You can find out whether a book can be borrowed by looking at the colour of its spine label. Books with white labels can be borrowed. For books with yellow labels, the conditions of short loan apply. Bound periodical volumes with yellow labels and books with red labels are non-circulating materials. These items cannot be borrowed.

You can also find information on the loan status in the catalogue’s item view under "Status". In addition, it is also coded in the so-called reference number. All holdings with odd numbers can be borrowed.

For standard loan items, the loan period is 30 days. Before the end of this period, the book must be returned or the loan must be renewed. Books on short term loan can only be borrowed for one day, for the weekend and for public holidays. Non-circulating materials cannot be borrowed.

If a book you need is already on loan, you can reserve it. To do so, click on the entry "Ein Exemplar vormerken" (Reserve an item) in the item view of the catalogue. Please note that you can only make a reservation for borrowed items. If there are several copies, they must all be borrowed. Reserved books will be made available to you in the self-collection area or at the circulation desk after they have been returned by the previous borrower (the return date does not have to correspond to the end of the loan period stated in the catalogue). You will be notified by e-mail when the item is ready to collect.

If the book you need cannot be found on the shelf, even though it is marked as not borrowed in the catalogue, you can place a search request. A search request is the prerequisite for ordering such a missing book by interlibrary loan from another library.

If you have entered a valid e-mail address in your user account (for students, this is always the IMT e-mail address), you will receive two reminders from us by e-mail before the loan period expires. However, you are responsible for adhering to due dates. It is best to check your library account regularly.

If you return your borrowed items after the loan period has expired, you will immediately be charged an overdue fine. There is no waiting period or similar. The amount of these fines is regulated by the fee regulations of the Paderborn University Library (Gebührenordnung der Universitätsbibliothek Paderborn vom 20.05.2010). Information on the current fee rates can be found here.

You should report the loss of an item to the library as soon as possible so that no overdue fines incur due to not returning the item. In this case, you will have to replace the lost item and pay an additional fee of 25 Euros per lost item.

If you want to keep borrowed items for longer than thirty days, you can renew your loans. You can do renewals from any PC in the library via your library account. Renewals by e-mail or telephone are not possible.

If the item has been reserved, a renewal is not possible. In all other cases, you can renew loans as often as you like. After one year at the latest, however, you must present the item to the library.

Items on short term loan cannot be renewed.

Books borrowed on the self-issuing machines can be returned via the book sorter during the entire opening hours of the library. Please return books that have been handed out at the circulation desk (e.g. interlibrary loans) there.

In exceptional cases, books can be returned by post (address: Paderborn University Library, Warburger Str. 100, 33098 Paderborn). The borrower is liable for any loss or damage that occurs in the post.

All holdings of the University Library can be borrowed by university staff (except non-circulating materials and periodical issues). Short term loan items are subject to special conditions.

As long as the books you have borrowed are not needed by other library users, you do not have to return them.  Your items will be automatically renewed when the loan period expires. However, after two years at the latest, the items must be presented to the University Library.

Short term loan items can be borrowed for 30 days. A three-time automatic renewal is possible, provided the item is not needed by another library user.

Periodical volumes can be borrowed for 15 days. They cannot be renewed.

Should

• the two-year period for one of the items you have borrowed expire,
• the maximum number of renewals for short term loan items have been reached or
• there be a reservation,

you will be notified by us 7 days before due date by e-mail or internal post.

Renewals are not possible in this case.