you will be prevented from further borrowing until you have paid your fees.

Take the items and your University ID card to the self-service machines and follow the on-screen instructions. You need to present your University ID card every time you borrow. Alternatively, ask a member of staff at the Library Desk.