Welcome to UHCW Library and Knowledge Services!
This guide will provide you with all the essential information you need to join the Library and get started with using our resources.
If you have any questions about the information in this guide, our Library & Knowledge Specialists will be happy to help:
Email: library@uhcw.nhs.uk
Tel: 02476 968829 Extn: 28829
Library & Knowledge Services for University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust is based at:
Clinical Sciences Library
Clinical Sciences Building
University Hospital
Clifford Bridge Rd
Coventry
CV2 2DX
Staffed hours:
Monday to Friday 08:30-16:30
(Excluding public holidays)
24 hour access is available for registered members with a valid UHCW ID badge.
Contact our team using the details above to request 24 hour access.
Please note 24 hour access is required to enter the building after 17:00
We also have a library at:
Health Sciences Library
Octapus Centre
Hospital of St Cross
Barby Rd
Rugby
CV22 5PX
The Health Sciences Library based in the Octapus Centre can be accessed from 09:00-17:00. This service is unstaffed. If you are based at Rugby St Cross you are also entitled to use the Clinical Sciences Library at University Hospital, Coventry and 24 hour access is also available.
If you have any questions regarding Library & Knowledge Services at the Hospital of St Cross please call the library team on 02476 968829 (extn 28829) or e-mail us at library@uhcw.nhs.uk
UHCW Library & Knowledge Services offers full library membership to all UHCW Trust staff and students on placement at UHCW.
To apply for UHCW library membership online, please complete the HeLM online registration form which can be found at https://www.healthlibrariesmidlands.nhs.uk/join/
When completing the online form, we are UHCW Library and Knowledge Services (WAL) in the home library drop-down list.
Alternatively, you can apply to register for UHCW library services by downloading, saving and completing this registration form before e-mailing it to library@uhcw.nhs.uk.
HeLM (Health Libraries Midlands)
We are members of the HeLM consortium
We advise you to contact our team in advance if you are a member of another HeLM library and knowledge service and are planning to visit us. This is so we can make sure that you will have access to our libraries when you plan to visit.
External membership
We do not currently offer external membership or external visitor access.
For all enquiries regarding membership please e-mail library@uhcw.nhs.uk
16 items may be borrowed at any time for a period of 6 weeks.
These items can be from our medical / healthcare textbooks as well as our wellbeing and fiction collections.
To borrow items you will need your library membership card.
Items will automatically renew up to 5 times providing they are not required by another library member.
HeLM (Health Libraries Midlands)
We are members of the HeLM consortium and you will become a member with your library membership.
The HeLM consortium inter-lend books to give you greater access to more items.
To find out more about HeLM, please take a look at the website or ask a member of the library team.
Fines and Charges for Lost Books
We do not charge fines for overdue books.
We do charge the full cost of replacement if you lose or fail to return books. They are NHS resources.
British Library
We can order items from the British Library that are not available via the HeLM consortium.
Individual UHCW staff will not receive charges for their first 5 British Library book requests in each financial year (April 1st – March 31st). After this limit has been exceeded, it is at the discretion of UHCW Library and Knowledge Charges to charge the full cost to UHCW staff.
It is at the discretion of UHCW Library and Knowledge to charge UHCW staff for fulfilled British Library book requests that are not collected.
If you have any questions about book borrowing or returns, please e-mail our team at library@uhcw.nhs.uk
The Clinical Sciences Library offers 35 Trust-networked computers that provide access to your personal profile, UHCW e-mail account, UHCW guidelines, ESR etc.
There are also 18 password-free computers that have access to the internet and Microsoft Office but do not provide access to the UHCW intranet.
Booking is not essential but is recommended at busier times.
Wi-Fi
Password-free WiFi is available in the Clinical Sciences Library via the UHCWPUBLIC network. To access the WiFi network select UHCWPUBLIC and follow the sign-in instructions on the browser of your device.
Please note that UHCWPUBLIC will only allow you access to the Internet and will not provide access to any UHCW Trust systems.
MS Teams / Zoom
Unfortunately we are unable to accommodate video meetings where microphone participation is required (e.g. Microsoft Teams or Zoom). Video meetings are disruptive for other UHCW staff and students who are in the library to work and study.
Please contact the library team here if you have any questions regarding our computer facilities.
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Printing, scanning and copying facilities are available via the UHCW NHS Trust Managed Print Service. Colour printing is only available to staff when access has been granted by ICT at the request of their line manager.
You can also print from our non-networked, password-free computers. However, the printer is set to black and white printing only.
Library and Knowledge Services do not offer a pay per print service.
Please contact the library team here if you have any questions regarding our computer, printing or scanning facilities.
[Image by rawpixel.com]
OpenAthens is the password system that lets you access online resources subscribed to locally at UHCW and nationally via NICE/HEE.
To obtain an OpenAthens login please go to https://openathens.nice.org.uk/. It’s best to register for Athens on a work-based NHS PC – if you are unable to do this, it will take longer for your account to be authorised. Once you’ve set up your account you can use it anywhere to access our online resources.
Please note that not all websites that advertise an Athens/OpenAthens login are part of our subscriptions.
Article Requests
Need an article that UHCW Library does not have access to? We can request PDF copies from other NHS Libraries or the British Library for UHCW Trust staff.
You can submit your article request by completing this online request form.
To check for availability of full text if you have a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) or PMID (PubMed ID), use our LibKey Full Text Checker
Charges
Individual UHCW staff will not receive charges for their first 20 article requests in each financial year (April 1st – March 31st).
After this limit has been exceeded, it is at the discretion of UHCW Library and Knowledge Services to charge the full cost to UHCW staff.
It is at the discretion of UHCW Library and Knowledge Services to charge UHCW staff for fulfilled British Library article requests that are not downloaded when made available via the British Library.
If you require a large number of articles for a project, please contact the Library and Knowledge Services team so that we can discuss the most cost-effective, efficient way to support you.
Please contact the Library and Knowledge Services team here if you have any questions regarding ordering articles or any other resources.
Book Suggestions
Is there a book you think we should have on our shelves? Whether it's a medical textbook, study skills handbook or simply a fiction title you'd like read, we'd love to hear from you.
Send us your suggestions by emailing: library@uhcw.nhs.uk
We are always adding new titles to the shelves, so if you haven't visited in a while it might be time to come and see what's new...
Literature Searches
To request literature searches and tailored alerts via our RefTracker service please use this link or email CEBIS@uhcw.nhs.uk
Please remember we can't carry out literature searches on your behalf if they are required for academic work.
You can find out more about the Clinical Evidence Based Information Services using the CEBIS page on our website.