Library Services

Our main library services are listed below. Please also view more information about services available to different groups of users.

The physical library

For details about visiting the Queen Square Library please check our using the Library and opening hours pages. For updates and information about services and support available at libraries across UCL, please check the UCL Library Services web site.

Enquiries

The Queen Square Library can help with your enquiries, either in the Library, by post, phone or e-mail. Library staff offer advice and expertise in using our services, searching databases, locating information, and general reference enquiries. We can also refer to our specialist colleagues for advice about bibliometrics, Open Access, copyright, publishing and the like. Library staff are not able to deal with medical queries from members of the public.

Borrowing, renewing and returning books

Registered library users may borrow books from the Queen Square Library. Information about borrowing services is available on the UCL Library Services website, including the Click & Collect service and the Scan & Send service. In the Queen Square Library our books are: standard loan (8 weeks); short loan (1 week); reference (not for loan). Most items automatically renew if not required by another user and if your account is active. If you wish to renew an item manually, please log in to Explore and follow these instructions.

Please return books to us promptly if they are recalled or when you have finished using them so that they are available for other Library users. You can return books to any UCL library. Within the Queen Square Library you can return items at the desk, using the self service machine, or using the book bin in our small foyer. You can return items by post to: Queen Square Library, 1st Floor, 23 Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG but please be aware that the items remain your responsibility until safely received in the library, so it is a good idea to send them by recorded delivery.

Printing, scanning and photocopying

• UCLH printer - please note that we do not have a UCLH "FollowMe" printer. Our basic UCLH printer allows printing from the UCLH networked PCs located in the library and information about connecting to the printer is available alongside the printer.
• UCL multi-functional device (MFD) for printing, scanning and photocopying - we have a Print@UCL device for UCL staff and students (see the ISD website for charges). UCLH users wishing to use the Print@UCL device should ask at the desk for assistance.
• Copyright - users must comply with copyright regulations when printing, scanning and copying. Details are displayed next to the devices.

Training

For more information about our training programme, please visit the training page.

Document Delivery

The Queen Square Library provides a document delivery / inter-library loan service to registered library users, including: staff and students from UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, staff from the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, and other UCL staff based in Queen Square. Requests must be placed using the online form in UCL Explore. You will need to be logged into your library account to place a request. 

Please note that a charge may be made for interlibrary loan requests; UCL Library website lists the standard charges and the charges are added to your library account. We are not able to take cash payments at Queen Square Library, so please visit the website for information about how to pay (scroll down to the section 'How do I pay my library fines and fees?').

Alternatively, you may be able to visit libraries outside UCL, depending on their access regulations. Find out more on our other libraries page and be sure to check each library's website before visiting, to ensure you will be allowed access. For items held at other UCL libraries also see details of the Click & Collect service and the Scan & Send service. 

External libraries who would like us to supply an item as an Interlibrary Loan should please contact us at neurolibrary@ucl.ac.uk with details of the request. Please note there is a charge for this service; please include your BL account number which we will use for payment.

Literature Searches

The Queen Square Library aims to help library users to run their own effective literature searches and we offer training, covering a range of search tools, such as Pubmed, OvidSP databases, etc. Visit our databases page for information about the databases available & our training page to view the list of courses. Moving beyond your initial search, you may also be interested in keeping yourself up to date with new literature on your chosen topic. We have provided advice on methods you can use to do this on our current awareness page. We also offer a literature search service for staff based at Queen Square.

• For staff working at Queen Square - we can undertake a one-off search for members of staff based at the ION and NHNN. The service involves an initial meeting with you to identify keywords and any required search limits, after which we will search a range of pre-agreed bibliographic databases to identify published articles for your topic area. To make an appointment, please complete the online form or email us (at neurolibrary@ucl.ac.uk).
• For students on courses based at UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology - library staff cannot undertake the literature search for you as this forms part of your studies. However, we offer a range of training courses to help you learn the skills you need to build successful searches and we are happy to look at your search strategy and to offer advice about techniques you could use to improve your searches. To make an appointment, please complete the online form or email us (at neurolibrary@ucl.ac.uk).

When contacting the library to arrange an appointment, you should first prepare a list of your search parameters. For example, list the topics you need to include in your search, including any synonyms relating to your topic. For clinical searches, it may be helpful to consider the following criteria, as appropriate:

• Patients or Condition (e.g. gender, age, disease)
• Intervention (e.g. treatment, drugs, prevention)
• Comparison (e.g. no treatment, alternative drug)
• Outcomes (e.g. mortality, adverse effects, change in symptoms)
• Limits: list any restrictions you would like to apply to your search results, e.g. date ranges, language(s), publication type(s).

Please note: the library staff cannot critically appraise search results, filter them against inclusion/exclusion criteria or obtain the full articles on your behalf; these tasks should be carried out by the recipient. When you have selected which articles you wish to read in full, you should obtain them using the library print journal and e-journal collections, or our interlibrary loan service for hard-to-obtain items (there is a charge for this service). Please ask us if you need advice on how to use these services.