The Library seeks to enable users to gain access to its collections for themselves wherever possible, without the need for intervention by Library staff. Assistance and training in accessing all collections, especially electronic resources, is available for all members of the University. Subject to their security and vulnerability, collections are housed on open access wherever possible. The Library uses alternative media to provide ready access to rare and vulnerable items, including facsimile copies, microforms, and digitised images of items in its collections. The Library lends much of its material, both to individual registered borrowers, and to other libraries on inter-library loan.
Books located in the general collections are normally available for long loan.
The loan status of journals in the general collections varies according to subject and Library site. Materials known to be in moderate demand for courses may be restricted to short loan, normally seven days, and are often located in separate Short-Loan sequences. Materials not available for loan are normally located in Reference or Special Collections. Classification Collections on open access are arranged according to appropriate schemes of library classification. Because of the Library's history and decentralised nature, different classification schemes are used on different sites.