Book Requests

Please let us know what books you would like the Library to buy.

Email cuthberts.library@durham.ac.uk, subject line ‘Book Requests’.

As reading lists from departments are often very long and do not differentiate between vital books and those which are only needed once or twice during the year, please indicate the priority your book requests have in the module structure. The divisions between the priority sections may seem arbitrary, but please use your best judgement so that we can prioritise spending on each subject; it will help us provide the most useful books for incoming students.

Please break the books down into the following priority sections:

VITAL texts

Texts needed on a daily basis, from which the lecturers/tutors structure their course, e.g. texts unifying strands in the course, or textbooks needed for continual reference. Books which you are generally required to own personally.

KEY texts

Texts needed for reference on a regular basis, eg. to clarify key theories, for in-depth analysis of specific components, or for further background knowledge on the vital text list. Likely to be on Reserve.

IMPORTANT texts

Texts you are required to have read for your course, but which are not essential to own personally, e.g. primary key texts for arts courses, important theories and background reading for social sciences and science modules.

OCCASIONAL or REFERENCE texts

Texts you expect to be Reference-Only, eg. background texts which look good on bibliographies, plus dictionaries, encyclopaedias and journals.

Once requested and approved we will endevour to order books as quickly as possible. A notice will be put up on the boards by the main desk when new books are on the shelf.