Frequently Asked Questions

» What is InFocus and how can it help me?

InFocus (Information for Off Campus Students) is a library and information support service for students studying at a distance that are registered on distance and online learning programmes.  Also off-campus research and placement students are eligible.

We can act as a focal point at the University when you don't know who else to contact as well as answer your queries about accessing library materials - both printed and electronic. We can help you to obtain information for your studies in a variety of ways. If you live in the UK and Ireland we can post book loans to you: we can post photocopies of journal articles and book chapters anywhere in the world. We may be able to help you to access another library closer to you. For more details please see our Guide to Services page.

» Who is eligible to use InFocus?

Our services are designed specifically for:

• students on designated Distance learning programmes
• Online learning students
• off-campus Research students
• students on placements of at least 10 weeks, integral to the course
• students on programmes requiring occasional attendance on-campus (no more than two occasions per semester)
• students with special individual circumstances which may prevent attendance.

All students on eligible programmes should receive an InFocus information pack or an email shortly after enrolment. If you haven't received yours, or don't know if you qualify to use the services then please contact us.

» How do I start to use InFocus?

The Enquiry service is available for anyone to use at any time: just contact us by telephone, email or fax when you have a query. However before making use of the postal loan or document delivery services, you will need to register for these services.

» How much will the service cost?

There is no single overall charge. Costs that may be incurred while using specific services are listed below.

Postal loans

Students pay for the return postage, using recorded delivery (we pay outbound postage, by recorded delivery). If books are returned late, fines are charged at the same rate as part-time students.

Document delivery - journal articles / book chapters

Charges refer to whole articles or chapters, not pages.

1st year undergraduates
Up to 20 items at £2.00 each. University of Derby stock only.

2nd & 3rd year undergraduates
Up to 20 items at £2.00 each. Cost of further requests depends on whether they come from University of Derby stock or an interlibrary loan.

Taught Postgraduates
Up to 20 free, a further 20 items at £2.00 each. Cost of further items depends on whether they come from University of Derby stock or an interlibrary loan.

Research students
Up to 40 items free. Cost of further items depends on whether they come from University of Derby stock or an interlibrary loan.

Please contact us if you need further details.

» How and when do I register for InFocus?

We ask you to register with us when you want to use the Postal book loan or Document delivery services - our other services do not require registration. You need to register once each academic year, but you can do this at any time of the year.

Firstly, please make sure that you have a valid University of Derby ID card. Your card acts as a library card and you need it to use any library services.

Next, complete the online InFocus Registration form, complete the paper registration form enclosed in your InFocus pack, or download a paper registration form from the InFocus website. Post, fax or if you have the facilities, scan and email your form to us. We will email you as soon as your registration is complete.

» Where do I obtain a University of Derby ID card?

ID cards should be sent out automatically shortly after enrolment, but if you don't receive one please contact the relevant office below. You'll need to send a passport-sized photograph, your name and your student ID number. Please look at our ID card page for more details about who can have an ID card and why you need one.

Online learning students

Online ID card application form - You'll need to upload a passport-sized photograph.

Paper ID card application form for online learners

Customer Support and Operations Team
University of Derby Online(UDOL)
University of Derby
Kedleston Road
Derby
DE22 1GB
U.K.

Email: onlinelearning@derby.ac.uk 

Research students

Research Office
University of Derby
Kedleston Rd
Derby
DE22 1GB
U.K.

Email: researchoffice@derby.ac.uk

UDC students

Operations Team
University of Derby Corporate
University of Derby Enterprise Centre
37 Bridge Street
Derby
DE1 3LA
U.K.

Email: udc@derby.ac.uk

All other students, including distance learning

Student Records and Fees
SSIS
B Block
University of Derby
Kedleston Road
Derby
DE22 1GB
U.K.

Email: studentrecordsandfees@derby.ac.uk

» How do I use the postal loan service?

Firstly, you need to register for our InFocus services. Please note that we can only send postal book loans to the UK & Republic of Ireland. We can only post books from University of Derby stock.

