Most lecturers will recommend books, journal articles or other items for you to read, by making reading lists available in a website called Moodle. You can search Moodle for most unit titles/codes and then find the associated reading list. This list will appear either directly in Moodle, or via a link to a unit outline, reading list or Library List.
Note that the list may define some of the readings as core, key or essential - it is important to try to prioritise these. However, to broaden and deepen your understanding of a topic, it is also advisable to read at least some of the additional or supplementary readings - this could help you to secure a higher grade!
The Library provides a wide collection of high quality online and print resources for your subject area. This is expensive academic content, paid for by the Library.
The online resources are only accessible to you because you are a registered student at Bath. Often, you will only be able to access these resources by using links in either the Library Catalogue or Library website.
To find out if a book, journal or article is available in the Library’s print or online collections, you need to use our Library Catalogue (accessible online anywhere in the world).
You will need to know the shelf location for the item that you want. Our understanding Library shelf numbers guide will help you.
You can borrow up to 30 books at a time. The vast majority of journals are available to read online via the Library Catalogue, but note that print journals are for reference use in the Library and can not be borrowed.
If you would like a copy of a journal article or book chapter from our print collection, please request this using our Bath Copies service. A scanned copy will then be sent to your University email address. Please note that we can't make scans from books that are out on loan.
A key element to being a successful student is demonstrating that you are an independent learner who can find out what has been written on a topic without relying solely on a lecturer’s reading list.
To help you do this, search the Library's databases which are accessible online anywhere in the world. These databases can help you find journal articles, conference papers and other literature. We also provide resources to help you find data, statistics, reports and other items. You can also use the Library Catalogue to search beyond your reading list.
To find library databases and other resources, refer to resources for your subject. To learn how to search the databases effectively, refer to How to do a Literature Search.
If you use Google Scholar, it is advisable that you also search the Library’s databases as these will enable you to search in a more systematic and thorough way.
When researching a topic, you may find out about items that are not held in our Library collection. You may be able to obtain these from another library using our Inter-Library Loans service.
Use the Library Hub to search across about a wide range of UK national, academic and specialist libraries.
