Students and staff can:
Community Borrowers, SCONUL users and students registered under the Reciprocal Scheme can borrow five printed books or DVDs at once. Check our Visitors and Alumni page for further membership details. Access to electronic books and journals is facilitated through the Walk-in Access scheme.
The majority of items in our collections are available to borrow for one week initially. Check the How do I renew books? section for more information about keeping your loans for longer.
Certain books and all editions of our journals are exclusively intended for reference purposes. These resources can be accessed in the library during opening hours.
Students can borrow a laptop from the Lapsafe terminals for short-term, on-campus use or acquire one from the IT Helpdesk for a period of up to four weeks.
To efficiently locate resources, use MetSearch, our library catalogue. MetSearch serves as the entry point to an extensive collection of resources. MetSearch can be accessed both on campus and remotely, either directly through the web or via the Cardiff Met app. For best results, sign in using your Cardiff Met credentials. Enhance your search and discovery skills by referring to our informative guides below.
If the Library does not hold the resource you need for your studies or research, you can request it either by the Interlibrary loan service or placing a Purchase request.
Your Cardiff Met ID card is your library card. You need your card to:
The quickest way to borrow books is to find them on the shelves and take them out using our self-service kiosks located on the ground floor. You can reserve the books you need in MetSearch and collect them from the Help Desk when you’ve received a confirmation that we’ve processed your request.
Sign into MetSearch with your Cardiff Met credentials.
Find the book you’d like to reserve and click on the title link.
In the Get it section, click on Reserve @ Cardiff Met.
Select your Pick up location. You can collect your reservations from either Cyncoed or Llandaff library during our staffed opening hours or have it posted. Add your home address to the Comment if you want it posted.*
Click on Send Request.
When the reservation has been processed, we’ll notify you via email. We aim to process reservations within two working days if the requested book is available. If the book is on loan, one copy will be recalled for you. The reservation will be processed when the recalled book is returned.
* The Postal delivery service is not available to Franchise students, Franchise staff and External Borrowers.
Your loans will be renewed automatically, provided they have not been requested by anyone else or your library account hasn’t expired.
We’ll notify you via email if your loans have been requested. You can continue using the book until its due date.
You can also renew your books in MetSearch – My Library account. Ensure you sign in first. Books with a recalled status cannot be renewed. You need to return them by their due date.
You can return books at either Cyncoed or Llandaff library. Books can be returned via the self-service kiosks, at the Library desk or dropped into the books return box outside the libraries.
You can also return books by post. Contact us for more information about our free postal service.
Exception: All inter-library loans have to be returned in person to a member of staff at a Library Helpdesk.
You should return borrowed items when you've finished using them. However, you have to return an item promptly if it’s been requested by another borrower. We’ll email you if your loans have been requested. You will then need to return them by their due date.
You don’t need your library card to return books. This means that someone else can return your loan on your behalf.
You won’t be able to borrow any books or DVDs if your account has been blocked. This can happen for the following reasons:
Contact us with any queries about your library account.
If you have a book on loan and another library user requests it, the book is recalled. You receive an email notification about it.
You can continue using the book until its due date but you won’t be able to renew it.
If you don’t return a recalled book, your library account will be restricted seven days after the due date.
If you lose or damage any of the books you’ve borrowed, contact us as soon as possible. Our Team will consider how to resolve the matter fairly.
You may be asked to purchase a replacement copy or pay for replacement. There is a standard replacement fee of £50 for a lost or damaged item. If an item is worth a lot more than £50 then we reserve the right to charge a higher replacement cost.
All students and staff have a library account. Your account is created automatically at the beginning of your studies or employment.
External users have their account set up when they register.
You can access your library account in Metsearch. In the top right corner, sign in with your Cardiff Met credentials and then navigate to My Library Account. You can view your current loans and their due dates; check if any items have been recalled or access your loan history. You can also check the status of the items you have requested.
The library sends you important notifications about your library account.
At the beginning of every month, you receive a summary of the items you have on loan. Check the details carefully and contact us with any questions.
You will also receive emails about your requests or reminders when your loans need to be returned.
All notifications are sent to your university email. External users receive notifications via the email provided on the registration form.
