The use of the ULB and its branch libraries is basically free of charge. Information areas and reading rooms are freely accessible. However, you will need a library card for all borrowing procedures.
The library card is valid for the Central Library and its branches (Medicine, Social Sciences, Centre for Dutch Studies). Furthermore, you can use your library card to borrow books from the library of the Institute of Educational Science and Communication Science.
On 1 August 2022, all Münster University libraries will switch to a new system.
The information on this page will be updated with the switchover.
In response to the Coronavirus pandemic the ULB can only be used to a limited extent.
For details please see the FAQs or the service overview [de].
The ULB library card is free of charge. You can apply for your library card in person or online. If you are a student at the University of Münster, your student ID card is also your library card. When you receive your student ID card, you will just need to activate your library account.
You will find your personal ULB user number printed on the back of the student ID card – in plain text and codified as a barcode. For security reasons, however, the ULB user number is not yet valid at the time the card is sent by the Student Admissions Office, but must be activated once in the ULB. And this is how it works:
Your user number and password are the key to your library account and services. You will need them to request and renew items via the ULB catalogue [de] and to place requests for interlibrary loans.
On the back of your student ID card you will find your user number in plain text as well as codified as a bar code. Each user number consists of 11 characters in the format: A12345678/Z. Please enter your user number as shown on your student ID card – using capital letters, slash included. If your user number ends in 0, please check if it is the upper-case letter O or the digit 0.
The first time you log in, your password is set by default to the first four digits of your birthday (in the format DDMM, e.g. "0112" would be the 1st of December). You will then be prompted to set up a new password (6–12 characters, case-sensitive). The password must contain at least 1 capital letter, 1 small letter and 1 number. Please avoid using umlauts or special characters. If you want to change your password again later, you can do so at any time by accessing your library account in the ULB catalogue (Konto → Benutzerdaten, i. e. your library account → user details).
If you have forgotten your password, you can request a new password to be emailed to you by clicking on Passwort vergessen? in the menu Konto of the ULB catalogue. (You can only use this function if your email address is entered in your library account.) With this new password, you can then log in to your library account. After a successful login, this new password replaces the old password. However, if you remember your previous password in the meantime, you can still log in with it. In this case, the new password sent by email will become invalid again.
If you have forgotten your password, but have not entered an email address in your library account, please contact one of the ULB registration desks during opening hours. In this case, please bring along your student ID card or your ULB library card, as well as your passport or identity card.
Requested ULB items, as well as items requested via interlibrary loan will be available for collection. To locate your items on the shelves in the self-collection area on the ground floor of the Central Library, refer to the last three digits of your student ID number. This 3-digit number is your pick-up number: If your student ID number is 123456, your pick-up number is 456. As for all other users, the pick-up number is printed on your ULB library card to the right of your user number. Please note that there is no self-collect service in the manuscript reading room and in our branch libraries. The items are retrieved by library staff.
The library card is valid for the Central Library and its branch libraries (Medicine, Social Sciences, Centre for Dutch Studies). Furthermore, you can use your library card to borrow books from the library of the Institute of Educational Science and Communication Science.
The borrowing of media from the ULB is basically free of charge. You will only be charged for the matters listed in the fee schedule [de], such as exceeding the loan period or for individual services such as interlibrary loan requests.
Different borrowing conditions apply to the different user groups of the ULB (number of borrowable media, renewal options, etc.). The initial letter of your user number indicates the user group to which you belong; for example, the letter "A" represents students of the University of Münster. A separate overview informs you of the borrowing conditions [de] that apply to your user group.
By entering Konto → Benutzerdaten in the ULB catalogue [de] you can check your user details at any time and make sure that they are correct. Please inform us as soon as possible of any changes to your personal details:
If your student ID card / library card is lost or stolen, please contact the lending department immediately to have your library account blocked for borrowing. You can do so in person at the registration desk (Empfang und Anmeldung) or circulation desk (Ausleihe) in the foyer, or by calling the lending department at +49 (0)251 83-24032 (or at +49 (0)251 83-24027 after 5 p.m., in the evenings and on weekends). You will be liable for any misuse of your lost and unblocked card.