Request a book

UKHSA and OHID staff can reserve or request books they need.

How to reserve a book online

Reserve the book you require via the library catalogue if it is held in one or more of our site libraries.

  • Log in to the library catalogue. UKHSA staff can use the Single Sign-On button to sign in without a separate password. If you don’t know your login, follow the ‘Forgot your password?’ link, or register for a library catalogue account if you don’t have one.
  • Once you have found the item in the library catalogue you want to reserve, click on ‘Place a reservation’
    Screenshot of a book page in Koha with the 'Place a reservation' link circled
  • Select which library (Colindale, Chilton or Porton) you wish to collect the book from.
  • If you require it to be posted to another address, select ‘Show more options’ and enter your address in the text box. 
  • Select ‘Confirm reservation’ to complete the reservation.
  • Your reservation will show in your account summary (via ‘Your account’). You can cancel your reservation here if the book is no longer required
  • When your reservation is ready to collect, or when it has been posted to you, you will be contacted by a member of the KLS team.

You can also add your home address to your library account record to avoid entering it each time:

  1. Go to ‘Your Account’ and click on ‘Personal details’
  2. Add your home address details to the Alternate Address section
  3. Click ‘Submit Update Request’

Books not held by UKHSA libraries

Perform a Discovery Search (via MyAthens) to check if a book is in our collection before requesting it, as not all eBooks are included in the library catalogue.

You can request that we purchase a book in the following ways. Please mention in your request if you prefer an eBook, physical copy, or have no preference.

  • Via the library catalogue:
    • Log in to the library catalogue (UKHSA staff can use the Single Sign-On button)
    • Click on ‘your purchase suggestions’ then ‘New purchase suggestion’
    • Complete the form with as many details as possible and click ‘Submit your suggestion’
  • Email the details to libraries@kls.ukhsa.gov.uk
  • In person to any member of KLS staff

If you only need a chapter, email the details as we can often obtain digital copies of single chapters more quickly than purchasing books.

Last Updated on 13th November 2024