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Searching other library catalogues; making interlibrary loan requests; visiting other libraries
An introduction to locating and accessing information
in other libraries
library catalogues, COPAC, reciprocal borrowing
schemes
Swansea University
Swansea University
9/7/12
Swansea University
Introduction
When you start to research your topic you will want to find out what has
already been published in your particular field. To discover what material has
already been produced you may well need to search the catalogues of other
libraries.
If you use a ‘union catalogue’, such as COPAC, you can simultaneously
search for books, journals and other material held in a number of libraries.
When you have located material held in another library you may wish to view
it.
This tutorial explains how you can search for and access the material you
need by:

Searching other library catalogues

Making an Inter-Library Loan request, so that the material you need is
sent to the library here

Visiting another library to borrow books using a reciprocal borrowing
scheme
Things that you are asked to do are in italics.
COPAC
You will probably find COPAC the most useful starting point as it allows you to
simultaneously search across several dozen of the largest university research
libraries in the UK together with the British Library, the National Library of
Wales and the National Library of Scotland.
You can access COPAC from the ‘Other Library Catalogues’ page by scrolling
down to the list of ‘Union Catalogues’ and clicking on COPAC and ‘Search
COPAC’. You can also access it by typing in the URL: http://copac.ac.uk and
clicking on ‘Search COPAC’. You will now be on this page:
COPAC
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This is the Quick Search page, if you want a more detailed search option you
can click on the Main Search tab. You can also use the Map Search
option.
Quick Search
The Quick Search option has 3 fields that you can search: Author / Title
Words / Keyword.
Author Search
You can use the author field to find out what works are available by a
particular author. Enter the author’s name in the form that it is generally used
e.g. Sylvia Plath. If using initials, separate with spaces or commas.
Enter Sylvia Plath into the author field in the box below and click on Search:
COPAC Author Search
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You will see a list of results of items that are by or about Sylvia Plath (you
may need to scroll down to see these). You can sort your results from this
screen by clicking on the arrow to the right of “sort by”. For example you can
sort your results by date:
To see the full record, click on the title, this gives author/title/publisher details
etc. as well as where the book is held. Click on Brief Records to get back to
your list of results, and New Search to carry out a new search.
Title Words
You can use the title words field to find out which libraries hold a particular
publication.
Search for the book ‘Quantum physics illusion or reality’ in the title words field
below:
COPAC Title Words Search
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Author / Title Search
You can use the author and title words fields to do an author / title search
Search for the biography ‘Thomas Hardy: the time-torn man’ by Claire
Tomalin. Type Claire Tomalin into the Author field and the title of the book
into the Title words field.
COPAC Author / Title Search
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Keyword
You can use the Keyword field to do a quick Author / Title search as you can
with iFind Discover.
e.g. tomalin thomas hardy
You can also use it to search for a topic (although you will get a much larger
number of results than if you used ‘Subject’ field in the Main Search option).
Use an asterisk to truncate.
e.g.
trident develop*
Main Search
The Main Search page allows you to refine your search further. Just like
Quick Search, it has author, title words and keyword fields. It also has
Publisher, ISBN / ISSN and Subject fields to help you make your search more
specific. You can use the Subject field to find out what works are available
on a particular subject, again you can truncate your search term using the
asterisk. The subject field searches the ‘subject headings’ or ‘descriptors’ that
have been assigned to a particular record so you will get fewer, more relevant
results by using it than if you used the Keyword field.
If you scroll down you can see that you can limit your search by date / place
published / material type / language and library fields.
Main Search
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In the window above, use the subject field to search for works that have been
published since 2004 on nuclear reactors. Truncate the term ‘reactors’. Limit
your search to material held at Bristol University library.
Saving and emailing results
From the Brief Records screen (and also from the Full Records screen) you
can save the details of records that you are interested in or e-mail these
results to yourself.
Carry out a search on your research topic. You may need to scroll down to do
this. When you have your list of results, ‘mark’ your records by clicking on the
little flag symbol next to the title. Then click on download and download
records.
Main Search
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You will now see the record(s) in downloadable format. From here, when you
are carrying out a live search in COPAC, you can click on file and save as,
choose where you want to save the record and click on save. You will also
be able to e-mail the results to yourself by putting in your e-mail address into
the e-mail address box and clicking on email records.
Other COPAC features – Search History and Help screens
COPAC keeps a record of all the searches you carry out in a session so that
you can view, edit and re-run previous searches you have carried out.
In the screen below, carry out a keyword search for nuclear
decommissioning. Enclose “nuclear decommissioning” in quotation
marks (this forces the system to search for the two words together as a
phrase). Click on History to view the search you have carried out. Edit your
query by clicking on edit query. Limit your search to material published
since 2007 (type 2007- into the Date published field) and re-run your search
by clicking on Search. Click on New Search to carry out another search.
COPAC – Search History
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If you need further help searching the COPAC database at any point, click on
Help in the grey box at the top right of the screen. To gain more tips on
searching a particular field, click on the more… link to the right of each field
you are searching.
Visiting other libraries
Other libraries often have special collections and archives or strong
collections in certain subject areas so it is common for researchers to visit
other universities from time to time to do specialized research. For example,
the London School of Economics specializes in the social sciences and the
National Library of Wales specializes in Welsh material.
As a researcher you are entitled to make use of reciprocal borrowing schemes
to borrow books and other material from other libraries. Swansea University
is a member of the following schemes:


