Book delivery, post and scan

Students and staff have many options for borrowing our physical resources, and can even access them away from campus.

You can browse YorSearch to see all of our books, journals and other resources. If you find something that you want to borrow that we don't have digital access to, and can't get to the shelves to retrieve it yourself, we have other ways of getting it to you.

Collect items from a more convenient location

Most of our physical resources are housed in the main University Library, but we also have collections at the King's Manor and York Minster Libraries, and even some resources stored off-site.

Our Book Delivery Service allows you to request resources to be delivered to a different pick-up location for you to collect. If the item is already on loan, your request will trigger a recall and you can choose which location to collect it from.

You can request for most physical resources to be collected from a different Library, with a few exceptions:

We can't deliver items that are for reference use only. You will have to visit that Library to look at the resource and cannot take it away.
We don't deliver items to the Minster Library due to space restrictions, but items from the Minster Library can be delivered to the main Library.
We don't deliver between King's Manor Library and the Minster Library as these locations are very close to each other in the city centre.
Archive material and the Rare Books collection are not included in this service.

Our Book Delivery Service delivers items to:

The University Library - Campus West
King's Manor Library - City Centre
Ron Cook Hub Booklocker - Campus East

Book delivery requests can be placed through YorSearch.

Log-in to YorSearch
Click Request this item
If the item status is On Loan, you can select which library you would like to collect the item from
If the item status is Item on Shelf, this means it is available for you to collect from the shelf. The request box will display the alternative collection location
Click Submit to place the request

If you submit your requests before 3pm, we will normally deliver your items the next working day. Requests will take longer over the weekend, or if they are being delivered from the Minster Library, but we aim to deliver all items within three working days.

Items requested from the off-site stores may take longer to be delivered. We collect items once per week from the store.

When your requested item has been delivered, you will receive a notification email letting you know that your request is ready to collect and the date you need to collect it by.

Items delivered to the University Library and King's Manor Library will remain on the 'hold-shelf' for pick-up for 7 days, or for 14 days during the Summer Vacation period.

Items delivered to the Ron Cook Hub Booklocker will remain in the locker for pick-up for 2 days, this is because the Booklocker has a limited capacity and is in high demand. The Booklocker is also in closer proximity to the main University Library.

Have items posted to you

We're happy to post items out to those who need it through our Postal Loans service.

Postal loans are treated the same as our normal flexible loans and can be viewed from your Library account.

Any student who is any of the following can request Postal Loans to be delivered to any address in the UK:

Students who are registered with Disability Services
Students who are Carers
Students who have ‘Students with Children status’
Students registered as an Online or Distance Learner

We will also post out loans to members of staff who are registered with Disability Services.

We also understand that sometimes, you may need to be away from campus for a long period of time for reasons outside of your control. If you would like to learn about ways you can still use resources and receive support from the Library, please contact us and we’ll be happy to discuss how we can help.

Most of our physical resources can be requested for Postal Loan, but please be aware that we are not able to post reference only items.

Additionally, not all items will be suitable to send via Postal Loans, for example due to their size or condition. We will contact you if this is the case.

Any student who meets the above criteria can request loans to be posted to any address in the UK.

If you do not meet the criteria for Postal Loans, but are unable to physically access the Library, please contact us and we will be happy to discuss how we can support you.

As of 26th July 2024, we are no longer able to post loans internationally. For more information on this, please see our news item.

Find and open the item that you need in YorSearch. You will need to log in to YorSearch to place a request.
Click on the banner at the top of the page that says Need a scan or postal loan?
Complete the request form, which will automatically capture details of the item you are requesting.

The request form will ask you to choose which of the delivery options you would prefer. We will do our best to match the option that you choose, but please be aware that it might not always be possible to do so (for example if a book is not suitable for postal delivery).

We anticipate that it will take up to 10 working days for your items to arrive, dependent on postal services. All parcels are sent using Royal Mail 2nd Class delivery.

Receive digital scans of physical resources

Our Scan and Send service enables you to request a scan of a book chapter or article for electronic delivery. When your scan is ready we’ll send it via email.

Currently we are only offering this as an emergency service due to staffing capacity and level of demand.

Copyright restrictions prohibit us from scanning more than a chapter or up to 10% of a book (whichever gives the greater number of pages). We can scan one article or up to 10% from a single journal issue.

