Library FAQs

he library is only open to current College Members.

Magdalene Members may not borrow books on behalf of non-Members or bring non-Members to work in the library although you can bring in friends and family to see the library during vacation periods.

If a book is only available in Magdalene College Library, (i.e. there is no copy in the UL, a Faculty Library or your own College library) then you can email us to arrange an appointment to come and read the book in the library during staffed hours. You would not be able to borrow.

The library is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all year round.

Library staff are available Monday to Friday, 09:00-12:30/13:30-17:00, at the staff desk on the ground floor. You can email us at library@magd.cam.ac.uk. 

Yes - during the day you can leave any items at the desk where you’re working. If you want to keep items out for the next day please make a neat pile and fill out an ‘Items in use’ slip, placing this on top, so that library staff know not to tidy them up!

We encourage you to take personal items with you, as we cannot guarantee the safety of your belongings. Items left overnight may be moved to lost property or the staff office for safekeeping.

Drinks in sealed containers are welcome in the main library, but we ask that drinks in open containers and any food is consumed in the social space only. Spilled food and drink can cause damage to the collections and environment, so these precautions help make the library a comfortable, functional place for everyone.

There is not a dedicated catalogue computer, but there are two computers on the first floor for general use.

Oversize: Located on the Ground Floor, facing the noticeboard.

Office: Please ask staff if you need to access an item stored in the Office.

Reserve Stock: These items are stored offsite and will need to be retrieved by staff. Please ask staff or use the Click and Collect form to request these books.

Pepys Library/Old Library: Items kept in the historic Pepys Library or Old Library. Please contact the Pepys Library to request access to these items: pepyslibrary@magd.cam.ac.uk. 

This may mean that:

1. the book is being used in the library but has not been loaned;
2. the book has been mis-shelved; or
3. the book is in the returns box, waiting to be re-shelved.

If you think an item may be missing, please speak to library staff so we can track it down for you.

Yes, auto-renewals for library books and DVDs continue as normal over vacation and requests are switched off so nobody can request the items you have on loan.

Board games cannot be borrowed over the vacation.

During staffed hours, come to the staff desk and we will loan the book to you.

Outside of staffed hours, please fill in a Borrowing Slip and place this in one of the book return boxes. These are available next to the self-service machines.

Alternatively, if you know your card barcode (5 characters on the back of your card), you can enter this manually on the self-issue machine screen by clicking the keyboard icon on the card scanning screen, then proceed as usual.

The main reasons this may happen are:

1. You already have 12 Magdalene items on loan.
2. The item is Reference only which means it can be read in the Library but not borrowed. These items will have a red sticker or ‘not to be taken away’ sticker on the spine.
3. Your account has expired or not been set up – contact staff if you think this may be the case.

When loaning an item, it needs to be left on the pad until the title is highlighted in green with the status ‘Loan Successful’. Press ‘Finish’ before removing any items from the pad. If items are removed from the pad before the machine has finished processing them, then they may trigger the alarm. You can take the book with you but please bring it to the staff desk later so we can sort this out.

We understand accidents happen so please notify us as soon as possible if you have damaged or lost any library materials so we can sort this out. If an item has been deliberately damaged in a permanent way (e.g. text highlighted) and needs replacing, you may be charged for a replacement copy.

When you borrow an item, it will be loaned to you for one month. A few days before it is due, the loan will automatically be renewed for another month. This will continue until you return the item, until your course ends or until another person places a request on an item which is on loan to you.

No, only Magdalene books should be returned to Magdalene library.

If you have left non-Magdalene items in the library and are unable to retrieve and return them, please contact us.

If you need an item that is already on loan, you can request it in iDiscover. Once a request is placed the item should be returned within three days. It will then be loaned to you and you will receive an email when it is ready to collect. If it is not collected within one week, the item will be returned and re-shelved.

When you receive an email notifying you a book is ready for collection it can be found on the Reserved Books shelf, behind the staff desk. If staff are at the desk, please tell us you’ve come to collect an item.

If you come outside of staff hours you can still collect - at the ground floor office enter the door to the right of the lift, then you should see the item on the shelf immediately on your left. These items are on loan to you so there’s no need to borrow them on the self-service machine.

If you’ve just placed the request, you can cancel it in your iDiscover account. Just find the requested item in the ‘Requests’ section and click ‘Cancel’.

If you’ve already been emailed that the requested item is available, please contact us, by email or in person, to let us know you no longer need it.

You can also retrieve the item from the Reserved Books shelf and immediately return it.

As soon as a requested item is returned, its status is changed to ‘Available’. This means that an ‘Available’ item will be in the returns box until it is processed by staff. Library staff will notify you by email when your requested item is ready to collect.

Yes! We encourage students to recommend new books, DVDs, CDs and board games for the Library. These can be items on your reading list, or for your research, an extra copy of an in-demand item, fiction you’d like to read or a game you’d like to play. You can submit recommendations using our Recommending Items form, or you can send an email or come and speak to us at the desk/office.

If you need to work on a shared assignment with non-Magdalene Members then you can book the group study room. It is not bookable for online meetings, teaching or social events. Bookings can be made for a minimum of three and maximum of six people. Outside of approved bookings, non-Magdalene members are not permitted to use the Library.

Please email the library team and provide the following information:

• Date and times you would like to book
• Names and Colleges of people attending
• Reason for booking (i.e. group project)
• Whether you will need the TV screen (only available Mon-Fri 09:00-17:00)

If the room is not booked, then anyone can use the available space.

The Cambridge Libraries Directory lists all the libraries in Cambridge with links to their websites.

Magdalene Eco Travel Cups and water bottles are available to purchase in the Library or from the College Office. The charge for this is applied to your College bill, we cannot process payments in the Library.

We do not currently offer thesis binding, but you can find binding services on the Cambridge Students website.