Most staff and researchers can use the libraries within the Consortium via SCONUL Research Extra (SRX), however the following institutions are not funded by HEFCE and therefore cannot join SRX:

• British Library
• British Museum
• Imperial War Museum
• Natural History Museum
• Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
• Royal Society of Chemistry
• Victoria and Albert Museum
• Institute of Contemporary History & Wiener Library
• Wellcome Library

Staff and researchers from any of these institutions can join the M25 access and borrowing scheme through their home library and obtain a card to make use of all the libraries throughout the Consortium (NB: the old consortium-wide access and borrowing scheme came to an end in 2004 with the advent of SRX!)

The current scheme has been in operation for nearly three years and whilst take-up is fairly low it clearly provides a useful resource for staff and researchers at the relevant institutions. A total of 87 M25 cards were issued in 2005/6, with the majority being given out to staff and researchers at the British Museum. One aspect of the relatively low use is that visits to libraries by users with M25 cards are infrequent. It is key therefore that all front line and security staff are familiar with the look of these cards and know that they can be accepted. A sample can be viewed below and can also be sent out on request.

If you are based at one of the nine libraries covered by the M25 scheme, or would simply like to know more, the full details of the scheme are available at http://www.inform25.ac.uk/VAL/m25scheme.html.

The information is also incorporated into the Visit-a-Library Service which can be linked to from http://www.inform25.ac.uk/

Caroline Lloyd
Head of Library & Archives Service
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine