Locating the book

Where are the books for my subject area?

You always first determine the location of the desired book or journal via KatalogPlus.

The ULB Central Library and more than 60 decentralised libraries of the University of Münster, spread throughout the city, house over 6 million items at various locations.

Location determined – how to proceed then?

Your further procedure depends on the location information obtained from KatalogPlus (open stacks, closed stacks, textbook collection, reading room, Newspaper Archive, Medical Library, Institute for..., etc.).

KatalogPlus further indicates whether a book from the ULB Central Library and the other lending libraries can be borrowed directly or can be requested.

As a rule, you cannot borrow books from the reference libraries, but can only use them directly in the library. KatalogPlus provides information on address, website and terms of use.

Central Library: Open stacks

Stairs in the foyer of the ULB Central Library will take you down to the open stacks in the basement levels.

The following shelfmark groups are located on basement level 1:
3C, 3D, 3E, 3F, 3H, 3K, 3L

The following shelfmark groups are located on basement level 2:
3G, 3W, 59, Z (Okt), ZD

Once you have determined the location and shelfmark of the desired book in KatalogPlus, you can retrieve it from the shelf yourself and borrow it at the issue desk in the foyer. If journal volumes are not available for loan (labelled as "nicht ausleihbar"), you may copy articles. Alternatively, a short term loan of one week would be possible – for reading room use only.
The open stacks are open up to 30 minutes before the library closes.

Central Library: Closed stacks

Parts of the holdings are shelved in closed stacks, not open to the public. You can request these items via KatalogPlus.

Central Library: Textbook collection

The textbook collection is located at the rear of the Central Library's ground floor, facing the main entrance. Here you will find basic literature and multiple copies of textbooks arranged according to a systematic order.
Find out which textbooks are offered for your subject area.

Please retrieve books from the textbook collection and check them out in the foyer.

(If you are interested in buying discarded textbooks, have a look at the offer in the ground floor reading room.)

Central Library: Reading rooms, group workspace

Books, journals, and microform editions in the reading rooms and in the group workspace are reference holdings and cannot usually be borrowed. To find out more about the possibilities of a short loan (overnight and weekend), please visit the desk in the manuscript reading room (level +01). Our copy room is located on the same floor. Scanners are also available in the ground floor reading room or the DigiLab.
Further information on the reading rooms

Newspaper Archive

In the Newspaper Archive of the ULB, located at Bispinghof 24/25, you will find the entire collection of printed newspapers and microform editions for reference use.
You can use the holdings in the ground floor’s reading room offering 20 reading places. Staff members of the ULB will retrieve the requested films or volumes.
Information on the Newspaper Archive

Cafeteria

Current issues of various German-language newspapers are displayed in the Central Library's cafeteria near the reading room foyer (level +01).

Decentralised libraries: Lending libraries

Books and journals from the lending libraries can be borrowed and returned on site.
When looking up the location(s) of the desired item in KatalogPlus, you can also look up the address and borrowing conditions of a library with one click. Further information on the decentralised lending libraries can be found on their websites.

The five ULB libraries Central Library, Medical Library, Social Sciences Branch Library, Centre for Dutch Studies / Branch Library and Library of the Institute of Educational Science and Communication Science form a lending network with the same loan conditions and return options for each other.

Decentralised libraries: Reference libraries

Many decentralised libraries are reference libraries only. When looking up the location(s) of the desired item in KatalogPlus, you can also look up the address, URL and borrowing conditions of a library with one click. Borrowing is not possible in most of the reference libraries.