LSE Academic Support Staff - guide to using the Library

If you require further information please use the Enquiries Form.  For a printed copy of this guide go to Academic Support Staff Guide

What sort of induction do new academic support staff get?

There is no formal induction for new academic support staff. However all staff based within an academic Department, Institute or Research Centre have a designated Liaison Librarian. Details of your Liaison Librarian can be found on our website. Please see the A-Z list by Department. You can get in touch with your Liaison Librarian at any point during the year.

Your Liaison Librarian:

• Advises on Library services available to you and your department, and updates you on new services
• Provides training and support for you and your department in exploiting information sources
• Invites suggestions for Library acquisitions, including help with reading lists
• Welcomes opportunities to discuss your department's research interests and helps you to determine the best way to obtain research materials
• Usually attends Department meetings and staff/student committees.

In addition, you are encouraged to take advantage of other help available in the Library:

• Visit the Library and take a free audio tour - just ask at Reception. Or download the podcast from the Library website. NB.Your LSE Card acts as both your School ID and your Library Card and will therefore allow you automatic access through the turnstiles.
• Attend the regular informal training sessions on offer - please see Information Skills Training
• Use subject specific Library guides also available on the website
• Ask the expert staff at the Help Desk (first floor).

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Can I arrange an induction for a member of staff who is joining mid-term?

Please get in touch with your Liaison Librarian if you wish to arrange an introduction to the Library for any new member of academic or academic support staff during the year. Please see the A-Z list by Department

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What sort of induction can new academic staff expect?

New academic staff share the same Liaison Librarian and level of support as you. All new academic staff will hear from their Liaison Librarian in the first few weeks of term and will receive a guide to using the Library. Academic induction events are also organised by the School for new staff in September and they will have an opportunity to meet their Liaison Librarian at these. See Induction For Academic Staff

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What sort of induction can new students expect?

The Library runs a programme of activities for new students in the first few weeks of term. All new and returning students can benefit from the special help point in the Library foyer. Other help is available all year round:

• The Library offers an excellent free audio tour (and therefore accompanied tours are not usually required). Our audio tour is an ideal introduction to Library layout and facilities. Students can borrow a handset from the Help Point during the first few weeks of term or from the Service Counter at all other times of the year. A podcast is also available from the Library website.
• Students can collect a Student Library guide and a Floor plan guide from the temporary Welcome Point in the Library Foyer at the start of term - or from the Help Desk (first floor) at any time. We can send supplies to the Department or Research Centre on request.
• Training tutorials are offered on using the Library Catalogue
• Subject specific Library guides are available on the website - see Subject Guides
• Staff at the Help Desk on the first floor are available for any enquiries about using our collections and electronic resources
• Your Liaison Librarian is happy to attend department student induction sessions.

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Can departments recommend that someone who is not LSE student/staff get access to the Library and temporary borrowing rights?

Yes, you can arrange temporary borrowing rights for Academics visiting LSE at the invitation of your department. They are entitled to Associate Staff privileges.

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How do Academic Visitors get borrowing rights?

Please fill out an application form using online self registration. Then ask the head of your LSE department to complete and sign a Guarantee of Loans form, and then bring this completed form to Library Reception Associate Staff cards should be ready for collection by 11am next working day.

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Who do I refer external enquirers to?

All external enquirers who wish to visit the Library should speak to Library Reception staff who can advise further on Admissions policy. Alternatively see Admission to the Library

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How do I find a book in the Library?

The online Library Catalogue tells you which items are in stock, where in the Library they can be found and which items are out on loan. You can:

• Locate a particular work, book or periodical title
• Browse author names or particular subjects
• Carry out more complicated subject searches.

You can access the Catalogue via the Library website or the Catalogue-dedicated computer terminals throughout the Library. There is also a Library Catalogue icon on your desktop.
Having found an available item on the Catalogue, note the classmark (which also features on the item itself) and the location (Main Collection, Course Collection etc). To identify the location use the online location finder or the printed Floorplan guide available in the Library. Books and periodicals are shelved in different sections, so be sure which you are looking for. They are then arranged in subject order, using the Library of Congress classmark system.

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How long can I borrow a book for?

LSE staff may borrow a total of 40 Library items at a time. This maximum quota can be all of one loan category from the Main Collection or spread across the various categories, as indicated below:

NB. To place loans, renewals and requests using self-service, you will need your Library PIN (Personal Identification Number). To collect your Library PIN go to LSE For You and select this option from the Contents list.  Books are subject to recall if required by another user.

