Courtauld Library FAQ
Find what you need in the library. We’re here to help and want you to be ambitious in your scholarly and professional goals.
If you don’t find the answer to your questions here, email library@courtauld.ac.uk .
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- What am I searching in Library Search
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Answers to the Questions about the Library
In LibrarySearch click on Sign in. Hover over your name in the upper right-hand corner and select My Loans.
- Read “How to find material in the library” in Finding and borrowing books in the Library – The Courtauld
- Search keywords from your topic in our LibrarySearch
- 7 books for BAs, MAs, PgDips
- 10 books for PhDs
- 16 books for Staff
Loan periods are 1 week for BAs, MAs, PgDips; 2 weeks for PhDs, 3 weeks for Staff. Your loans will automatically renew, unless a the book that you’ve borrowed is requested by another user; in this case, you are notified via email and need to bring back the book by the due date.
If you don’t return a recalled book on time, your account will be frozen for the same number of days the book is overdue. For example, if the book is a week late, you won’t be able to borrow books for a week.
You’re welcome to take books from the shelves and borrow them. The staff at the Help Desk will loan the books to you, alternatively you can borrow books by processing them through the self-service machine.
Books can be returned easily at the help desk or inside the two drop boxes (located by the self-service machine in the main library and at Vernon Square’s reception).
If the Not Available status on the record is displayed then click on the Request button under Get It.
You will receive an email when the book is ready to be collected from the Library.
If you can’t find the book you need, there are several options you can explore:
Access Senate House and King’s College Libraries
As a Courtauld student, you have access to Senate House and King’s College Libraries through the University of London Access Agreement.
If you’re not yet registered with these libraries, you’ll need to sign up to access their resources. For more information, visit Senate House and King’s College Libraries.
Search in Other Libraries
Library Hub: Use Jisc Library Hub Discover to search for books in UK libraries. If the item is available at another London library, please note that we cannot request it via interlibrary loan. However, you can contact the library directly to arrange a visit.
WorldCat: Use WorldCat to search for books in libraries worldwide. If the book is available elsewhere, we may be able to request it through interlibrary loan. Visit Inter-library Loans for details.
Suggest Adding the Book to the Courtauld Library
If you think a book would be a valuable addition to our collection, you can suggest it via our Purchase Request form.
The Catalogue is the main tool for discovering the physical and digital collections of the Courtauld Library. It allows you to search for:
- Books, journals, and exhibition catalogues held in the library
- E-books and other digital resources available online
- Print materials in the library
A database is a searchable platform that we subscribe to that provides access to a wide range of scholarly resources beyond our catalogue. These can include:
- Journal articles
- Research papers
- Images and primary sources
Databases often focus on specific subjects (e.g., art history, conservation, or cultural studies) and include resources that might not appear in the main library catalogue. You can search databases by category here: Database Search
E-Resources (electronic resources) refer to any material accessible online, such as:
- E-books
- Online journals
- Multimedia resources like videos or images
E-resources can often be accessed through either the library catalogue or specific databases.
Visit the module page in the Courtauld Virtual Learning Environment.
Visit Reading Lists support for students for information about reading lists, including what readings you can expect to access online, readings that will need to be accessed in the Reading List Reference section of the library and those that you will need a Senate House membership to access online.
A range of support is available to students, including:
- Book an appointment with a librarian
- Support for referencing
- Royal Literary Fund Tutors
- Academic Skills Tutor
Visit Book a Librarian, Royal Literary Fund Tutors, and Academic Skills – The Courtauld for more information.
- Associate your ID Card with PaperCut (this only needs to be done once).
- Choose a print queue: use CIA_Mono for black and white or CIA_Colour for colour prints from Courtauld devices.
- WebPrint for personal devices: upload PDFs or images via the PaperCut User Portal without installing print queues.
- Release your job: tap your ID card at any MFD, select your document, and print.
- Don’t forget to log out.
Visit WiFi, Printing & Scanning for more information.
Printed theses and dissertations are kept in remote storage but can be requested for on-site viewing at Vernon Square. Please fill out a request form for each item using the Get It → Resource Sharing button when viewing a thesis record in the catalogue, and allow three working days for the item to arrive.
Electronic copies of Courtauld MA dissertations (from 2017 onwards) and PhD theses (from 2010 onwards) are available to Courtauld staff and students. Please fill out a request form for each item using the Get It → Resource Sharing button when viewing a thesis record in the catalogue, and we will send you an electronic copy.
You can search for theses in our Ex Libris Discovery – *
Visit Theses – The Courtauld for more information.