Library FAQs

If you search the College intranet JNet for 'printing and photocopying', the IT department has created a factsheet.

If you search the College intranet JNet for 'Webprint', the IT Department has published a factsheet.

The item is only available via the University Library or certain Faculty or Departmental libraries. 

You need to be logged in before the recall option appears. Recalls are switched off during vacations.

You can borrow up to 15 items for 7 days (undergraduates) or 28 days (postgraduates, Fellows and staff). These books will autorenew until the end of the academic year unless recalled by another user.

Please check that you've written down the classmark correctly. Try looking around the shelves and tables where the book should be; sometimes they get misplaced. If you still can't find it please ask library staff for help.

You need a University card with a barcode on the back – if you have a temporary card with no barcode you'll need to ask the librarians for help or fill out one of the borrowing slips. If the barcode on your card has rubbed off you'll need to get a replacement from the Porters’ Lodge.

You can find the library rules in hard copy within the library guide leaflets on the reference desk or on the website's library pages.

If you lose your University card please report it to the Porters' Lodge immediately; they will be able to arrange for the issuing of a replacement card. You can still borrow books without a card if you ask the library staff or invigilators for help.

You need to use your University card to use the photocopier and pay for your copies. You'll find full instructions and prices on the board beside the machine.

First try borrowing the book again just in case the system didn’t work properly the first time. If the same thing happens please speak to the library staff. You aren't allowed to borrow a book if the system doesn't recognise it has been signed out.

Please tell the librarians or the IT department staff and they can call an engineer or restock the paper tray as needed. If the problem occurs out of hours, then please email it-support@jesus.cam.ac.uk.

Check to see if someone else borrowed your library card. If not, please see the librarians and explain the situation – if you can find the book somewhere in the library that will help. Unless you let us know about this you may be charged a fine to cover the cost of replacing the book.

We have a large collection of 'light reading' books for when you want a break from studying. You can find them in the room next to the library office.

When you’re using iDiscover click on ‘Login to iDiscover’ at the top right of the screen and log in using your Raven password. When logged in clicking on your name will give you the option to see what loans you have in all of the Cambridge Libraries using this system. If you are using the catalogue computers in the library, remember to log out when you have finished. You will receive a monthy letter from Cambridge Libraries letting you know what you still have out on loan.

We lend out the light reading books on a trust basis. You don’t need to sign them out on the computer; they're not in the catalogue. Just take a book and return it when you're finished. 

Please email us at quincentenary-library@jesus.cam.ac.uk with details of the item you'd like to borrow. We will borrow it for you and leave it on the Recalls Shelf for you to collect.

Please report any problems with computers in the Kwok Room to staff in the IT department. You can reach them by email on it-support@jesus.cam.ac.uk or by calling +44 (0)1223 339945.

Interlibrary loans can be obtained from the University Library and some faculty libraries. 

If the printer in the computer centre runs out of paper please let the IT department staff know by emailing it-support@jesus.cam.ac.uk. If they are closed then the library office should have some paper you can use. The Porters may also be able to give you some paper for the printer.

Please let the librarians know about this so that we can address the problem. You can find us in the library office or email us at quincentenary-library@jesus.cam.ac.uk

Please bring the book to the library office straight away so that we can dry it properly and stop it going mouldy. 

Once you've done your initial search select ‘Jesus College’ from the list on the right of the screen or from the drop down list on the right of the search box.

Let the IT Department know. In the meantime we have network leads which you can use to connect to the network.

To recall the book you must first log into iDiscover using your Raven password. Click on the Jesus Copy in the Request options, you will then be able to recall the book. You will get an email when the book has been returned to the library, where it will be available from the recall shelf for you to collect. Recalls only operate in term time.

The library uses the Bliss Classification System: there are alphabetical classmarks that spiral clockwise down through the library, starting with A in the top corner of the building and finishing with Z on the ground floor. You'll find notices next to the shelves explaining how the system works.

Please email quincentenary-library@jesus.cam.ac.uk. It's possible that the librarian will be able to replace the book for you quickly.

Please explain the situation to staff in the library office; sometimes we can buy a book very quickly if it's available in a local bookshop.

This item is a book by or about a Jesuan and is shelved in the Old Library or Webb Library, not the Quincentenary Library. If the book is a 20th century or late 19th century book and you give the details to a librarian we can fetch it for you. You can read it in the Quincentenary Library, but you won’t be allowed to borrow it. For earlier books, you will need to book an appointment to read it in the Old Library. Please note it may take some time to collect these books, especially if it is housed in the Webb Library, so it is worth seeing if there is a copy available elsewhere.

Store books can only be retrieved by the librarians. Just tell us which book you'd like to see and we will fetch it for you, then you can borrow the book as normal. We can also borrow it for you and leave it on the click and collect trolley in the Library Cloisters for you to collect.

You can find the oversize books in our collection in the Creswick Room, just by the door.