Finding books and library resources

Use LibrarySearch to find a specific book, DVD or other item, or to find material on a topic. LibrarySearch tells you what books, journals, online resources and multimedia are available, and where to find them - either online or on the shelf.

It searches the Templeman and Drill Hall libraries, as well as our Special Collections and Archives, the Kent Academic Repository and the libraries of Canterbury and Rochester Cathedrals.

If you'd prefer seeing only the resources you can access online, use LibrarySearch Digital.

LibrarySearch tells you the exact location of each book on the open shelves.

Look for "Find it on the shelf" on the search results page, which tells you the Block, Floor, and Row number. Once you've found the Row, look at the classmark.

Here's a map of the library (pdf) that shows the names of the Blocks and what's on each Floor.  

There will be no access to Block D, Floor 3 (D3) from August 2023 - February 2024 while essential work to renovate the roof is carried out. You can request books and journals held in this area using LibrarySearch for the duration of the works.  

Classmarks / subjects located in D3 include: 

• C - Archaeology 
• D - History 
• U - Military Science 
• V - Naval Science 
• Z - Paleography 

Login to LibrarySearch and search for the item you need. In the search results, all items located in D3 will display a purple D3 Retrieval Service button*. Click the button, check your contact details and the item information before pressing the submit button to place your request.  

*Top tip: if you can't see the purple D3 Retrieval Service button next to your item listing please refresh your screen (clear your cache): hold down your devices' 'Ctrl' key together with the 'F5' key. Alternatively you can use a different browser to place your request. 

You can also share additional information with us if there's a specific subject area or topic that you're interested in browsing. 

We will carry out book retrieval requests regularly and we will email you to let you know when your book is / books are available for collection from the Reservations shelving in the Welcome Hall. 

For urgent requests, speak to our Welcome Desk staff in the first instance and we will make every effort to speed up the retrieval of your item. 

Remember to check LibrarySearch Digital for our extensive collections of e-books and e-resources which may provide an alternative online version of the book / item you are trying to access. 

For a subject-specific introduction to the books, databases, and other academic resources recommended by our librarians, look at your subject library resource guide.

It has been written by your academic liaison librarian, working closely with your academic school.

The reading lists for your modules are online. They link straight to the essential and recommended resources for the module, in LibrarySearch or elsewhere on the web.

You can also view your reading lists in Moodle.

The library has lots of e-books, which you can access on your PC, laptop or mobile. And you don't have to visit the Library to use them.

The University subscribes to a vast range of high quality digital resources that are essential to your assignments, research and teaching.

Increasingly, academic works are published Open Access, which means they are free to use and share. But you need to know how to find legitimate Open Access versions of scholarly works.

You can easily request items from the Drill Hall Library using the Place Reservation button in the item record on LibrarySearch.

Our University of Kent libraries may not have all the material you want to consult, especially if you're doing research. If you have identified resources elsewhere that you need to look at, you can:

• request them through document delivery
• visit the relevant library
• recommend a book the library should buy (online form)

Find out all the ways you can get in touch: