Postal loans service
- About the AddLibS postal loans service
- How to request a postal loan
- Postage charges
- Returning postal loans
- Sending inter-library loans by post
- Does the library have your correct address?
About the AddLibS postal loans service
If you are unable to get to the Library to borrow the items you need, you can ask us to post them to your home or work address. A maximum of five requests may be submitted at any one time, and once we have received your requests we aim to post items within five working days, although it is usually much quicker than this. Once items have been dispatched, the cost of postage is added to your library account. Further information on charges is given below. Please note that you will also need to pay the cost of return postage unless you are able to bring the items back in person by the due date.
The postal loans service applies to items available for seven day loan or standard loan. If you need an item which is confined or which is only available for a three day loan period or less, please contact us to discuss alternative ways in which we might be able to help. We do not post items abroad as they remain subject to recall by other users, but if an item is absolutely essential to your studies you can contact us to see if an exception can be made.
How to request a postal loan
You should first check the Library Catalogue to make sure that we have a print copy of the item you require and that it is available for loan (i.e. that it is not a confined item). It is also a good idea to check if the item is available electronically by searching the eJournals Catalogue and eBook resources in Metalib, as it may be freely available online. If we do not stock the item you need either in print or online you can order it via the Inter-library loans service. (It may still be possible to send the item to you - see the sending Inter-library loans by post section below).
If we have the item you require in stock you can order it to be sent to you via our online Postal Loans Form. Please ensure that you supply full bibliographic details of the item required, as well as all your personal details including your address, as failure to do so may delay your request. Once we receive your form we aim to fulfil all requests within five working days, but it usually takes less time than this and we will contact you to confirm when we have posted your item.
Postage charges
When posting items, we use the Royal Mail’s Recorded Signed-For service. This costs normal first class postage plus an additional 95p. A signature is required on delivery, so you may prefer to have items delivered to your work address (please make sure you specify the address when making your request).
Once your request has been dispatched we will add the postage charges to your library account for you to pay when convenient, and you can check all your cash transactions via the 'My Account' facility on the Library Catalogue. If your charges amount to more than £5, you can pay by debit or credit card by calling the Library on (0117) 928 8000. Alternatively, you can send a cheque made payable to 'The University of Bristol' and addressed to the AddLibS Service, or you can pay in person at the issue desk on your next visit to the Library.
Returning postal loans
When returning items through the post you should use strong protective packaging such as a jiffy-bag or bubble-pack and brown paper with parcel tape. Please remember to put your own (sender's) address on the back of each parcel.
Once an item has been delivered to you, it is your responsibility to ensure that it is returned to the library in a similar condition by the due date. If items are lost you will be invoiced for their replacement value, so please ensure you have the necessary proof of postage in case you need to chase items with the Royal Mail or other service provider.
Sending inter-library loans by post
It may be possible to post items ordered from our Inter-library loans department, although this is subject to restrictions by the lending library. Please specify when ordering inter library loans online (using the 'Notes' box) that you would like the item posted to your home or work address. As inter-library loan items are expensive to replace due to high administrative charges, we use the Royal Mail's Special Delivery Service for these items. Special Delivery provides insurance cover for more valuable items in the event that they are lost and a claim needs to be made.
Does the library have your correct address?
We always send postal loans to the address specified by you when making your request. However, you should also check that the library has up-to-date contact details for you, particularly if you have moved recently.
Note: some of the documents on this page are in PDF format. In order to view a PDF you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader