Vacation borrowing 2011

Vacation borrowing for all undergraduates is now in operation. Undergraduates can borrow books over the Christmas vacation period until 20th January 2012

CSL Inspection week 5th - 9th September 2011

The Library will be closed for the above dates. There will be no access to the library for any reason during this period.

Books, currently on loan, should be returned when we re-open on the 12th of September - readers should not attempt to return them during the closed period or leave them outside the library under any circumstances.


Inter-library loan requests can be made at the main University library. Readers wishing to make use of the DRA facility should also do so at the UL.

THE BIG BOOK VISITS THE BIG LIBRARY: 19-21 May 2011

Already home to more than seven million books, Cambridge University Library will host one of the world's biggest books for three days this month. Visitors to the Library can let their imagination run wild with a huge 2.2 metre high, walk-in book, placed at the entrance to the building as part of an innovative art installation. The Big Book, entitled Imagine, is a leather-bound wooden sculpture that invites the 'reader' to step inside and write their own individual answer to the question: "What do you imagine?", adding to the responses of nearly 2000 people of all ages who have contributed in 57 different languages.

The artist Diana Bell, and sponsors Cambridge University Press and the University Library, invite absolutely everybody to come along and write in the Big Book, which will be outside the front entrance to the University Library, on West Road, from 10am-7pm Thursday 19th and Friday 20th May, and then 10am-5pm on Saturday 21st May.

Diana will be on hand to answer any questions and encourage everyone to be part of the project, and is particularly keen for contributions from mathematicians and scientists, asking "are we the only animal that has imagination? Why do we have imaginary numbers?"

After the visit, contributors can view their page, and others, at imaginethebigbook.com

For more information, visit www.lib.cam.ac.uk or email art@lib.cam.ac.uk

IMAGINE. PARTICIPATE. CONTRIBUTE.

Late opening at CSL

The CSL is now open till 8pm each weekday evening. Access to the library after 5.15 is from the New Museums site. See map

Vacation borrowing at CSL

Vacation borrowing is now in operation for all Undergraduates at the CSL. Any book borrowed between now and the end of term will not be due back until the 29th April.

Undergraduate borrowing at CSL

As from the 1st of March, all undergraduates will be able to borrow from the CSL. 1st  and 2nd year undergraduates will now be able to borrow 10 books for two weeks, with the option to extend the loan by a further two weeks.