Members of the public are welcome to use our libraries for reference purposes. If you would like to be able to borrow books, then you need to apply for external membership.

If you are a student at a school or college, you will not normally be eligible for external membership. If you are a student or researcher studying at another university, you may be eligible to join under a national scheme called SCONUL Access. For information about the SCONUL Access scheme, follow the link to 'Using other libraries' in the left-hand menu.

If you are an ex student of the University of Brighton, you are entitled to one year's free external membership through the University of Brighton Alumni Association.

How many books can I borrow? Click on borrowing on the left side menu for further details.

How do you become an external member? - complete an application form. These are available from any of our libraries, or you can download the following form in Word or pdf format:

Application for external membership (Word) (pdf)

Return the completed form to the Information Services Manager at the library most relevant to your subject needs. Follow the link to 'Opening hours' in the left-hand menu to find out which subject areas are covered by which libraries. If your application is accepted, you will be informed in writing and a library card will be made for you.

What is the subscription rate? - the standard rate for membership is £70.00 per annum. There is a concessionary rate of £40.00. You may qualify for the concessionary rate if you belong to one of the following groups:

• teachers/college lecturers in East and West Sussex
• local government employees
• health service professionals

To apply for the concessionary rate, you will need to complete a Confirmation of Employment form, available from all our libraries, or you can download it in Word or pdf format:

Confirmation of employment form (Word) (pdf)