(Untitled)

[mezzogiorno]

 I am looking into getting into academia, but I have been out of my subject area for two years and am feeling quite rusty.  Unfortunately my nearest university has implemented a swipe-card policy that means I can't even set my foot in the door without a student card.  I do have many friends who are still students, but the books that I would need

Comments

[knut_hamson]

Public libraries?

[mezzogiorno]

I think the books I would be after are much too area-specific to be carried in a public library, especially as my field of study is French. (That and the fact that my city's libraries seem to think it's perfectly alright to stock Return of the King but not any of the other books in the series). It is always worth a shot, but most texts would be in the original language, or just plain rare.

[knut_hamson]

It may not be the library's fault that book in series are missing. Many people treat libraries poorly, and the books may have been lost, stolen, or abused beyond repair.

It cannot hurt to ask your local librarians for help with getting your hands on books. Many librarians are rather savvy about finding materials for borrowers.

[nesf]

I know in Ireland it's possible to get external reader cards to access university libraries. Maybe there's a similar scheme in the UK?

[naturalog]

My university in Derry (U Ulster)had external reader cards for its library.

[homericlaughter]

Call the library at your local university. They probably have some sort of program for members of the general public to access books. At my current institution, it's free for community borrowers to take out ten books at a time. Most schools charge you, but the fee is nominal (about $10 to $20), considering one of your other options is to buy the books.

I've made great use of these programs in the past while marooned in strange cities, since it was generally more straight forward to buy a card to borrow as a member of the general public than it was to do all the paperwork in order to get access as a visiting student.

[bunnyhug]

There are a number of international funding bodies. In addition, most universities have a few scholarships earmarked for PhD students in the humanities and social sciences. MA funding for international students is harder to come by.

[etienne]

Your university library will likely have some scheme for their alumni to get access to their library - check their website or give them a call.