Variable loan policy at University of Lancaster Library

Research at the University of Lancaster in 1967–69 led to the introduction of a variable loan policy which differentiates between those books in heavy and those in less frequent demand. At Lancaster these are designated popular or ‘pop’ loan and long loan. The actual periods of loan are seven days (or the whole of a vacation) for popular loan and a term for long loan. There is, in addition, the short loan collection from which books are lent for very much shorter periods. This situation, though pioneered at Lancaster, is now commonly used in many British academic libraries.