Next, complete the postal loan request form and post or fax to us; OR make an online reservation via the Library Catalogue as follows:

• Search for the books you require
• Click on the particular book you want, to show the copy and location details
• Click on "reserve" and enter your Library Borrower number (the 'p' number) at the prompt
• Select "Dist Learning" as the collection site.

View our audiovisual tutorial about requesting postal loans online - being updated. Link to come soon.

View the library's audiovisual tutorial about ordinary requesting online (UDo account needed)

The books will then be sent to us, and we will post them out to you.

You will need to return the books within the due date set (please note that this means we need to receive them by or on the due date) using 1st class recorded delivery and the padded envelope and address label which we supply. Full details of how this service works can be found on our Guide to Services page.

If you are having problems renewing books please contact us.

» How do I request SPSS?

SPSS is a statistical package. We can post SPSS discs to any student anywhere in the world. We are currently posting version 19, which can be used on Windows XP, Vista, 7, Mac or Linux. You can keep the disc: you do not need to return it. However please look after it, as repeat requests may incur a charge.

To request a disc you will first need to have an ID card.

Next, please complete the SPSS Home user agreement form. You will need to print this out to complete it, as it requires a signature. The fastest way to return it to us is by fax or by scanning it and emailing us the scan, or of course you can post it. Please see our contact details for return.

» How do I use the document delivery service for journal article requests?

There may be a charge for this service depending on your level of study. Please look at the Guide to Services for more details.

Register for our InFocus services.

Complete a green paper journal article request form, download a paper Journal Article Photocopy Request form, or complete the Online ILL Request form (UDo account needed).

Please ensure that you sign the Copyright declaration on the paper form: we cannot process the request without a signature and valuable time will be wasted while we ask you to send another. Post or fax your completed form to us, or if you have the facilities you can scan and email it to us.

If the article you need is not in University of Derby stock we will automatically request it from the British Library (except for first year undergraduate students).

Journal article photocopies are posted worldwide and do not have to be returned. Electronic delivery may be possible depending on the item requested - please contact us for more details.

» How do I use the document delivery service for book chapter requests?

There may be a charge for this service according to your level of study. Please look at the Guide to Services for more details.

Register for our InFocus services.

Complete a yellow paper Book Chapter Photocopy request form, download a paper Book Chapter Photocopy request form, or complete the Online ILL Request form (UDo account needed).

Please ensure that you sign the Copyright declaration on the paper form: we cannot process a request without a signature and valuable time will be wasted while we ask you to send another. Post or fax the form back to us, or if you have the facilities you can scan and email it to us.

If the chapter you need is not in stock at the University of Derby we will automatically request it from the British Library (except for first year undergraduates).

Photocopies of book chapters are posted worldwide and do not have to be returned. Electronic delivery may be possible depending on the item requested. Please contact us for details.

» What is Secure Electronic Delivery (SED)?

This is an optional method of delivery for our document delivery service. A link to the document is sent direct to your pc desktop.

The service is provided by the British Library. You need specific software to download the document: Adobe Reader and a free plug-in called FileOpen. Instructions are provided on the British Library website. Further information and links can be found on the Inter Library Loans pages.

If you would like to request an article or chapter by SED, please let us know when you make the request. The online request form allows you to select SED so you do not need to contact us separately.

Please be aware that we may not always be able to supply an item by SED. Firstly, if we have the item in stock in our libraries we have to provide a photocopy, we cannot supply by SED. Secondly, only items held by the British Library can be sent using this method. However, if either of these apply to your request we will let you know.

» How do I use the Library's electronic resources?

We are here to help so please do not hesitate to contact us if you need help to navigate the electronic resources (ejournals, ebooks etc)

The Library has a series of online tutorials designed to help you get started with the electronic resources. Titles available so far cover introducing and accessing ejournals, searching the catalogue, and using certain specific databases. More will be added soon.

In addition, you can look at our Electronic Resources Help page. This aims to bring together all the information about accessing e-resources. We start with a General Rule on how to access all resources and then provide links and further information about specific instances.

You can also contact us directly for help. If you are having trouble locating a specific journal article, for instance, we can navigate you directly to it by 'phone or email.