skip to content

Cambridge University Library

 

Click and Collect enables members of the University Library to request books to be retrieved from the modern collections. 

Submit an online form from Tuesday 2 April.

  • Library members can request five books at one time. 
  • We anticipate that you will be able to collect books within 2 hours, during opening hours.
  • Books will be held at the collection point for 3 working days before they are eligible for request by someone else. 
  • Once you have received an email notification, you are welcome to collect your books by showing staff your University or Library card. The UL is open 9am to 7pm Monday to Friday, and 9am to 4:45pm Saturday. 
  • We will contact you if we are unable to fulfil a request for any reason.
  • If you require assistance and are unable to use the online form, please contact staff: readerservices@lib.cam.ac.uk
  • To enable Click and Collect to run consistently, it is really important that you only request what you need and that your orders are collected on time.

 

Who is eligible to use Click and Collect? 

Current staff and students of Cambridge University

Current staff and students with an active Raven account / CRSid are able to use the Click and Collect service to request material from the open shelves. 

Logging in to iDiscover allows you to request closed shelf material to the Reader Services Desk, Reading Room, or Rare Books. You won’t see the ‘Request’ option on iDiscover for open shelf material, but you can visit the UL to browse the open shelves, or submit a Click & Collect request online.

All other library users 

The Click and Collect service is available to all registered users of the University Library from 2 to 14 April 2024, during essential system upgrades. 

During the period of service disruption (2 to 7 April), you will not be able to log into iDiscover. After 8 April, the way you log in to iDiscover, Wi-Fi, and Desktop Services will change. Visit our account changes help page for more information. 

 

How does the service work? 

Begin by accessing the online form. Check iDiscover to find the classmarks of the books you need, and that they are:

  1. Held in the University Library – if a book is held at another location, please contact the relevant library directly instead
  2. Not on loan – the iDiscover record should indicate the item is ‘Available

The online form will not allow you to make more than five requests within 24 hours.

You will receive a notification email when each book is available to collect, which will indicate where you need to go - usually either the Reader Services Desk in the Entrance Hall, or the main Reading Room.

Once you have received an email notification, you are welcome to collect your books by visiting the UL with your University or Library card. If you are collecting books on someone else’s behalf, please show us the email sent to the requestor. 

 

What can I request? 

You may only request books (monographs or journals) from the University Library’s modern collections. You may request five items per day. 

 

How quickly can I collect the books? 

We anticipate that you will be able to collect books within 2 hours, during opening hours. You will receive a notification email when each book is available to collect, which will indicate where you need to go - usually either the Reader Services Desk in the Entrance Hall, or the main Reading Room. We will contact you if we are unable to fulfil a request for any reason.

 

Can I return books at the same time? 

Yes. You will be able to return books to the book drop (red telephone box) outside the front entrance to the University Library 24/7. During opening hours you are also welcome to return books to the Reader Services Desk in the Entrance Hall. 

 

Can I collect books on behalf of someone else? 

Yes. You will need to bring a copy of the email notification sent to the requestor. 

 

Can I borrow books from other libraries? 

Click and Collect is limited to books from the University Library’s modern collections. Details of services provided by Faculty and Department libraries can be found on their webpages

 

A reminder of the important points! 

  • Please order only what you need - demand for this service is high, and library staff are working very hard to get material to everyone who needs it. 
  • Ensure that your orders are collected on time - 3 working days after the books have been fetched, they will be returned to the shelf. 

If you have further questions about Click and Collect, please email the UL at library@lib.cam.ac.uk