Borrowing at the Education Library

A woman uses a library PC

Who can borrow?

All current Oxford University staff and students are welcome to borrow books from us. Students and staff at the Department of Education will be registered automatically. If you are a member of another department or faculty, please bring your University card to the reception desk to register the first time you use the library. 

Visitors who are not members of the University can use the library on a reference-only basis.

What can be borrowed?

  • Most of the library's collections can be borrowed.
  • Theses, journals, and items for library use only (yellow stickers) cannot be borrowed. 

Borrowing allowances

Reader type Books Borrowing period
Department of Education academic staff 20 4 weeks
Department of Education DPhil students 20 4 weeks
Department of Education MSc students 15 1 week
Department of Education distance-learning students 20 4 weeks
PGCE students, until Christmas 10 1 week
PGCE students, after Christmas 10 2 weeks
Staff and students of other University departments 10 1 week

Overnight books

In addition to your normal loan allowance, you can borrow up to 5 overnight books. These have a red sticker.

Overnight loans are due back before the library closes the following day (or on Monday, if borrowed on a Friday or at the weekend). You can renew them online via SOLO.

Vacation loans

During vacations we offer special extended loan periods to make borrowing and returning books easier for students who may not be staying in Oxford. Sign into your SOLO account to see when your books are due. You will receive an automated reminder email the day before they are due back.

If you are due to finish your course, your loans will be due back before your university card expires.

All overnight books remain overnight loans during vacations. When the library closes fully at Christmas and Easter, overnight material can be borrowed from the day before we close until the day we re-open.

Renew items

You may renew items borrowed from this library as many times as you like, if they are not reserved by another reader.

You can renew items online via SOLO. If you are renewing a book on its due date, you must renew it before midnight.