Staff and students of SOAS can borrow materials, as well as other categories of library membership such as Alumni and external members.
| Membership type | Loan allocation | "long loan" items |
| SOAS staff | 30 items | 1 month |
| SOAS research postgraduates (MPhil/PhD) | 30 items | 1 month |
| SOAS taught postgraduates (MA/MSc) | 30 items | 1 month |
| SOAS undergraduates | 15 items | 2 weeks |
| SOAS Intercollegiate | 5 items | 2 weeks |
| Alumni | 5 Items | 2 weeks |
| All other borrowing members | 5 Items | 2 weeks |
Most books and CDs can be taken out on loan, with the exception of journals, reference books, theses, rare books and archives which are for use in the Library only.
Items stored offsite are available to consult at the library premises.
You can renew books up to 5 times