Skip to Main Content

How do I join the KCL Library?

St Thomas Hospital Weston Education Centre at Denmark Hill

If you are new to the Library then you need to register to get a Library ID Card for access and to allow borrowing.  Start the registration process by completing our online registration form. We are currently running a monthly prize draw to win a reuseable water bottle for newly registered NHS staff.

If you have not visited for some time you should visit KCL security to have your King's ID Card revived. In some cases you may need to re-register.

Joining the library will give you access to all King's College London libraries including those at St Thomas', and the Guy's and Denmark Hill campuses.

Next steps

After completing the form you will be contacted with next steps. You will receive an email including your King's computer login and confirmation of when to visit King's College London security to obtain a King's ID card (more detail below).  Please note your King's computer login does not allow remote access to university electronic resources (instead use your NHS OpenAthens details).

Your King's ID card allows you to visit at your convenience.  If you wish to borrow books there is a final online registration step to complete once you have had your King's ID Card made. Please note that not all categories of our NHS users are eligible to borrow books.

Obtaining a King's ID card

The same King's ID card opens the gates at all our Libraries and is your Library card for borrowing materials. Cards can be obtained from:

  • Weston Education Centre security desk - Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm
  • St Thomas' Hospital security desk at Gate 3 (located between the Prideaux Building and the old Medical School building) - Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm.
  • New Hunt's House security desk in New Hunt's House (the building opposite the main entrance to Guy's Hospital) - Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm
  • Franklin-Wilkins Building - Waterloo Campus; Ground floor - Security Helpdesk, 0207 848 3800 - Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5.30pm

If you are unable to attend at these times please contact Site Services on the Guys campus on 020 7848 6666.

Who can join?

King's College London provides a multidisciplinary library service to all NHS staff working for: 

  • Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
  • King’s College Hospital Foundation Trust.

We also provide a library service for Synnovis staff (a pathology service working with King's College Hospital and Guy's & St Thomas' Hospital).

There is a limited service for staff working for the NHS in South East London, within the London Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark (including South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust). 

Students on placement at GSTT and KCH are eligible to join for the duration of their placement.  When registering using the online form they should provide their university email, select the Trust where they are on placement and include their placement end as the contract end date.

NHS Visitor access

If you are affiliated to either King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust or Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, but not employed by them, you may be able to apply for a temporary visitor pass. You may use your visitor pass during staffed hours, from 9am until 7pm weekdays, and between 10am – 6pm on weekends.

Examples of NHS Visitors who are eligible for a visitor pass:

  • Clinical Observer (medical staff from overseas undertaking a short period of shadowing at the Trust)
  • Agency staff (working at the Trust but employed by an external agency)
  • Essentia staff (staff working at the hospital who have not been issued with a Trust email address)

To apply for a temporary pass, please fill in the NHS Visitor form. We aim to respond to your request within 5 working days

 

Becoming an affiliate

Any Trust staff involved in teaching, research or administration on behalf of the university may be entitled to register for an affiliate email account, which in turn will generate remote access to significant additional electronic resources.

Further details on applying for an account can be found on the King’s Affiliate Account Request page.

Renew / update

It is straightforward to renew your access to the Library.  When contacted just email library@kcl.ac.uk from your work email to reconfirm your identity and to request your account is renewed. Library staff will check the details we hold for you remain up to date.

Please note that all King's IT accounts will be disabled after 90 days of inactivity and you will need to contact Library Services to have your account reactivated.  IT Services will notify you 7 days before your account is due to be disabled.   

If you are moving to another Trust within King's Health Partners then we would ask you to confirm these changes in the same way.

If you have not visited a Library for several months then you may need to visit the local KCL security desk to have your card reactivated.

PRUH Library