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Where can I use my photocopying card in the Library?

Dedicated staff machines are available in the Copy Shop (ground floor), the Course Collection and on the lower ground floor. To operate these machines you need your photocopying card issued by Reprographics department.

We also offer a binding service in the Copy Shop.
There is a dedicated scanner on the lower ground floor, and CD-writing facilities are available on computers located on the lower ground, ground and third floors. Both scanning and CD-writing are available free of charge. You must not use the CD-writers to copy copyrighted material.

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What does EndNote do?

EndNote bibliographic software is an invaluable timesaver. It enables you to store and organise references to books and journal articles, including downloads from electronic databases, as well as generate bibliographies in a Word document. It is available on the network. Training sessions are run throughout the year. For more details see Information Skills Training. A Library guide is available and your Liaison Librarian may also be able to advise you.

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I have a specific query about the Library? Who do I contact?

Please get in touch with your Liaison Librarian. You can also ring our enquiry line on 020 7955 7229. 

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What's the difference between the Course Collection and the other collections

• The Course Collection is on the ground floor and is turnstile-protected for use by LSE staff and students only. It provides multiple copies of textbooks and essential books on departmental reading lists.
  Course Collection material is issued for short periods of time to enable large numbers of students to work from the same reading lists. You can recall material which is out on loan - this will be kept at the Service Counter for your to collect. We monitor reservations closely to help us identify the heavily used titles and purchase additional copies where available.
• The Main Collection refers to our research collections, which are in a classified subject sequence starting on the third floor and ending on the first floor.

NB. You will need your Library PIN (Personal Identification Number) to borrow, renew and request items using self-service. To collect your Library PIN go to LSE For You and select this option from the Contents list.

The other Collections are:

• Newspapers
• Government (official) publications
• Special collections
• Language Centre resources
• Archives and Rare Books: We have over 1500 archive collections relating to modern British political, economic and social history, and also significant holdings of rare books and historic pamphlets. We are also the main source of information on the history of LSE, its buildings, administration and departments. For further details or to discuss your research needs, visit the Archives Reading Room on the lower ground floor of the Library, or contact the Archivist.  Or see Archives on the website.
• Pamphlets
• Closed access material (including microforms, some newspapers, LSE theses, UN documents and US Federal Government documents).

For more information go to Collections

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Does the Library hold PhD or MSc theses?

• LSE Mphil and PhD theses are available for use in the Library. If you have a particular one in mind, enter the title on the Library Catalogue and make a note of the classmark (eg F1234). Theses are not kept on the open shelves so you will need to complete a fetch request form at the Service Counter. We fetch regularly throughout the day and they take 40 minutes. Theses are for consultation within the Library and cannot be borrowed.
• MSc theses are not available in the Library because they are usually held in department offices. Please contact the relevant MSc administrator or departmental manager for further information.
• The Library does not hold UG theses.

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Where can I find past exam papers in the Library?

Undergraduate and masters exam papers from 1994 onwards are available on the Library website. Go to: Past Exam Papers
Print copies are held on the first floor of the Library in the Reference Collection. They are for consultation within the Library and cannot be borrowed.

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Does the Library hold back issues of the Calendar?

The Library holds copies of the LSE Calendar from 1903 onwards. They are located in the Reference Collection on the first floor.

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What does the term e-journal mean? Why would I need to use them?

E-journal means electronic journal. An electronic journal is an online version of a journal. To access the Library's complete collection of full-text electronic journals go to the E-Journals portal Wherever you see the Article Finder icon in a list of search results, you can click and go straight through to the full text of the article online when this is available. All e-journals are also listed on the Library Catalogue (use the Journal Title Browse option once you've typed in the title).

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Which electronic resources are available to me?

A wide range of electronic resources are available to you when accessed from the Library website - see the Electronic resources page.  All article databases and subscription based resources (previously contained in the 'Electronic Library') have been placed in the Library Catalogue, bringing all resources into one place.  Use the online Subject Guides, which contain information on how to find resources. A new service called Cross Searcher is available for searching across selected electronic resources, including the Library Catalogue.  Resources can also be searched for individually through a variety of means including the E-Journals portal, LSE Research Online and the Data Library - all accessible from the Electronic resources page.

Library electronic resources can be accessed across the LSE campus.  The majority can also be accessed remotely by LSE staff and students using your LSE network username and password. A very small number of resources require another username and password (see below).

