Information for: Students

Every student is automatically provided with a library account upon enrolment, with their ID card serving as their library card. The card is essential for borrowing books via the self-service kiosks and accessing out-of-hours study areas in both Learning Centres.

Students can borrow up to 30 print books or DVDs simultaneously and enjoy unlimited access to electronic resources available in our collections.

Refer to our Borrowing and Requesting page for more information about using our libraries.

Cardiff Met's Library collections offer a wide range of resources that support learning, teaching and research. The collections cover print, electronic and audio-visual material and are available for all Cardiff Met students, staff, and the wider community.

Key offerings include:

• Over 140,000 print books alongside a collection of print journals.
• A rapidly expanding electronic collection containing over 365,000 ebooks and 120,000 ejournals.
• Special Collections tailored to various fields of study within the Cardiff School of Art and Design, Cardiff School of Education and Cardiff School of Health Sciences. These collections are held separately from the main collections.
• Databases facilitating access to diverse types and formats of information. While some products grant full-text access, others provide abstracts or bibliographic information. Most database content is accessible via MetSearch, but certain resources such as art websites, statistics, and legal information sets require access via the Databases A to Z List.

For efficient resource discovery use MetSearch, the Library Service’s discovery tool. Begin by checking your reading list in Moodle which conveniently provides easy access and links to all course materials.

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.

The Library and Academic Practice team specializes in supporting students to develop the practical skills needed to learn independently, thrive academically and perform well in course assessment, whatever the subject.

The team offers a variety of support options including:

• Discovery guides designed to help you in locating relevant study materials, enhancing search techniques, and discovering new resource management tools.
• Academic Practice pages focused on developing essential skills such as critical thinking, academic writing, referencing, and independent learning.
• Training sessions aimed at helping you to get the most out of the library's resources and services.
• Personalized 1-2-1 appointments with an Academic Librarian to deepen understanding of subject-specific resources, recommend key texts, assist with literature searches, or provide tips for using subject-specific databases.

For enquiries, contact the Team via email at LibraryAcademicServices@cardiffmet.ac.uk.

The University Library participates in two external borrowing schemes granting students and staff access to library collections at other institutions: the SCONUL Access scheme and a reciprocal borrowing scheme with three local institutions.

Both schemes are offered at no cost.

All our students, staff and researchers are eligible to apply for SCONUL Access.

Only full-time undergraduate students can apply to join the Reciprocal borrowing scheme.

Check our Borrowing pages for more details and registration guidance.

For enquiries, contact the Library via email at Library@cardiffmet.ac.uk.