Customer Services: Requesting Items

How to reserve a book

If all copies of a book are out on loan you will need to reserve (request) a copy so that when the book is returned by the previous user it will be kept for you and not returned to the book shelves.

Login to Locate using your Coventry University computer username and password by clicking on 'Login' at the top right hand side of the screen.

Further instructions on how to log in can be found here.

Find the item you wish to request. Click on the ‘Request’ button.

and then click on ‘Request’.

You will receive an email when the item is ready for you to collect.

You have 7 days to pick up the item from the shelves near the Library reception desk. After 7 days the item goes back on the shelves or to the next user who has requested the item.

How to reserve a book if the catalogue shows a copy is available but it is not on the shelf

Some items are kept in an area of the library that only staff have access to known as the 'Closed Stack'. Items kept here include PhD theses, past copies of journals, and books, pamphlets and other materials which are part of special collections.

If you find an item on Locate that you want to look at and its location is listed as 'Lower Ground Closed Stack', you can request it is fetched for you. Please click on the relevant request type (see box to right) to complete a request form.

Please be aware that some Closed Stack materials e.g. journals and PhD theses are for reference use only and may therefore only be viewed in the library on the day they are picked up. However, if you would like to refer to your item again, please tell staff when you return it later that day and it can be held at the desk for you to pick up again the following or subsequent days.

(N.B. some items in the specialist Art Collection are kept securely on the second floor of the library. Locate will show the location of these items as 'TR2' and a member of staff needs to accompany you to view them. Please ask for assistance at the reception desk).

The library holds Doctoral theses submitted in past years by Coventry University students. To request a thesis, please click below:

Request a thesis

To request a past issue of a journal held in the library, please click below:

Request a journal 

To request any other item located in Closed Stack, please click below:

Request other Closed Stack item

If Lanchester Library does not stock what you are searching for there are several ways you may be able to source the item you need:

• It may be possible to get hold of the book or article you need from another library. Please see details of the Document Supply Service below.
• You may find that you are able to access the full text of some articles via Google Scholar