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Do I need a password to access Library electronic resources?

Library electronic resources can be accessed across the LSE campus without a password. The majority can also be accessed remotely by LSE staff and students using your LSE network username and password. Look for the 'institutional logon' or 'uk federation' option.

A very small number of resources require other usernames and passwords - to obtain these go to LSE For You and select the Library passwords page.

Note: LSE no longer uses the 'Athens' logon service.

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Do I still need an Athens password?

No, the national Athens logon service is due to be discontinued in the future.  Therefore please use your LSE login (network username and password). However some universities are continuing to use Athens logons in the short term while they prepare to move to another system. Please look for the ‘Institutional login’ or 'UK federation' option. You no longer need to use the ‘Athens logon’ option. For more information ask your Liaison Librarian (or see the passwords information page on the Library website)

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What are course packs and e-packs?

A course pack is a pre-selected collection of course readings (typically book chapters, journal articles or law reports, although they can also include material in many different media). These may be reproduced and bound together in a single document for the student to keep - a paper course pack. Alternatively a pack can be 'virtual' and delivered online via LSE's Virtual Learning Environment - an electronic course pack. A hybrid approach can also be suitable.

Course packs are ideal in the following situations:

• When a large number of students all need access to a common set of materials from the Library stock at the same time.
• When your method of teaching relies on students having read the weekly readings
• When course readings are mostly articles or book chapters, rather than whole books.
• When a large proportion of readings are articles from electronic journals to which the Library subscribes, making the construction of an electronic course pack relatively straightforward.

Library staff provide a full service for course packs - from preliminary discussion of content to copyright clearance (where applicable), production and sale. For further details, including how to request a pack, see Teaching Support

NB. The Student's Union also provide a course pack service.

You can check the Library website to see if a Library or Students' Union pack is available.

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What copyright issues do I need to consider in relation to course packs and e-packs?

Some material included in paper course packs and all material included in e-packs requires copyright clearance from the rights holder. The Library and the CLT employ staff who can obtain copyright clearance on your behalf, however copyright clearance can sometimes be time consuming or expensive to obtain. You will be advised by staff where material is expensive or difficult to clear and may need to suggest alternative readings. For further information see Guidelines for LSE teaching staff

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Why should I submit reading lists to the Library? What happens to them once I have submitted them?

In order to ensure that materials are available in the Library for a course - and in sufficient quantity at the time needed - we rely on receiving reading list information from your department. For details of how to send reading lists to us, please see Teaching Support

We buy:
· Multiple copies of every essential textbook on your list for the Course Collection. In addition we buy an ebook equivalent where available.
· A single copy of each background textbook for the Main Collection.

Please remember to indicate if items are essential.  If no items on the list are marked as essential, we will only purchase one copy. We create a reading list for you from the items listed, which is available online via the Library Catalogue.

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How can the Library help me to promote academics' research?

Please encourage all academics in your department to send us a copy of each journal article, book chapter and conference paper when it is accepted for publication. Discussion papers are also welcome. We will add them to the School's open access repository, LSE Research Online, with publishers' permission. This will gather together all LSE research papers in full text and make them available on the web.  Please send us details of all new publications* by academic staff and these will also be added to LSE Research Online and linked to Experts. Contact Frances Shipsey or see http://eprints.lse.ac.uk.
*Please note that all data currently held in the School's Academic Staff Publications Directory is being transferred over to LSE Research Online (expected completion in 2008) after which the Directory will be discontinued.

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How can the Library help if an academic is on an RAE subject panel to assess another university ?

Last time around six LSE academics were on RAE panels and the workload for them was enormous. The university concerned should supply all the material to be reviewed, but in practice this did not happen in 2001. If any material for the next exercise is not provided, the Library can help to locate it. Please contact Graham Camfield in Library Information Services, to discuss.

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What copyright issues do I need to consider when publishing LSE research/discussion papers, hard copy and web versions?

Most research or discussion papers written by LSE academic staff will be copyright of the LSE so they can be published in hard copy or on the web without any problems. However, you will need to ensure you have copyright permission to include any images, charts or graphs that are included from any other sources. You should also ensure that the paper has not been published in the same form in another source, such as in a journal or a book.

For more information about copyright see A Short Guide to Copyright for LSE Staff.

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The Library environment

We invite you to make the most of Library services and resources.  All Library users are asked to respect the Library environment and fellow users. Complete Library rules are displayed in the Library entrance and on the Library website. For further information see Library rules

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