The Library

Staff and students can request new academic books for the Library to buy.

This service is only for books needed for individual study/research or to diversify the Library collection.

Check out the Request a book page to find out more.

The Library arranges its books according to the Dewey Decimal System. This system organises subjects into 10 main areas from 000 - 999. Classification numbers are then added before and after the decimal point to identify the different subject areas, for example:

900 = History, Geography and Travel

940 = Europe

942 = England and Wales

942.8 = Northeastern England

942.81 = West Yorkshire

942.819 = Leeds

3 letters from the author's name are often added to the end of the number e.g. 942.819 THO. This helps with identification when there are a lot of resources at the same number.

A class number (sometimes called a class mark) is a series of numbers and/or letters found on a resource which indicate its subject area and its position on the library shelves. Books about the same subject are assigned the same class number. You'll find the number on the spine of each book. Here is a selection of class numbers for filmmaking:

If you would like to read a book that we don't have here at Leeds Beckett, you could try one of the following options:

• If you are a final year undergraduate, postgraduate student, researcher or member of staff you could apply for an interlibrary loan. You can make your request using Discover (our interlibrary loans FAQs tell you how to do it). Most books will arrive for you to collect from the Library within 20 working days.
• Search on Library Hub Discover to see if there is another university library that has the book. Library Hub Discover enables you to search over 140 UK and Irish library catalogues to help you identify resources held elsewhere.
• Apply for SCONUL Access to borrow the book from another UK or Irish university library (full-time undergraduate students can't borrow, but can still have reference access). Apply for SCONUL Access online and register with your Leeds Beckett email address. You should contact the library you wish to visit beforehand to check opening hours, access policies, accessibility and any documentation you may need to take with you.
• You could visit the British Library Reading Room at the Document Supply Centre, Boston Spa, near Leeds. You can't borrow from this library, but you can consult millions of items. You can pre-register for a Reading Room pass and order your material online before visiting on the British Library's website.
• You could search the Leeds Public Library Catalogue to see if they have the book you are looking for. You can also make reservations at Leeds Public Library online and join Leeds Public Library if you're not already a member.

Individual eBook titles can be accessed online through Discover. You will need to login with your Leeds Beckett username and password to access the full text. The following eBook collections are also available: