FAQs for NHS staff
NHS staff who have registered with any of Libraries have access to:
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All of the Libraries
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Borrowing books and access to reference-only items and print journals
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King's College London computers (see access to computer section below)
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On-site access to many of the College’s e-journals
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Printing, photocopying, and scanning
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Individual and group study spaces
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Print and electronic document delivery/inter-library loans
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Help desks with qualified staff who offer advice and assistance
NHS staff can also access the following services without registering:
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user guides and webpages providing advice on conducting research and sourcing materials
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Information skills training
Where are the libraries located?
The Libraries with collections most relevant to NHS staff are:
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New Hunts House Library (Guy’s Campus)
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Weston Education Centre Library (Denmark Hill Campus)
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St Thomas’ House Library (St Thomas’Campus)
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Institute of Psychiatry Library (Denmark Hill Campus)
The following Libraries also house substantial science and social sciences collections along with many other disciplines:
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Maughan Library at Chancery Lane (Strand Campus)
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Franklin-Wilkins Library (Waterloo Campus)
What are the opening hours?
The opening times of the libraries vary. See the opening hours webpage
Computer rooms in some of the library buildings are open 24/7 - please see computer access section below.
How do I join?
Complete a registration form, which is available from the Joining the library pages or from the service desks at New Hunt’s House, Weston Education Centre or St Thomas’ House Libraries
You will need to ensure the form is counter-signed by your head of department or line manager before returning it to either New Hunt’s House Library, Weston Education Centre, St Thomas’ House Library. Your account will take 48 hours to process (see also computer access section below)
How do I obtain a College ID card?
If you are intending to use New Hunts House Library or the Weston Education Centre – and for ease of access to St Thomas’ House Library - you will need to obtain a College ID card which will enable to you swipe in to gain entry.
College ID cards for the Weston Education Centre can be obtained onsite by completing a Denmark Hill WEC Security Pass form, which is available from the Joining the Library pages, or from the service desk at Weston Education Centre Library. You will also need to provide a passport photo.
College ID cards for St Thomas’ House Library and New Hunt's House Library can be obtained from the Card Management Centre in the Greenwood Theatre, Guy's campus at the following times:
Monday to Friday 11.00-12.00
If you are unable to attend at these times please contact Site Services on 020 7848 6828
How can I search for books and materials?
The Library catalogue can be searched for both print and electronic resources.
The Library catalogue can be searched for both print and electronic resources.
For print resources, the catalogue will show you where a resource is located, including the Library location and the classmark for finding books on the shelves.
For electronic resources the catalogue will show you what issue/edition of an
eresource King’s College London holds and what access requirements you will need. There is also a specific link to the ejournals list.
Please see Library catalogue user guide and accessing full-text journals for further details.
Can I borrow items?
NHS staff can borrow up to 10 books at any one time.
If you find that all copies of a book are out on loan you can reserve a copy via the Library catalogue. You will receive an email notifying you when the book is ready for collection.
You can also borrow books using the self-service machine. If there is a queue or you experience a problem with using the machine speak to a member of staff at the desk.
You can renew items in person, online via the Library catalogue, or use the automated 24-hour telephone renewals service on 020 7848 1555. You will need your Library barcode number and PIN to renew items online or via the automated phone line.
What if you don’t hold the book or journal I need?
NHS staff may make Inter-Library Loan (ILL) and inter-site requests.
You need to be a member of King's College London Libraries in order to request ILLs or inter-site services. Please see Joining the Library page.
Inter-site requests - this applies to items held at another King's College London Library site. These can be requested via the Library Catalogue by clicking on "request" next to the item record in the catalogue and logging in with your library barcode and PIN.
Where possible, journal articles will be emailed to your NHS or King's email address. Books will be delivered to your King's College London home library site (i.e. the one at which you joined).
ILL requests - this applies to items which are not available in King's libraries or online collection. These can also be requested via the Library catalogue (via logging into the the Inter-Library loan link). Where possible, journal articles will be supplied electronically to your NHS or King's email address.
Please see our Inter-lending and inter-site services pages for further details.
What is my PIN?
You will receive a PIN when you join. You need to login using your College ID barcode number and PIN to reserve items, request inter-library loans or renew items online or via the automated telephone renewals service.
If you have forgotten or lost your PIN, please speak to a member of Library staff.
How do I access the computers?
When you join, you will receive a King's College London computing account, which will be ready 48 hours after application. Please contact the Library during this period to check if your account is ready.
King's College London computing rooms are located across all the campuses. Some rooms are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (e.g. Computer Room B in the Weston Education Centre, Denmark Hill, G10 in New Hunt's House, Guy's and 2.84 and 2.87 in Franklin-Wilkins Building, Waterloo). NHS staff require a valid College ID card to gain out-of-hours entry.
King's College London computers provide access to a wide range of software and eresources.
See our IT and software pages for further information.
How can I print?
You can print documents from any of the King's College London computers.
All Libraries offer both black and white (b/w) and colour printing facilities. There is also an A0 poster printing service (not at St Thomas’ House Library – A0 posters sent to print here will be printed at the Franklin Wilkins’ Library, Waterloo). See our user guide for charges.
See also our Printing user guide for further information.
Printing is charged to your virtual printing account, linked to your King's College London computing account. You can either:
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Top up online
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A member of staff will be able to top up your print credit at the service desk (only in denominations of pound coins).
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Use a kiosk onsite to add to your print credit. Enter your username and follow the on-screen instructions to deposit money into your account. Please be aware that machines only take £1 coins
Are there any charges for services?
We charge fines for overdue items, for printing and photocopying. Please see our library charges user guide or contact us for details.
What electronic resources can I access?
All NHS staff can self-register for NHS Athens, which gives remote access to e-resources. This can be done at HILO using an NHS computer or NHS email.
HILO also lists those resources available to you e.g, full-text journals. An NHS Athens account will grant access to some but not all of the e-resources the college holds. Many College e-resources are available to NHS staff via simply being logged onto a King's College London computer and will not require an extra log in.
Trust staff involved in significant teaching, research or administration on behalf of the College may be entitled to register for an affliliate account which will provides remote access to the college’s e-journals. Please see King's College London eresources page for further details.
See our Eresources for NHS staff user guide or contact nhsenquiry@kcl.ac.uk for further information on accessing electronic resources.
What support and training is available?
We offer a full programme of training in information retrieval. Courses include:
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evidence based health information on the internet
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introductory and advanced healthcare database searching
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bibliographic software
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critical appraisal.
Extra or customised sessions can also be arranged for groups or departments if the advertised programme is not appropriate for your research and learning needs. We also provide one-to-one support, for example, for conducting systematic reviews.
See the Training pages or contact us for further information.
NHS staff with King’s email accounts can also access additional King's College London training. Contact: isstraining@kcl.ac.uk for more information.