Information for visitors

If your institution is a member of the SCONUL Access scheme you may be entitled to obtain a library card from us for either borrowing or reference access depending on your status. Please check with your home library in the first instance. Be aware if you are a band A, B or C you may need to bring a passport sized photograph.

Additional information is available on the SCONUL website. 

Members of the public over the age of 18 are entitled to ten visits in a twelve-month period. Each time you visit you will be asked for current photographic identification such as a driving licence or a passport. Registration for day visitors is available between 08:00 and 21:00 (08:00-19:00 in the summer vacation). See our opening hours page for more information, including the opening hours of our site libraries. 

College and sixth form students may register as day visitors but need to bring a letter of introduction from their teacher or tutor, printed on school or college headed paper. Further details can be found on our FE support page.

Please see our notes for external members page for more information. You can apply online using our application form. 

Please do not apply for fee paying external membership if you are:

• A current member of another UK or Ireland University. You may be able to join our library free of charge as part of the SCONUL Access scheme. See information above.
• If you would like to use the library as a day visitor. You may visit up to 10 times in a 12 month period free of charge (reference access only). See above for more information. 
• Under 18. If you are an A-level student, see our information for day visitors above. 

Please contact us if you have any further questions about membership. 

We no longer have a special arrangement with NHS Trusts and all applicants will need to apply for external membership. Please see 'Fee Paying Membership' above for further details.

NHS staff working at the Dental Hospital are automatically entitled to join the Dental Library free of charge (this category of membership does not include borrowing membership of any other University of Birmingham libraries).

You can browse Findit@Bham (our catalogue and discovery service) as a guest from home or from campus without being a member of the library. Guest access allows you to search the University's print and electronic collections. Access to the University's subscription electronic resources is not available to external users, but there are a wide range of open access resources available to everyone.

Guest access to the wireless network is available in all libraries. Guidance is available from IT services on how to connect to this.