Q. What are postal loans and am I eligible to request them?

Many of our books are available to read online. Some titles in our collections are only available in print, which we can post to your registered home address upon request if you are a:

• UK-based independent distance learning student.
• UK-based work-based learning student.
• UK-based degree apprenticeship student.

Please note that we cannot post books outside the UK, and we cannot post books that are not from our collections i.e., interlibrary loans.

How can I request a postal loan? 

If you are a UK-based independent distance learning student, UK-based work-based learning student, or UK-based degree apprenticeship student you can request that we post books from our printed collections to you. Before starting your request, log into e:Vision and check that your address is up-to-date, then follow the instructions below to complete your request. 

1) Find the item you need using Library Search via the Library homepage. You can find more information on finding books on the library home page by clicking here.

2) Log in with your University User ID and password:

3) Open the Library record of the item you need and click on 'Request':

4) From the dropdown box choose your address under 'Personal Delivery':

5) Click on 'Send Request':

6) Wait for your books to arrive. Library staff will post the books to your home address as soon as they are available.

We include the due dates of each book along with a return address label in your package. When returning your loans, please allow enough time for them to be delivered to us before the due date. If possible, we recommend that you renew your loans before posting them back to us to ensure they arrive before the due date. Until we take receipt of the book(s) you are responsible for the title, therefore we recommend that you use a receipt form of postage.

How long can I borrow a book if I receive it by post? 

We will issue all books to you as 28 Day Loans plus a few extra days to allow for postage time. You may renew them for a further four weeks at a time, up to 196 days, provided they are not reserved by another student.  

If a resource has been reserved, you will need to return it to the library by the due date, as further renewals are not possible. Please be aware of this before requesting a postal loan, as you are responsible for returning the items and will be required to return them on or before their due date if reserved. 

Is there a cost for postal loans? 

Library staff will post the books to your home address free of charge; however, you are responsible for returning the item and any costs associated with this. Until we take receipt of the book(s) you are responsible for the item. We recommend that you use a receipt form of postage.