Your library card

Use of the University Library and Registration
Use of the University Library and access to its on-site facilities is free of charge. No identity card is required for on-site use; however, registration is necessary to borrow items, place interlibrary loan requests, or access licensed online resources. All members of the University, as well as residents of Brandenburg, Berlin, and Słubice, are eligible to receive a library card. Personal data collected during registration are stored and processed in accordance with the Brandenburg Data Protection Act. Registration must be completed in person on site.

University Members
Employees of the European University Viadrina may use the Library for the duration of their contract. Their staff ID card doubles as a library card and must be presented when registering. Temporary-contract staff should ensure their ID card indicates contract start and end dates; these may be validated at the terminals in the AM or GD buildings.

Students are entitled to Library use for the duration of their studies. Their student chip card serves as both ID and library card but must first be activated by Library staff to access the full range of services.

External Users
Visitors (non-university members) may apply for a library card by completing a registration form, available at the Information Desk (ground floor, Inner Courtyard) or online (in German). Applicants must present a valid identity card or passport plus proof of residence.

Guests—short-term visitors—may apply for a guest card in the Reading Room, Monday to Friday, 09:00–16:45.

Minors aged 12 and over may register with written consent from a parent or legal guardian. The guardian’s identity card must be shown when registering.

Corporate Users (public authorities, businesses, and similar institutions) may apply via a registration form (in German) signed by an authorised representative and stamped with the institution’s official seal. Loan conditions and borrowing periods vary by user group and will be explained upon card issuance.
Please notify the Library promptly of any changes to your address or personal details to ensure uninterrupted service.

If you lose your library card, please let us know as soon as possible so we can prevent any misuse.

In the OPAC, you can view the personal information stored in our library system, such as your name, date of birth, and address.

To do so, log in with your user number and password, then navigate to “Account” → “User data.” If any of the details are out of date, please get in touch with our library staff — we’ll be happy to help.

You can change your password at any time through your account.

For data protection reasons, please remember to log out properly after use by clicking the “Log out” button.

To give exam candidates better access to relevant literature, a dedicated shelf has been set up in the university library’s textbook collection.

Materials on the “Focus on Exams” shelf can be borrowed for two weeks as part of a special lending service.

Members of Unirep may have their student ID card activated for this user category at the library service desk.

For full details on borrowing conditions, please refer in advance to the Unirep: Beratungs- und Zusatzangebote (in German only) in advance.