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Home » About us » Membership

BLDS is a graduate research library and membership is freely available to:

• All IDS staff
• All IDS students
• IDS Visiting Fellows
• University of Sussex and University of Brighton staff (please bring proof of your position to join)
• University of Sussex and University of Brighton postgraduate students (please bring your student registration card to join)

Please print a copy of the BLDS Library membership Form. Fill out your details and bring to the Service Counter with your University ID card. Alternatively you can obtain a copy in the library.

External membership

is available to UK residents at the Librarian's discretion
Please contact us (email:blds@ids.ac.uk or tel: 01273 915659) if you wish to become a member.
Charges and entitlements are outlined below.

Individuals

Standard charges: £100 per yr, £50 for 6 mths, £30 for up to 3 mths.
IDS alumni charges: £50 per yr, £25 for 6 mths, £15 for up to 3 mths.
Entitlements: access to collections during ordinary hours and borrowing of up to 30 items.

Institutions: (excluding education/training institutes with numbers of students or trainees).
Charges: £250 per yr, £150 for 6 mths, £80 for up to 3 mths.
Entitlements: access for any staff to collections during ordinary hours and borrowing of up to 30 items by one named contact.

Institutional/commercial users on campus or at IDS:
Charges: £60 per day
Entitlements: access to collections during ordinary hours for up to 10 people.
Other institutional arrangements are negotiable according to particular circumstances.

 

Borrowing entitlements

IDS staff

Borrowing entitlement is up to 30 items.

• Most documents are lent for 6 weeks.
• Notification will be made of overdue and recalled items.
• Books may be renewed up to three times, as long as they are not required by another user. Renewals may be carried out using My acccount or in person.
• Books on loan to another reader may be reserved using My account or in person.
• Bookacquisition suggestion forms are available at the Service Counter or can be e-mailed to bldsacquisitions@ids.ac.uk
  
• Lost or non-returned items will be invoiced for.

Inter-library loan entitlement is up to 6 at any one time - ILL request forms are available from Service Counter staff.

You can check what materials you have on loan / reserved using My account.

IDS students

Borrowing entitlement is up to 30 items.

• Most documents are lent for 6 weeks.
• Notification will be made of overdue and recalled items.
• Books may be renewed up to three times, as long as they are not required by another user. Renewals may be carried out using My account or in person.
• Books on loan to another reader may be reserved using My account or in person.
• Book purchase suggestion forms are available at the Service Counter or you can e-mail bldsacquisitions@ids.ac.uk.
• Lost or non-returned items will be invoiced for.

Inter-library loan entitlement is up to 6 at any one time – ILL request forms are available fromService Counter staff.

You can check what materials you have on loan / reserved using My account.

Reading lists and readings
Most of the ‘essential’ readings are available on Study Direct before the start of the related teaching.

Essential readings that cannot be reproduced for copyright reasons are available in the Teaching Collections and Research Methods colletion (First Floor).
Many other titles that appear on reading lists can be found in these collections.

University of Sussex / University of Brighton postgraduates

Borrowing entitlement is up to 30 items

• Most documents are lent for 6 weeks.
• Notification will be made of overdue and recalled items.
• Books may be renewed up to three times, as long as they are not required by another user. Renewals may be carried out using My account or in person.
• Books on loan to another reader may be reserved using My account or in person. Please note: Reserve Collection books can not be reserved.
• Book purchase suggestion forms are available at the Issue Desk or you can e-mail blds@ids.ac.uk.
• Lost or non-returned items will be invoiced for.

You can check what materials you have on loan / reserved using My account.

University of Sussex / University of Brighton staff

Borrowing entitlement is up to 30 items

• Most documents are lent for 6 weeks.
• Notification will be made of overdue and recalled items.
• Books may be renewed up to three times, as long as they are not required by another user. Renewals may be carried out using My account or in person.
• Book acquisition suggestion forms are available at the Issue Desk or you can e-mail bldsacquisitions@ids.ac.uk
• Lost or non-returned items will be invoiced for.

You can check what materials you have on loan / reserved using My account.

Fines

Charges

Fines will be charged on all borrowed items that become overdue. The amounts charged differ depending on the loan type, as follows:

Loan type	When due back	Fines charged for late return
Overnight	11.00am the next (working) day after the issue date	£1 per item per day up to a maximum of £10 per item; incurred at 11:01am daily.
Reserve 7 day	5.30pm, 7 days after the issue date	50p per item per day up to a maximum of £10 per item; fines incur from 5:31pm on 1st day due (eg. if item is due back on 1 August, fines will incur from 5.31pm on 1 August).
42 day	5.30pm, 42 days after the issue date (unless recalled – see below)	25p per item per day up to a maximum of £10 per item; fines incur from 5:31pm on 1st day due (eg. if item is due back on 1 August, fines will incur from 5.31pm on 1 August).
42 day loans that have been recalled	5.30pm, 2 weeks after date of recall	50p per day; fines incur from 5.31pm on 1st day due (from new due date).

• Fines will not incur at weekends or on closure days
• Courtesy reminders will be sent by email 2 days before 42 day loan items are due back

Recall notices

If another BLDS member reserves an item that you have on loan, you will be sent a Recall Notice advising that you need to return the item within two weeks (or by the original due date if that is sooner). If the item is not returned within this period it will be considered overdue and you will start incurring fines (at a rate of 50p per item per day). Loans cannot be renewed once they have been recalled. Members should therefore be prepared (and physically able) to return library books to BLDS at any time, by post if necessary. Please note: BLDS policy does not permit items to be taken abroad without prior consent.

Suspension of borrowing rights

BLDS members will be unable to borrow any more items if any of the following occur:

1. There is more than £10 in total fines owing on the member’s account

1. A fine has gone unpaid for more than 28 days
2. Any item issued is more than three weeks overdue