Questions about the limited lending services (Covid-19 measures)

From 18 May 2020, the limited lending services will be open to all library users. Access to the relevant libraries is only possible after receipt of an e-mail-prompt to collect or return items, or to pay reminder fees/overdue charges. Access to individual libraries may vary depending on the availability of rooms and staff. The Main Library, for example, can be accessed via the emergency stairs in Reichratsstrasse.

Please note the relevant opening hours and further information on the websites of the special libraries. If you require barrier-free access, please notify the relevant special library ahead of time.

The following rules of conduct must be adhered to:

• Only a limited number of persons can be in one room at the same time
• Stays should be kept as short as possible.
• A safety distance of 1 metre must be observed.
• Face masks must be worn by staff and visitors. Note that the library cannot provide masks for visitors.

The University Library takes the following safety measures:

• Provision of hand sanitizer dispensers
• Frequent airing
• Protective acrylic screens at counters

• The libraries open for short time slots only. The Main Library, for example, will be open from Monday to Friday, from 12:00 to 18:00. The special libraries' limited opening hours can be found on the respective library's website.


• Only staff members essential for scanning and lending services are present on site.


• Users may come to the respective library only after receiving an e-mail-prompt to collect or return items, or to pay reminder fees/overdue charges.


• It is not allowed to collect books individually from open-shelf areas or open stacks, nor is browsing shelves on site in order to keep users' stays at the library as brief as possible to protect staff and users. Hence, loanable books kept in open shelves must be ordered via u:search. Please do not come to the library before you have received the e-mail confirming your book is ready for collection!


• Reservations of books that are currently borrowed will remain active. Items ready to be collected will be kept ready for collection until one week after normal operation of the Library has resumed for the respective user group. Books cannot be collected before access has been granted for the respective group.


• In order to prevent the potential spread of the virus, returned books are "quarantined" for 24 hours before they are put back on the shelf and/or can be borrowed again.


• Inter-library loans ready to collect can also be picked up once access for the respective group has started.

In order to prevent non-essential trips to the library, the Vienna University Library offers its users the following services:

• Instead of the manual or automatic renewal of borrowed books for up to 1 year, all loans are automatically extended if the number of borrowed books does not exceed 10 for staff and 1 for all other users, as long as no other user reserves the item (up to 18 months max.).


• Short loan periods, e.g. over the weekend, have temporarily been extended to 7 or 14 days, depending on the respective library.


• Historical holdings as well as course-related literature are scanned, if possible.


• Any items that can be procured electronically will be acquired, costs permitting.


• Please continue to use the extensive portfolio of e-resources that the Library offers.

Due books can be returned at the respective library after you have received a reminder e-mail. The special libraries in the main building remain closed for the moment; their services are currently provided by the Main Library.

Please note the relevant opening hours and information on the websites of the special libraries!

Books can also returned in the book return box at the entrance to the main university building (Universitätsring 1) Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm.

Users unable to come to the library in person can entrust somebody to return their books for them.

Staff of the University of Vienna can find information about returning books by mail in the University Intranet .

Other users can return books by mail at their own cost. Please send the books as a parcel or by registered mail to:

Universitätsbibliothek Wien
Hauptbibliothek Entlehnung
Universitätsring 1
1010 Wien

Fees and charges are suspended until 30 June 2020.

If you require barrier-free access to the Main Library, please notify the loan services via telephone: T: +43-1-4277-15125.

Please obtain information on barrier-free access during the period of limited lending services at the individual special libraries.

You can authorise a person of your trust to collect your books. A written authorisation is required, and the person collecting must identify themselves with an official photo ID.

You can either use our form (in German) or a handwritten note of authorisation. A photograph of the form or note provided on a mobile phone is also acceptable.

All virtual services will continue to be offered and managed by library staff from home. These include:

• Use of e-resources: As members of the University of Vienna, you have location- and time independent access to electronic media. Please use u:access (VPN is no longer supported). to browse u:search and access our extensive portfolio of e-resources.
• Users without library cards can also find the extensive range of free e-resources via u:search and access more than 66,100 free e-journals and almost 356,000 e-books. Additional free resources can be found in Phaidra, the University of Vienna's repository.
• You can receive detailed information on specific research options on the websites of the special libraries.
• In addition, temporarily accessible electronic publications are available (in German).
• Information via ubw:helpdesk as well as by the special libraries.
• Acquisition of literature.
• Research Support Services of the Vienna University Library

From 4 May 2020 provisionally until late June, we will offer digitisation services for urgently needed literature to members of the University of Vienna.

• To make use of this service, students are asked to use this form (in German)
• Teachers and researchers are asked to use this form (in German).
• For books from the special libraries, please send the form to the service e-mail address of the respective special library.
• Scanning requests for the Main Library should be sent to digitisation.ub@univie.ac.at

We would like to point out that textbooks (explicitly labelled as textbooks, "Introduction to..." or "Lehrbücher" by publishers), or even parts of these, may not be digitised for copyright reasons. Due to our limited capacity, no complete books and only a limited number of books per person can be digitised.

Please note that digitisation requests for literature needed for teaching purposes are processed with priority.

Currently, nobody is obliged to come to the library in order to receive or extend a library card.

New library cards can be applied for via the Initial Registration, as usual. Please send necessary documents and a scan of an official photo-ID with recognizable portrait picture via e-mail to entlehnung.ub@univie.ac.at. Please be aware of the gradual reopening process.

Documents needed to extend library cards of external users should be sent to entlehnung.ub@univie.ac.at.

Since the library was closed, annual cards subject to charges have automatically been extended for the time of closure (2 months) by the University Library's staff. Users do not have to take any additional action.

No, this is currently not possible. Study halls, open-shelf areas and computer rooms remain closed.

Inter-library loan services are resumed in May. Please consider the various delivery options by Austrian and international libraries. As always, please send acquisition suggestions to the service e-mail address of the relevant special library or use the form for acquisition suggestions.

In response to the SARS-CoV2 (coronavirus) outbreak, a number of scholarly publishers and other content providers have made COVID-19 content temporarily freely available to support researchers and the general public. You can find a list of freely accessible, high-quality electronic resources on the Vienna University Library's website. This list will be continuously extended and updated.