Borrowing and Ordering
Please note
To conduct a full search and borrow items, you need a valid library card, which you must apply for online before your visit.
Finding the call number and location
The Main Library and the MNL Branch Library keep their collections in stacks. While some materials are freely accessible in open stacks, others must be ordered via the bonnus search portal before your visit.
Run a literature search in the bonnus search portal to find the call number and location of the book or periodical you are looking for.
Please note: Before beginning your search, log in to bonnus using your user number and password; this ensures that the information displayed regarding the availability of items is tailored to your specific user group.
The list of search results provides a brief overview of availability information for each title.
Open the entry you are interested in to view its full details, then check the "Availability on site" section. There, you will find all the essential information regarding the item's location and call number.
Books
There are various ways you can find the books you are looking for depending on the location:
- Open stacks (Freihandmagazin): make a note of the call number, take the book from the shelf yourself and bring it to the loan desk.
- Textbook collection (Lehrbuchsammlung): make a note of the call number, take the book from the shelf yourself and bring it to the loan desk.
Note that books from the textbook collection can only be borrowed by University of Bonn students.
- Closed stacks (Geschlossenes Magazin): in bonnus, please select the "Request of a loanable item" button, specify your pickup location, and submit your request (please note: you must be logged in to do this). You will receive an email as soon as the book is ready for you at the chosen pickup location.
- Reading room (Lesesaal): you can consult books on site but not take them off the premises.
- External stacks (Speichermagazin): in bonnus, please select the "Request of a loanable item" button, specify your pickup location, and submit your request (please note: you must be logged in to do this). You will receive an email as soon as the book is ready for you at the chosen pickup location. Please note that orders from the external stacks take longer to process.
- Faculty libraries: as well as the items held by the USL, the bonnus search portal also includes those of most faculty libraries. Once you have found the book you are looking for in bonnus, you can view the address of the respective library and the book's location under "Availability on site". You can find detailed information on the opening hours and contact information by clicking the "Location information" button. Most faculty libraries will only allow you to consult books on site rather than borrow them.
Periodicals
Have you found a journal that interests you in the bonnus search portal?
Please note that journals can only be consulted within the library; they cannot be borrowed for use off-site.
Once you have opened the journal entry in bonnus, select the location that works best for you under "Availability on site".
You will now see a tip box with advice on the fastest way to access the journal.
In the Main Library
- You will find recent issues of the most popular journals in the reading room.
- Journals located in the open stacks (Freihandmagazin, second basement floor) are directly accessible. You can use the call number to locate the specific volume on the shelf and check it out to the reading room for consultation.
- Journals held in closed stacks (Geschlossenes Magazin) are not directly accessible and must be requested. In the detailed view, scroll down to "Related titles", where you will see the individual volumes (years) of the journal. Click on the desired volume, then use the "Request" button to place your order. The volume will be made available for you in the reading room. You will receive an email notification as soon as the requested volume is ready for you.
- Alternatively, you can order the desired volume using the "Ordering a periodical / newspaper" form, which is available in the yellow info box titled "How to access the journal".
Our search tip (for journal volumes held at the Main Library)
To perform a targeted search for a specific volume of a journal in bonnus, you can also enter the journal title followed by the desired year or volume number into the search bar. For example, you could enter "Zeitschrift für Gestaltpädagogik 2016".
In the MNL Branch Library
- Volumes from the year 2000 onwards are available in the reading room on the first floor, where they can be consulted. You can locate the relevant volume on the shelf using its call number.
- Volumes from the years 1980-1999 can be found in the open stacks (Freihandmagazin). You can locate the required volume on the shelf using its call number and check it out to the reading room for use.
- Volumes from before 1980 are kept in the closed stacks (Geschlossenes Magazin). Please request these using the "Ordering a periodical / newspaper" form, which is available in the yellow info box titled "How to access the journal".
In a faculty library
For items located in a faculty library, please go to the specified address and contact the institute staff there.
Newspapers
Have you found a newspaper that interests you in the bonnus search portal?
Please note that newspapers can only be consulted within the library; they cannot be borrowed for use off-site.
Once you have opened the newspaper entry in bonnus, select the location that works best for you under "Availability on site".
You will now see a tip box with advice on the fastest way to access the newspaper.
- Issues in printed form are stored in the closed stacks (Geschlossenes Magazin). Please request them using the form linked in the information box. Our staff will retrieve the requested issue for you, which you can then consult on the second basement level. To protect the bindings and paper, you are not allowed to place volumes of newspapers on standard photocopiers or overhead scanners.
- You can order microfilms of newspapers to the reading room via the bonnus search portal by clicking the "Request" button. You will be notified by email as soon as the microfilm is ready for you. You can read the microfilms on appropriate reading machines in the reading room. Please arrange an appointment with the reading room team if you need instructions on how to use the equipment.
- Free and licensed online newspapers and newspaper databases can be accessed via the bonnus search portal. The "Nexis" database, which is updated daily, also allows you to search hundreds of newspapers and magazines.
Old holdings and special collections
Manuscripts, incunabula, bequests and other old holdings and special collections can be consulted in the Curtius reading room. You can find details of the terms and conditions of use on the “Collections” web page. Please note that an advance reservation is required to use the Curtius reading room.
