The University of Suffolk Library is a member of the SCONUL Access Scheme. If your home institution is a member of the scheme, you will be eligible to access the library free of charge for the duration of your study.
SCONUL members benefit from the below privileges:
Please note that due to licensing restrictions, we are unable to provide off-site access to eResources for External Members. eResources include both online journals/journal articles and eBooks.
Join the SCONUL Scheme
You can sign up to the SCONUL scheme here. Upon submitting your application, it will be sent to and reviewed by your home institution. If it is approved, you will receive a confirmation email detailing your SCONUL user band and expiry date.
After you have received this email, please complete the application form below. Please note that the form requires the following:
SCONUL Application Form (Online Form)
Your application will be processed, and an access card created pending internal approval. Please note that the waiting period may vary depending on the time of year, with an average processing time of 10 to 14 days.
Access cards can be collected from the reception desk in the Waterfront Building. Please make sure to bring valid photo identification when collecting your card. If you require collection outside of regular working hours, kindly inform us in advance so that we can arrange for your card to be securely held by our security team.
Please check the renewals tab for more information about renewing your membership or find the membership renewal form below.
Membership renewal form (online form)
If your renewal is approved, we will notify you via email. We will then update the expiry of your library account and re-issue your access card. Please note that the waiting period may vary depending on the time of year, with an average processing time of 5-8 days.
Access cards can be collected from the reception desk in the Waterfront Building. Please make sure to bring valid photo identification when collecting your card. If you require collection outside of regular working hours, kindly inform us in advance so that we can arrange for your card to be securely held by our security team.
The University of Suffolk Library is a member of the SCONUL Access Scheme. As such, UOS students can apply for access to other participating libraries and institutions around the country. A full list of participating institutions can be found here : SCONUL Partners
To apply for SCONUL approval, follow the link here and complete the "Apply for Access" section. We will review your application within 7 working days of submission. Once you receive approval via email, you can then apply to your desired institution for access to their library.
Please note there may be a delay during busy periods. Please also note that we will not be able to process applications during university closure periods (i.e. Christmas closure period of bank holidays)
Things to know when applying:
- Please apply with your S Number and your student email address. We will reject any application that uses a personal email address.
- We can only offer SCONUL approval to those over 16 years of age.
- We can only offer SCONUL approval to students actively studying at UOS. Therefore we will approve your SCONUL application for either the full duration of your studies, or for three years from date of application ( whichever comes first). If your studies are longer than three years, you will need to re-submit for SCONUL approval once your first round expires.
- At this time we can only approve SCONUL applications from UOS students directly. If you study under one of our partner institutions you will need to apply to them directly for your approval.