Finding materials and how to order them
Finding post-1990 books
You can find all books which were published after 1990 by searching our online catalogue at https://search.heythroplibrary.co.uk. This is first place to look for any books which were published after 1990, as the Library stopped adding to our card catalogue in that year. It also contains the latest books, sometimes even with an order record.
Finding pre-1990 books
A lot of our pre-1990 books are also in our online catalogue (for link see above), have also been retrospectively catalogued. So start your seach in the online catalogue, as this is the most convenient, and you can order books through there. However, if such a search does not reveal a result, search our card catalogue online:
1. Click on https://crownww.account.box.com/
2. Login as librarycatalogue@jesuit.org.uk
3. Please use password Heythrop1!
The search function is fairly crude. If you are looking for a book by an author who has an uncommon surname, or a title word which is rarer, that will give you the best chance of finding something in our card catalogue.
If you cannot find a book in our card catalgue and it was published before 1990, please contact us with your enquiry. The preferred mode of communications is by email, as such enquiries can take us a long time, and you won’t have to wait in person.
Ordering off-site books found in our online catalogue
For making a request you will need to log into our catalogue. You will need your library account number (starting 019….) as login, and a password. Full instructions or a video are available at https://heythroplibrary.co.uk/how-to/#howtorequest
If you have not logged into our system since 25 July, but have been a member for longer, please see https://heythroplibrary.co.uk/how-to/#pwreset how to reset your password.
Readers will be notified by email when a book is ready to collect.
Please ask if the above does not make sense, or if you need a librarian to show you how to request a book.
Ordering off-site books found in our online card catalogue
Some of the books you find in our online card catalogue (link see above) have been catalogued, and every year we retrospectively catalogue 1,000s of books. However, if you have found a book in our online card catalogue and it is not in our main online catalogue, please contact us with as many details as possible. The preferred mode of communications is by email, as such enquiries can take us a long time, and involves quite a bit of work. We are happy to put in the extra work, but some of our collection is currently not retrievable.
Ordering off-site journals
All our journal holdings should be visible on our main online catalogue. For the last 3 years we have been adding them on a journal issue level to the system. Before most journals will have been bound, and should be findable on the catalogue.
The top of each journal gives an overview of what we hold:
If there are any gaps in our holdings, it should state so in this part of the catalogue record (see fourth line of record under the headings: “Holdings HEYTHROP PERIODICALS Vol. 1, 1960- ; lacks all issue of volume 62 (2021); if you scroll down you can also see the most recent issues received:
If you click on the “Holdings tab” of the journal record you can see which volumes are otherwise available:
For volume 64 (2023) you need to “Ask staff”, volumes 63 (2022) and volumes 56 (2015) are available. (We are currently working to improve this, so please ask about other volumes). For any other volumes, please contact us by email in advance of your visit. It can take up to 48 hours from us processing the request to the volume being available for reference in our reading room.
Borrowing, returning, and renewing books
I am a new member, can you please post my membership card to me?
The short answer is that we do not post cards to new members. If you would like to know why, please read on:
We do not post our cards by post for the following reasons:
- You do not need the card unless you start borrowing physical books from us. The most important information on the card (your name and your number) will be in your welcome email, after you joined. If you have lost that email, please let us know, and we’ll share your card number with you again. You can request physical books from our off-site stores, if you need to do this, without having the physical card. We recommend to search our catalogue in advance of your visit to know whether you would need to request off-site store books before your first visit.
- When you collect your card in person, we will check some form of ID. There is no photo on the Library card, so at least at the first initial contact/use of your card we want to check whether you are who you are. (Obviously, we do not suspect any foul play from you personally).
- If the Library card were to be lost in the post, you would look at needing to pay £1, if we hand the card over in person, you have the card.
If the above does not seem helpful, but please bear in mind that the Library is a physical Library (all our books are print only; only a handful of the journals are online, and they need to be read on a screen in our reading room), and that you do not need to collect your card (making a special trip), unless you are planning to come to Mayfair to use the collection/Library anyway.
Which books are on my account?
You can see what’s on your account by
1 Go to catalogue (for a link see top of this page)
2 Log in with your Heythrop Library card number (starting with ‘019…’) and password.
3 You should see the books you have borrowed, in the middle of the screen of your account.
What can I borrow from the library?
Readers may currently take up to six books out on loan for up to four weeks.
How can I renew books?
Your book(s) should automatically renew for 5 times (at four weeks each), after the initial four weeks of the loan. This means you get 6 months time to use each books – unless someone else requests a book. If you need books beyond the 6 months, please contact us by email.
The following cannot be borrowed:·
* Periodicals
* Reference books (with red spine labels on books in our reading room)
* Restricted or fragile items (you will be informed as soon as we have assessed them)
Some items in the Heythrop Library collections are too fragile to leave the library. We cannot guarantee that all books ordered from the off-site store will be in a condition fit for borrowing until they arrive. The librarians will alert readers if fragile books need to be consulted as reference-only materials in the Mount Street reading room. Such decisions may be made at short notice. We are sorry for any inconvenience this causes and thank you for your understanding.
How can I return books outside the opening hours of the Library?
We do not have a book return box, and please do not leave books in front of the door to our reading room.
If the reception to our building (LJC reception) is staffed, you can return books with the LJC receptionist. During LJC term time (see our opening hours page) they are usually staffed:
- Mondays to Fridays: 8am to 8pm
- Saturdays: 9am to 3pm
- Sundays: 10am to 4pm.