We will only send scans if the item is not otherwise available electronically. Please ensure that you have checked YorSearch before placing your request.

We expect to be able to scan from most items in the Library, but may on occasion decline a scan request due to unforeseen circumstances (for example if a book is too fragile or unsuitable to transfer between library sites). In those cases we will contact you to discuss alternatives.

Unfortunately, we are unable to provide scans of items held at the York Minster Library.

Find and open the item that you need in YorSearch. You will need to log in to YorSearch to place a request.
Click on the banner at the top of the page that says Need a scan or postal loan?
Complete the request form, which will automatically capture details of the item you are requesting.

We anticipate that it may take up to a month for us to provide your scan, due to staffing capacity and the level of demand.

You can also use the Print, Copy, Scan machines in the Library to scan book chapters yourself. This will be a quicker option due to demand on the service.

Return items to the Library

You can always return your items in person using the Book Return Point in the main Library, which is available 8am to midnight every day, or at one of the following book drop locations on campus:

Outside the Morrell Library (to the right of the main entrance doors): available 24/7
Near the ground floor reception of Ron Cooke Hub on Campus East: available 24/7
At King’s Manor Library using either the book drop outside the Library entrance: available 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, and 9am to 5pm on Saturday; or the self-service return point inside the Library reception area: available 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday

We will remove the items from your account when we next empty the book drop.

Return items by post

If you are not able to return items physically to any of the return points across campus, we will also accept items returned by post. Please note, however, you will need to pay any costs related to the postage.

Package your items ready to return. We advise a maximum weight limit of 20kg per parcel and a size limit of 61cm (L) by 46cm (W) by 46cm (D). If your parcel exceeds those limits please package your items across multiple parcels. You will also need to provide your own packing materials and stamps.
Address your items to University Library, University of York, York YO10 5DD.
We accept deliveries from any parcel delivery or courier service so you can use a service that’s convenient for you
We recommend that you obtain proof of postage and keep this receipt until the items have been removed from your Library Account. If the package does not arrive in the Library, your proof of postage can be used to remove the items from your account.
Upon arrival at the Library, we will remove the items from your Library Account. If the item is recalled, it is particularly important to retain proof of postage as you may be liable for a Lost Item Charge if the item is received after the due date. The receipt will also be able to evidence the date of postage.

If you are concerned that items have not reached the Library, please contact us.

If you returned items by post from outside of the UK before 26th July 2024, and have the receipt, please contact us and we will be able to refund your costs.

Please note that items can be recalled at any time so please be prepared to return items even when away from campus as you may incur charges if items are not returned and we need to purchase a replacement copy.

For this reason, we also do not recommend that you take any loans out of the UK.

If you are going to be away from York for a period of time, we recommend that you either return your items or keep them in a reachable location so you can return them if they are recalled.

Advice on returning loans by post cost-effectively

We understand that returning items by post is our only accepted method of return that isn’t free. We have therefore put together some top tips on how to post items back to us that will hopefully help save some costs should you choose to return your items to us by post.

The cost of posting a parcel can vary depending on the size and weight of the package, as well as where you’re posting the item from. The Library accepts returns from any delivery/courier service, so we recommend looking at different service providers and how much they charge. Just remember, whoever you pick, make sure you get proof of postage!

Depending on your circumstances, we recognise that it’s not always possible to post your parcel at a post office, post box or depot. Some courier services offer a free collection service which lets you request for your package to be collected from your home and then delivered to us.

Royal Mail, for example, offers the Parcel Collect service and lets you buy your postage online.

We know that it’s not only the postage that costs money, but the packaging too. Reusing packaging materials is a great way to save on costs. If you received your items via our postal loans service, you can even reuse the packaging we used to post it to you (just make sure you tape it up securely).

To reduce costs, try to keep packaging as small and light as you can, whilst making sure it’s still secure. Generally, the smaller and lighter the package, the cheaper the delivery. Also make sure you declare the dimensions of your package accurately to the courier to avoid any unwanted additional charges for sending a larger package than what you initially paid for.

If one of your loans is recalled, and you can’t get to any of the return points before the new due date, post your parcel as soon as you can. We recommend this because it allows you to choose a slower delivery option, which is usually cheaper. We will still consider the date of return as the date the item was posted (so please don’t worry if the date we receive the item is after the new due date), but we also like recalled items to be returned as soon as possible so that the person who requested them gets to use them as soon as possible.