Library Services
Altnagelvin Library serves Health and Social Care Services and Public Safety staff in local Trusts. It also provides a service to staff and students of Queen’s University Belfast. Altnagelvin Library is located in the MDEC Building within the grounds of Altnagelvin Area Hospital.
Staff can join the library by registering in person or by completing the online form available at HONNI. Membership 
forms MUST be accompanied by proof of employment in the Health and Social Care sector, e.g. copy of work ID or letter of appointment. All services are available to users unable to visit the library in person. Associate Membership is available to those not otherwise eligible, on payment of an annual subscription. Additional assistance is available to users with disabilities. Leaflets about library services can be provided in alternative formats on request.
Click on each of the titles below for more information about library services:
- Contents of the Library
- Locating Material
- Borrowing Books
- Fines
- Requesting Articles
- Photocopying
- Study and computer facilities
- Online resources
- Contact Us
Contents of the Library
The library holds a range of material in the areas of medicine, nursing & midwifery, dentistry, pharmacy, psychology, social work, allied health and health management. The library offers a request facility giving access to the material in the Medical Library at Queen’s and its branches.
The online catalogue gives details and locations of stock, including print and electronic journals, held in Medical & Healthcare Libraries throughout Northern Ireland - click here.
Users must bring their library membership card with them to the library, and if contacting the library by phone, must quote the membership number on their card. HSC&PS staff can borrow 15 books at a time.
Most of the books in the library can be borrowed for 4 weeks, although heavily used items are restricted to 1 week. All books are subject to recall at any time if requested by another user. The due date of recalled books will automatically change to one week and you will be notified accordingly.
Books can be requested by completing a book request form at the Issue Desk. Books that are not available within our library network can be requested from the British Library. Please note the Reserve option on the library catalogue does not reserve books in the Altnagelvin Library.
Books can be renewed up to 5 times if not required by another user. Books can be renewed in person, by phone or by using the My Account option on the library catalogue. Use the My Account facility on the library catalogue or Queen’s Online to check the due date of loans, renew them, view inter-library loan requests and current reservations and view & pay charges. Check My Account regularly to avoid unnecessary fines.
Books should be returned to the library from which they were borrowed. If the library is closed there is a locked Book Returns Box at the library door.
Fines are charged if books are not returned or renewed on time. Users with fines outstanding may not be able to borrow until the fines are paid.
Fines rates:
4 week loans – 10p per day
1 week loans – 50p per day
overdue recalled items – 50p per day
Staff may request articles not available in Altnagelvin. A journal article request slip must be completed for each article request. Payment will be via vouchers which can be purchased at the Issue Desk at a cost of 50 pence per voucher. If the article is not available within the library network we will apply to the British Library at no additional cost.
Three self-service photocopiers are provided in the library. Two of the copiers operate with cards that provide twenty copies for £1 from a dispenser beside the photocopiers. HSC&PS staff may request articles to be photocopied for them. Payment will be via HSC vouchers which can be purchased at any of the Medical & Healthcare Libraries at a cost of 50 pence each. The third copier is for work related copying for Western Health & Social Care Trust staff. Copying of library material must be within the terms of copyright legislation and licensing.
Fifty two study places are provided in the library. There are 15 PCs with internet access. There are also 6 PCs in the Reading/ Resource Room in the Clinical Education Centre (CEC).
Online Resources: honni (Health on the Net Northern Ireland)
HONNI is the website designed specifically for HSC&PS staff in Northern Ireland. It is a gateway to relevant resources on medicine, dentistry, nursing & midwifery, pharmacy, psychology, social work, allied health and health management. These resources include databases, electronic journals, clinical guidelines and quality internet sites.
The honni e-lib customised search engine can be used to search multiple resources simultaneously, including BNI, Cinahl, EBSCOhost, HMIC, Medline, Maternity and Infant Care, PEDro and Proquest Medical Library.
Further information is available at http://www.honni.qub.ac.uk Training sessions can be arranged by appointment.
Altnagelvin Library Altnagelvin Area Hospital Glenshane Road Londonderry BT47 6SB Tel: 028 7129 6168 Fax: 028 7161 1261 Trust Librarian: Rosina Doherty-Allan Library Information Officer: Paul McCabe Library Assistant: Sinead O’Brien Library Assistant: Siobhan McAneney