Soon to enrol, or in your first few weeks at BGU? These pages are just for you - welcome!
All students get a library orientation session early in their course but in the meantime this page will help you learn about our services and facilities, and you can use the tabs above to find out more about opening hours, subject guides, FAQs, and how to contact us.
Importantly, if there's something you're not sure about please contact us or speak to us in person - you'll find us in the Cornerstone Building, in the south-west corner of the campus next to the University Chapel.
Students can borrow up to 25 library resources at a time. Your University ID card is also your library card.
Loan periods vary according to the type of material you want to borrow:
You can read more about borrowing, returning, renewing and reserving library resources on our Borrowing pages or watch short videos on our How-To pages.
You should always be able to find somewhere to study in the Library to suit your study preferences. We encourage quiet study in all areas with two exceptions: the Silent Study Suite (for individuals studying in silence) and the Social Study Suite (for group work and collaborative work); both of which are on the first floor. There are lots of other study spaces around the Library, with and without computers and power sockets, including the 24/7 IT Suite off the building foyer.
All study spaces are available on a first-come, first-served basis except for the five seminar rooms in the Social Study Suite and the four study booths in the Silent Study Suite which are bookable for 2 and 4 hour slots respectively.
There is no charge for BGU students to use the Library or borrow resources and we don't charge fines for the late return of library loans. Charges do however apply to the following:
Click here to view our opening hours .
When the Library is open but the Service Desk is closed (i.e. there are no library staff on duty) the Library is supervised by a Security Officer.
Watch our video tour of the building here.
WorldCat is our library catalogue. Use it to perform searches for books and other resources, and to find out if particular items are in stock and where to find them. It's also how you access ebooks and journal articles, and where you sign-in to your library account to monitor your loans.
Campus access to online resources via WorldCat is automatic; if you use WorldCat off-campus you may be prompted to login with your BGU username and password.
For more about online resources click here and for more about WorldCat click here.
Your library account is automatically set up for you when you enrol. Signing in to one university system whilst on campus will automatically log you in to others, but if you do need to sign in, please refer to the instructions below. Once logged in you can check what you have on loan and check the status of requests.
When using the Library please:
You cannot photocopy/print unlimited amounts from library resources (this is against the law!) but you are permitted to photocopy/print limited amounts. In general you should photocopy/print no more than 10% or one chapter of a book (whichever is greater) and no more than one article per journal issue but you are advised to visit our Copyright for BGU Students site to gain a better understanding of the rules as they apply to all types of library resources.
There are computers around the Library and in the 24/7 IT Suite (off the Cornerstone Building foyer).
Wi-fi is available throughout the Cornerstone Building and there are plenty of study spaces with power sockets to plug in your own laptop or mobile device.
Printing and photocopying is pay-as-you-go using your University ID card. A print account is set up for you when you join the University. Click here for more about your print account.
IT Help is available by emailing helpdesk@bishopg.ac.uk.
Guillotines, a laminator, hole punches and staplers are all available to use in the Social Study Suite on the first floor of the Library.
A couple of years ago we asked current students what they wished they'd known earlier about the Library. Click below to see some of the responses.