The following popular questions are answered below. Alternatively, you are welcome to get in touch with us directly.
Who can use the library?
Any industry professional who is covered by an organisational or university BSRIA membership subscription may use the library - we are not open to the public.
When is the library open?
We're staffed during normal office hours (excluding public holidays):
08:30 - 17:00 Monday to Thursday
08:30 - 16:30 Friday
How do I use the library?
As a member, you can:
- Visit us in person (see below)
- Call us (+44) 01344 465571
- Email us information@bsria.co.uk
- Search and order from our collections online (you must be logged in)
Can I visit the library?
The library is based at our head office in Bracknell. You can visit anytime during opening hours without an appointment. If you call ahead and let us know what subject area you are interested in, we can have items ready for you. We have free wifi and you can use the tea and coffee facilities in our cafe.
What can I expect to find in the library?
We cover a wide range of built environment subjects, mostly relating to building services - see our Subject Directory. Our collections include industry standards, guides, conference proceedings and journals. The library contains heritage collections on the early history of building services and BSRIA, through to up-to-date online information, including our legislation database. Withdrawn BSRIA publications are available to download from the BSRIA Library.
What happens once I place my online order?
Most of our collections are available to borrow by placing orders online. We aim to turn around orders in the same day:
- Items we've loaned to you, like books, can be borrowed for up to one month at a time. We will post these items to you by special delivery - there is no limit (within reason) to the number of items you can borrow.
- Journal articles, or items under our copyright license, will be sent to you by secure e-delivery on the same day you ordered. You will have access to these articles for up to 14 days with the option to print it once.
Is there a charge for borrowing?
No, but we recommend that you return your loans by a secure post such as recorded delivery, as we reserve the right to charge for any lost or unreturned items (all replacement items will also incur a £50 transaction charge)
How do I renew my book?
If you would like to keep any loans longer than 1 month, please contact us as above. However, if other readers need the books, we reserve the right to ask for their return as soon as possible.
How do I search the catalogue?
To access the library, log on to our website as a BSRIA member.
- To search just the library, use the drop-down arrow next to the search box and select 'library'
- Try "phrase searching" to limit your search to certain words i.e. "air conditioning"
- You can search for words including in the title, author, abstract, source or keyword fields
- Standards can be searched by prefix and number, for example, BS EN 257:2010
- Click on 'advanced search' to refine your search, by restricting the publication date or type (such as journals only), or search just in the title field
- You can use boolean logic, such as AND NOT to limit your search