Models of skulls and skeletons
The MNL Branch Library makes models of skulls and skeletons available in partnership with the Student Council of Medicine.
Use on site
- Models of skulls and skeletons can be borrowed from the service desk for use on site between 9 am and 10.45 pm Monday to Sunday.
Borrowing
- Models of skulls can be checked out for three days by arrangement. If you are interested, please visit the service desk in the Branch Library between 9 am and 5 pm Monday to Friday.
Unfortunately, these items cannot be reserved.
UniPad
Students at the University of Bonn can borrow iPads to participate in digital courses and digital examinations. They are available from the MNL Branch Library. Devices may be borrowed for up to six months.
Standard apps are pre-installed on the devices. Although you can install additional apps, you will first need to create an Apple ID.
Borrowing and returning iPads
9 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday at the service desk in the MNL Branch Library.
Unfortunately, these items cannot be reserved.
Please note: access to eduroam has to be set up through an existing network connection. Please use the "eduroam Configuration Assistant Tool (CAT)" to install the profile: https://cat.eduroam.org/
Frequently asked questions on borrowing items
Because the textbook collection was financed specifically for the University of Bonn out of special funds, only its students can take items out.
Please note that, in addition to the copies held in the textbook collection, there is generally a copy available for regular loan in the open stacks (Freihandmagazin).
You can borrow items for 30 calendar days and renew them twice up to 180 days. You will not be able to renew an item that has been reserved by someone else. When a reservation is received, the loan period is reduced to two weeks.
Books from the textbook collection can likewise be borrowed for 30 calendar days. The maximum borrowing period for textbooks is 60 calendar days.
The standard borrowing period for periodicals ordered to the reading room is also 30 calendar days.
The check-out receipt which is emailed to you whenever you borrow an item will show you when it is currently due back and whether any restrictions apply to renewing it. You can also get an overview of what items you are currently borrowing and when they need to be returned by under "My Account" in the bonnus search portal. This is also where you renew items. If you have trouble renewing anything, the team from the Loan Department will be happy to help you.
First, please log in to the bonnus search portal using your user number and password. When viewing the details for a book that is already on loan, you will see an estimated return date under "Availability on site". You can reserve the book by clicking the "Request of a loanable item" button.
You will receive an email notification as soon as the item is ready for you.
Books from the textbook collection cannot be reserved, and books that have been reserved cannot be renewed.
N.B.: if you receive an e-mail on a Saturday or Sunday telling you that a book you have reserved has been returned, please wait until the following Monday to collect it.
You can return books during the service hours of the library from which you borrowed it.
You can pay outstanding late fees and interlibrary loan fees by bank transfer. Please use the following bank details.
It can take up to a week from the time of the transfer to the receipt of the fee at the USL. You will receive a receipt via email as soon as your payment has been processed by the library.
If you have lost a book or damaged it accidentally, please contact the Loan Department team as soon as possible to sort out the matter of a replacement.
You are obligated to pay compensation and, by getting in touch without delay, you will avoid overdue fines and potentially being banned from borrowing any more items.
Use your user number and the password you set yourself to log into the bonnus search portal, and then go to "My Account". You will then be able to renew either individual items or all those you currently hold on your account.
Loans can be renewed online starting from the 15th calendar day of the loan period. The renewal period begins on the day you perform the renewal. Renewing a loan after its due date is currently not possible online.
Please contact the Loan Department team if you have any questions about renewals.
Books from the closed stacks (Geschlossenes Magazin or Speichermagazin) will usually have to be requested using the order function in the bonnus search portal.
Log in to bonnus. Once you have opened the details page for the book you want, click the "Request of a loanable item" button in the "Availability on site" section and fill out the form.
You will receive an email notification as soon as the item is ready for you.
Please note that items from the ULB Bonn collection may be recalled at any time before the loan period expires — for example, due to a hold placed by other users or for operational reasons.
To avoid late fees or inconvenience during your absence, we recommend that you return all borrowed items before you travel or before the start of your extended absence.
You will receive an email notification as soon as the book is ready for you to pick up. In addition, you can check your account in bonnus to see whether a book is already available or if your order is still being processed.
Generally speaking:
In the case of orders placed before 1 pm on Monday to Friday, the books will be available at the lending desk in the Loan Department or reading rooms after four hours, where they will be held for collection or consultation for eight library opening days;
Orders placed after 1 pm or on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday will be ready from 10 am on the next working day.
Orders for items from the external stacks (e.g. doctoral theses and all items marked with "Hauptbibliothek, Speichermagazin") will take several days to arrive.
The functions for ordering and reserving only become visible after you have logged in to the bonnus search portal. We therefore recommend that you always log in to bonnus with your user number and password before you begin your search.
After you have logged in and opened the details page for a book that can be ordered or reserved, a "Request of a loanable item" button will appear in the "Availability on site" section. You can use this button to place both reservations and orders.
If you can’t find the order button, please contact the on-site information desk.
Contact
Main Library Loan Department
We are happy to answer any questions about borrowing items, including issuing library cards, taking items out, returning them, renewing them and much more. We are here from 9 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday.
MNL Branch Library
We are happy to answer any questions about borrowing items, including issuing library cards, taking items out, returning them, renewing them and much more. We are here from 9 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday.
Address
Friedrich-Hirzebruch-Allee 4
53115 Bonn