Borrowing
- Books from the textbook collection and the basement level can be selected by yourself.
- In exceptional cases, you can ask another person to borrow the books you need. For this purpose, the person you have commissioned must present a written power of attorney [de] and be able to identify himself or herself by means of an identity card or passport.
- Print journals and dissertations are not freely accessible, but can be ordered. Please contact the issue desk.
- Books from the reference holdings (textbooks and holdings at the information desk) cannot be borrowed but can only be used in the library. In exceptional cases, overnight or weekend loans can be arranged. Please contact the issue desk.
- Journals and books from the ULB and other libraries must be picked up at the respective library.
Please take note of our opening hours.
Requests
Parts of the holdings are shelved in closed stacks, not open to the public. In order to use these items, you must log in to
If the request cannot be placed via KatalogPlus, please fill in a loan form (available at all service desks). Delivery time: usually after 1 – 2 working days.
If a book that you want is on loan, you can also make a request using
We will always notify you by email as soon as your request is available. In the self-collection area the books will be available for loan one week from the delivery date. At the manuscript reading room desk, you can access the requested works for 4 weeks.
Loan period
The best way to find out the loan conditions for your user group for your desired media is to consult the information in
The loan period in the lending network is generally four weeks, but can often be renewed.
We will send you a reminder 5 days prior to the end of the loan period.
If the loan period is exceeded, fees will be charged for each book. If you exceed this period by more than 40 days or for more than 10 books at the same time (50 books for academic staff), your library account will be blocked for borrowing.
Please note that overdue charges are applied regardless of the dispatch and receipt of reminders!
Renewing items
The loan period of a book can be extended at any time, provided that no request has been made by another user and the maximum loan period (basically 6 months in the lending network, 12 months for academic staff) has not been reached. Even items whose loan period has already been exceeded can usually be renewed retrospectively; however, the fees incurred for exceeding the loan period will not be affected.
You may extend the loan period yourself online via KatalogPlus. You can renew certain books or all renewable books in your library account.
Loan periods are automatically extended for academic staff of the University of Münster.
Media provided in the (manuscript) reading room will be removed after a maximum of 4 weeks or extended only in individual cases upon request.
Notifications
Notifications are always sent by email. Information regarding your library account (e. g. available media, upcoming due dates, late returns, or unpaid fees) and general usage information (e. g. deviating opening hours, service restrictions and special services) will be sent to the email address(es) registered at the ULB. Therefore, please make sure that your email address(es) – viewable via your library account in KatalogPlus – is/are up to date. If you need to request a change, please contact ulb@uni-muenster.de.
Library account enquiries
You can log into your library account via KatalogPlus in the top right-hand corner. It provides information on what you have borrowed or requested and whether fees are due. Your returns will be logged and saved in your borrowing history for a period of 6 months.
Returning items
- in the Medical Library: Books and other media can be returned at the issue desk on all opening days until 9:45 p.m.
- in the lending network: Books from the Central Library, the Medical Library, the Social Sciences Branch Library, the library of the Institute of Educational Science and Communication Science and the Centre for Dutch Studies / Branch Library can also be returned at the return desks of those other libraries.
- by post: In exceptional cases, you may return the books to the Medical Branch Library by post (please send them to Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Gebäude A11, 48149 Münster). The postmark date is deemed the date of return. Please note that you bear all risks associated with postal dispatch; we therefore recommend that you use an insured parcel service. Please also include a note with your name, user number and the shelfmarks of the returned books in the package.
Attention: In case of loss or damage of borrowed books, you are obliged to pay damages. Please fill out a loss and damage form [de] at the loan desk to report any loss or damage and confirm that you will pay for those. Thus, you can avoid a dunning procedure and possible blocking of your loan authorization.
Fees
The use of the ULB is generally free of charge. Fees are charged only for exceeding the loan period, loss or damage to a book/item/library card and for special services. If your fees exceed 50 euros, your library account will be blocked for borrowing.