It is advisable to ring them before making a special trip to the LJC; they are on 020 7529 4000. Outside of term time, the LJC reception may be open longer than the Library, but this is not certain.
May I return your books by post?
The short answer is: Yes, you can return our books by post.
Please read the following points before doing so:
- You should use tracked or recorded delivery.
- If a book gets lost or damaged in transit, you will need to pay for the replacement cost of the book. We charge a minimum of £50 (if a book is irreplaceable), and otherwise the RRP of a new copy.
- If you have a person you can trust, they could also return a book on your behalf (in person).
Our postal address is
Heythrop Library
London Jesuit Centre
114 Mount Street
London
W1K 3AH
United Kingdom
More info: Heythrop Library Postal Service
How do I know how often a book has been automatically-renewed?
To check the books on your account, and to see how many times they have been renewed, please do the following:
- Go to catalogue (for a link see top of this page)
- Log in with your Heythrop Library card number (starting with ‘019…’) and password.
- You should see the books you have borrowed, in the middle of the screen of your account.
- See column “Renew” of the list of the books.
7. In this case the book has not been renewed yet, the due date is given in the “Due” column.
How can I get a list of books I have borrowed with your Library?
To see or export a list of the books you have borrowed (since 25 June 2025), please do the following:
- Go to our catalogue (link see top of this page).
- Login in to your account by using the Heythrop Library card number, without spaces: 019…. (see the back of your Heythrop Library card), and your password.
- Scroll down to “Borrowing history” (see left-hand side of the screen):
4. Click on ‘Borrowing history’.
5. On the top of your list you can click on “CSV” to export the list as a CSV file.
How do I renew books I have borrowed?
Each book you borrow will auto renew up to 5 times (each time for 28 days), unless someone else requests it (see more under recalls). So in theory you can borrow a book for up to 6 months without doing anything. However, please be aware that our system will send an email informing you of having renewed a book.
How can I know when a book is not at the Mount Street reading room, but at one of our off-site stores?
If a book’s location is marked as either Heythrop Deepstore [up to 2 working days] or Heythrop Crown [up to 2 working days] this means that the book needs to be requested from an off-site store.
Requesting books from off-site stores
In the catalogue, please click on the “Place reservation” option.
Please note that when requesting books from the off-site storage facilities, Heythrop Library staff will check each request, and manually process them. The following video illustrates this process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZkXoanEYDo.
Such requests can take up to 2 working days to be delivered. Since 1 July 2023 the normal delivery days are Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays
Requests get processed 3 times per week:
If a request is placed before 2pm on a
Tuesday -> the book(s) will be delivered on Wednesday
Thursday -> the book(s) will be delivered on Friday
Friday -> the book(s) will be delivered on Monday
Please always wait for the email confirming that the book(s) has/have arrived.
How many books can I order from one of the off-site stores per day?
Each borrower can request a maximum number of 6 items from our off-site stores per day; if you desperately need more, please contact us once you have requested 6 items.
I have exceeded the 6-month borrowing time what do I do now?
Once you have borrowed a book for 6 months, automatic renewals will stop and you will need to return the book(s), so that we can see that they are still “alive and happy”. If no one else needs them, you will be able to borrow them again straight away, and you will have another set of automatic renewals.
My membership has recently expired, or is about to expire. What do I do next?
Please go to our renewal form and fill this out accordingly. If your circumstances have changed you might need to consider whether you qualify for free membership, or paid membership. If in doubt, email us before filling out the form, or fill out the form, and let us consider your renewal request.
Information about the Heythrop Library and services
How can I support the Heythrop Library financially?
The Heythrop Library is part of a registered charity, and generous supporters play a vital role in helping to keep its doors open.
Please consider making a donation today and help us to continue inspiring generations of readers.
When you click on the donate link, please pick ‘Heythrop Library’ as a designation. If you would like to ‘Write us a comment’, please do.
Donate to the Heythrop Library
Do you offer document supply services to members?
We only offer scans for chapters or articles, etc., of materials housed in off-site storage.
There is no staff-assisted scanning or photocopying for material housed in the Mount Street reading room.
If you would like a scan from an item in offsite storage, please fill out the form at https://forms.office.com/e/wJutTaEmeX
Where can I find the latest version of your Readers Guide?
Good question! Please see our sub page for the latest version of the Readers Guide.
Visiting the Heythrop Library
May I take phone calls or video calls in the Library?
Often the Library is not that busy, and sometimes you might find that you are the only library user. However, we still believe calls should not be taken in the library (on a mobile or a video call on a laptop)– another library user might walk ‘into your phone call’. Calls can betaken in the corridor outside the Library, or if not inconveniencing others in the Cana Room (at the end of the basement corridor).
Can I use or book one of the two rooms which are off the corridor outside the Library?
The Montserrat and Manresa rooms are not part of the Library; they are part of the London Jesuit Centre, and need to be booked. Their primary use is for spiritual direction. You can enquire about booking rooms at the LJC reception, or email ljc@jesuit.org.uk.
Can I bring family/friends with me to the library?
We are always very happy to talk to people who are interested in joining the library! However, the Heythrop Library is a members library; currently, only members and Jesuits may use it. As it stands, the library does not act as a lounge/social space. If you are visiting the building with family or friends, they may wait in the Cana Room at the end of the corridor.
Readers must not share, or allow any other person to use, their reader pass or online membership credentials.
Accommodation
Researchers travelling a distance to use the Heythrop Library are welcome to book bed and breakfast accommodation at the London Jesuit Centre.