SCONUL Access Scheme
Open to All scheme
You are also entitled to use the following libraries for reference only:


The National Library of Wales
The British Library
SCONUL Access Scheme
This allows the following categories of users to borrow from other HE libraries
across the UK who are members of the scheme:



academic staff
research postgraduate student
part-time, distance learning or placement students
Information about the SCONUL Access is available online. Click here to
access the list of the 180 participating institutions.
To become a member of the scheme:



Download and print out the pdf application form.
Take the form to the Issue Desk in the library, or to the Miners' Library
for authorization - you will then be issued with a SCONUL Access card
Take your SCONUL Access card and your Swansea library/ID
card along with you to the library you wish to visit. You will be issued
with a library card, which will normally have the same expiry date as
your SCONUL Access card. Your SCONUL Access card will be valid
for up to three years, or until your course or contract ends, if earlier.
Open to All Scheme
The ‘Open to All’ scheme allows any current member of Swansea or Neath
Port Talbot public library services to have free borrowing access at Swansea
University, Swansea Metropolitan University, Swansea College, Neath Port
Talbot College or Gorseinon College. You can find more details about the
scheme by clicking here.
Please visit your nearest public library branch and join the library if you are
not already a member. Ask for an ‘Open to All’ passport stating which college
or Higher Education library you want to join. Take the passport along to your
chosen library, and they will register you as a borrower. This scheme is
managed by SWAMP (South Wales Area Partnership).
Using the National Library of Wales
The Library is open to anyone who may wish to use its services and take
advantage of its collections. Access to the Reading Rooms is available to
anyone over the age of 16 who has a valid reader's ticket. You can now also
access a number of the Library’s services online by clicking here.
How to obtain a Reader's Ticket
You can now register for a reader's ticket before visiting The National Library
of Wales, and register for remote access to all the Library's electronic
resources provided through Athens, as long as you live in Wales and have a
Welsh postcode. You may find this useful as the National Library has
electronic subscriptions to some resources that Swansea University does not
have subscriptions to.
See the National Library of Wales Higher Education Learning Page for more
information.
Using the British Library
The British Library provides access to its collections for those whose research
requires the facilities of the national library, and for those who need to see
material not available to them elsewhere.
Admission to the reading rooms is for those who:



have reached a point in their research where no other library can
adequately supply all the information required
can demonstrate a legitimate need to use the items in the collection to
further their research needs
need access to the Library's public records.
Normally, you will have started your research and used other libraries before
applying for a reader's pass.
See the British Library Admissions Information for further details. You will
need to provide proof of your signature (eg credit card, passport, driving
licence) and address (eg utility bill, bank statement, driving licence). Your
student or staff card may also be helpful, but please also provide proof of your
status in the University (eg letter of enrolment or appointment) as our ID cards
do not carry a great deal of information.
If you are a student, please arrange to discuss your research needs with your
subject librarian before considering a visit to the British Library, as it may be
possible for us to help you find suitable materials in a library closer to
Swansea.
Further information:
Reader Admissions Office
The British Library
96 Euston Road
London NW1 2DB
United Kingdom
Telephone: 020 7412 7677
Fax: 020 7412 7794
E-mail: reader-admissions@bl.uk
Web: http://www.bl.uk/services/reading/admissions.html
Access to computing services
It is unusual for other institutions to allow non-members to use their networked
computing facilities. You should contact individual institutions to check their
policy.
Other Library Catalogues
Catalogues of Individual Libraries by Geographical area
Swansea


Swansea Metropolitan University
Swansea Public Libraries
Wales


National library of Wales
Higher Education Libraries
o Aberystwyth University
o Bangor University and Glyndwr University
o Cardiff University and Wales NHS Trust libraries
o Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama
o University of Wales Trinity Saint David
o University of Glamorgan
o University of Wales Newport
o University of Wales Institute Cardiff

Public Libraries in Wales
o
o
Cardiff Public Libraries
Swansea Public Libraries
United Kingdom
National Libraries
o
o
o
Explore the British Library
Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru ( National Library of Wales)
National Library of Scotland
Higher Education Libraries
o
These can be found by an internet search for the university
name with the word catalogue.
Public Libraries in the UK
o
UK Public Libraries on the Web
Worldwide



National Libraries web site
Library of Congress
Libdex : worldwide directory of library homepages and web-based
catalogues
Inter-Library Loans
As a researcher, you are entitled to make Inter-Library Loan requests if you
can’t find the book, journal article or other item that you need in the library.
The Document Supply service can be found on Level 2 of the West Wing in
the Library & Information Centre. Material can be obtained and held for you to
pick up.
To find out more about the Inter-Library Loans service and how to make a
request, go to the Document Supply page at:
http://www.swansea.ac.uk/lis/informationservicesandsystems/libraries/docum
entsupplyservices/
Further Help
Library and Information Services is here to support you with your research. If
you need any further assistance when searching for and obtaining the
material you need, please contact your Subject Librarian. Contact details for
Subject Teams can be found via the Subject support page at:
http://www.swansea.ac.uk/lis/informationservicesandsystems/libraries/subjecti
nformation/