Accessing print only material remotely
There may be occasions when you are not in Glasgow or studying remotely and the material you need is only available in print form.
We offer a variety of options to help access this material.
If we only have a book in print format
Purchasing the e-book
You can fill in the New book or resource suggestion form to ask if we can buy the e-book version. If an e-book exists and there are funds, we will be happy to purchase.
Scan and Send
If the book is not available in e-format we may be able to scan an individual chapter from our print copy. Choose Request scanned copy of chapter or article held by this Library via your Library account.
If you are not sure what you might need scanned you can request either a scan of the Table of Contents in the Pages in Book field of the Scan and Send request form
Alternatively, book a virtual consultation to view the book via Zoom.
If we don’t have a copy at all
Purchasing the e-book
You can fill in the New book or resource suggestion form to ask if we can buy the e-book version. If an e-book exists and there are funds, we will be happy to purchase.
Request the item
You can request electronic copies of journal articles, book chapters and theses that we don’t have in stock via your Library account.
Access other libraries
The SCONUL Access scheme gives reciprocal access to many UK university libraries. Once registered you can use other academic libraries near you for reference access and borrowing of print books.
Identifying online material
You can limit your search to only material available online by choosing the Full Text Online option within Library Search.
Our databases can be accessed from off campus with your login details. These are a key tool for identifying publications on your topic and many include full text.
Or make an appointment with your College Librarian to get help with finding material for your topic.
Other options
It’s worth checking Google Books and the Internet Archive for any freely available full text.
Amazon may offer an inexpensive Kindle edition (these are not available for academic libraries to purchase).
Unfortunately, we can’t arrange for copies we hold in stock or inter library loan books to be sent to other UK libraries for you to pick up.
If it is vital for you to access an entire book that we cannot provide electronically or via any of the other options described you can contact your College Librarian who may be able to help.