Books: Our Print Book Collections

The development of the library's stock is a co-operative effort between library staff and academic staff

If you spot a gap in your subject area please let us know as you are the expert. 

If you need to query an budget or an order just email sinead.kelly@atu.ie

Please include your department name.

Budgets are allocated to each Programme within each Department.  The Program Committee (ProCom) is then responsbible for the distribution of funds​.

The budget may be used to purchase:

Print books, Electronic books DVDs, Maps, Pamphlets, Standards, Case Studies, Multimedia Material

Where budgets are under spent we check the resource list in Module Manager to ensure a balanced collection.   

Orders are accepted:

• By email to:  sinead.kelly@atu.ie
• Through the Library Online Help Desk:  library.sligo@atu.ie
• Through the Internal Post addressed to Sinéad Kelly, Deputy Librarian

Remember to add the name of your Department. 

When the Order is submitted to the Library:

• Orders are checked against supplier databases for price and availability.
• A cover purchase requisition sheet is attached to each batch with details of budget code and approval signature
• The order is passed to Library Acquisition Staff for entry on the Acquisitions Module of the Koha Library System

When items arrive to the library, they are receipted, invoices are submitted for payment and the items are catalogued and processed.

If an order is urgent, the staff member should indicate this to the library.  The supplier is informed, the order is given priority for administration and processing, and the staff members is notified immediately on arrival. 

Staff are emailed when the item is ready to be borrowed.  This usually takes around 6 weeks from placing the order. There are various reasons why it can take much longer for your purchase to arrive. Feel free to email sinead.kelly@atu.ie to follow up on your orders.

Items recently added to stock are displayed on the New Book Shelves in the Library.

Under the National Framework for the Purchase of Library Books, the Library uses the following suppliers:

Staff may use the databases maintained by these suppliers to search for book titles and ensure they have the correct details for ordering.

In addition to our ebook package we purchase individual ebooks for

• large classes
• online learners

Not all texts have a suitable license for academic use.

Submit your request and we will check availability.

Currently we have approx 550 individual ebooks that are on reading lists. 

Library suggestion!

While you may have a preferred title it is work checking eBook Academic Collection as there may be something suitable for your students.

You could select a chapter and promote it with a link in your Moodle page. The direct link ensures you are copyright compliant.

Many of the print books regularly used by students on Institute programmes do not have an electronic licence available for purchase.  Where licences are available, they may be of different types with different prices: single simultaneous user, 3 simultaneous user, non linear lending (325 loan days total per year), unlimited site access.  

Sometimes, the latest edition will be available in print but and earlier edition will be available as an ebook.  

The Library will need the advice of academic staff in choosing the most appropriate licence for a particular title.  

Where an electronic licence is not available, it may be possible to choose an alternative title.

Freely available online collections such as Openstax may include suitable books for use.