144 individual workplaces are available again in reading rooms II, III and IV. Using our reservation system, you can book a workplace in one of these reading rooms for 1-6 hours.
There are 4 workstations available in the Internet room. These workstations are primarily intended for external users, who can access our e-media in full text here.
A reservation is mandatory. Your booking will be confirmed by e-mail.

Important: Please always have your e-mail with the booking confirmation ready. Seats that are not occupied after 30 minutes will be automatically cancelled in the booking system.

Link to the reservation system (German) (login data = library card data)  >>

Usage and reservation rules

• You can book a time slot of 1-6 hours per day.
• Please have the e-mail with the booking confirmation ready - the seat tickets are not required. The seats are numbered. Please use only your reserved workstation.
• Seats that are not occupied after 30 minutes will be released automatically.
• You can make reservations up to one week in advance.
• Access to all workstations is through reading room I.
• You need a valid library card to make a reservation.

Corona rules in the reading rooms

• Please observe the usual hygiene rules (distance, sneezing etiquette, hand hygiene).
• It is compulsory to wear a mouth-nose cover during your entire stay in the library.
• If you want to clean the workplace before use, disinfectants are available for this purpose.
• Please note that we cannot provide areas for breaks or short conversations due to the prescribed routing and distance regulations. Corridors, foyer and staircases are not places to stay.

Further information

• The reservation data are kept for 4 weeks (Corona Protection Ordinance NRW (German) of 31.08.2020 (§ 6 in conjunction with § 2a, Para.1)). According to the Corona Protection Ordinance, a telephone number is required for easy tracing. You can enter this either via our reservation system or via "My account".

Students of the University of Cologne (first listener) must activate their library card via the UCCard.
From now on we will again issue cards for other members of the University of Cologne (employees, second listeners, guest listeners). Please send the required documents (identity card with front and back, student card or Proof of employment) as an attachment by e-mail to the lending services (Ortsleihe). The library card will then be sent to you by mail.
For external users (e.g. students of private universities, students of public universities of the state of NRW, private persons) it will not be possible to issue a library card in the foreseeable future.
You can renew existing cards by sending an e-mail to the lending services (Ortsleihe).

Book lending (textbook collection, direct loan area, pick-up shelves) as well as return is possible during opening hours Mon-Fri 9 - 18.

You can renew your media 5x. After the 5th renewal, no re-borrowing is possible at the counter. Please return your media and reorder them if necessary.

If you have ordered media to the reading room counter or to the Reading Room Historical Collections, please make an appointment by telephone for viewing.
In advance you can check the free time slots via our reservation system (German).

Reading room I

• Reservable time slots: 1-6 hours
• Telephone: +49 221 470-3314

Reading Room Historical Collections

• Reservable time slots: 1-6 hours
• Telephone: +49 221 470-3199

Please note: In the Historical Collections Reading Room it is currently not possible to retrieve files from the University Archives. However, you can consult the reference library of the University Archives here.

You can check at any time via "My Account" whether reading room literature is available for you.

Corona rules in the reading rooms

• Please observe the usual hygiene rules (distance, sneezing etiquette, hand hygiene).
• It is compulsory to wear a mouth-nose cover during your entire stay in the library.
• If you want to clean the workplace before use, cleaning agents are available for this purpose.
• Please note that we cannot provide areas for breaks or short conversations due to the prescribed routing and distance regulations. Corridors, foyer and staircases are not places to stay.

Scanner and copy machines are available again.

• The Reference desk remains closed. Please send us your questions by e-mail.
• No new library cards can be issued. If your library card has already expired or will expire in the next few weeks, please contact the local lending desk by e-mail.
• At the moment, it is only possible to hand in dissertations and gifts by mail. Please get in touch with our contact persons if necessary.
• We do not offer research cources and guided tours on site, but we are expanding our range of services in this area digitally.

There is currently no cultural programme (lectures and discussions) with a live audience.

• The 2nd floor remains closed. The holdings of reading rooms V and VI, the EDC and the current issues of periodicals in the journal display in reading room VII cannot be viewed.

For questions about your library card and your account (loan periods, renewals, etc.) please contact the lending service telephone (+49 221 470-3316), for questions about fees please contact the fee office (+49 221 470-3352). Both telephones can be reached Monday to Thursday, 9.00 - 16.00 and Friday 9.00 - 13.00.
As usual, you can address general questions about UCL to the UCL information desk (+49 221 470-2374) Monday to Friday from 10.00 - 14.00.
You are also welcome to mail us!

Questions about lending - e-mail

Questions about fees - e-mail
General questions - e-mail

14 individual workplaces are available again in Human Sciences Reading Room reading room. Using our reservation system, you can book a workplace in reading room for up to 3 hours.
A reservation is mandatory.

Link to the reservation system (German) (login data = library card data)  >>

Usage and reservation rules

• You can book a time slot of 1-6 hours per day.
• Please have the e-mail with the booking confirmation ready - the seat tickets are not required. The seats are numbered. Please use only your reserved workstation.
• Seats that are not occupied after 30 minutes will be released automatically.
• You can make reservations up to one week in advance.
• Access to all workstations is through reading room I.
• You need a valid library card to make a reservation.

Due to Corona, the number of workstations in our reading rooms and the Internet room is unfortunately limited.

Corona rules in the reading rooms

• Please observe the usual hygiene rules (distance, sneezing etiquette, hand hygiene).
• It is compulsory to wear a mouth-nose cover during your entire stay in the library.
• The workplace is cleaned by personnel before use.

Further information

• The reservation data are kept for 4 weeks (Corona Protection Ordinance NRW (German) of 15.07.2020 (§ 6 in conjunction with §2a, Para.1)). According to the Corona Protection Ordinance, a telephone number is required for easy tracing. You can enter this either via our reservation system or via "My account".
• If you do not need a reserved place after all, we ask you to cancel the reservation in the interest of others. In case of repeated non-cancellation of reserved seats, UCL reserves the right to exclude users from the reservation possibility.

• Ordering and borrowing - Status 7.7.2020
  Ordering via the UCL-Portal is possible again. This also applies to textbooks. They will be available for you to borrow for 2 weeks on the next opening day from 14.00 on the pick-up shelves at the issue counter. Journals and books from the reading room (for a short loan of one hour) can be ordered by e-mail in urgent cases and picked up from 14.00 on the next opening day.
  Opening hours athe the HWA: Mon-Wed 11-15, Thu 11-18, Fri 11-15
• Reservations - Status 7.7.2020
  Reservations are possible again.
• Loan periods
  Due to cyber attack restrictions, we have raised all loan periods from 03.06. to 07.07. and 14.07. Unfortunately, we cannot send out mail reminders for the loan periods 07.07. + 14.07. which we have raised. To avoid new fees, please check your loan periods in "My account".
• Renewing library items
  You can extend your media 5 times. After the 5th extension, no re-borrowing is possible at the counter. Please return your media and reorder them if necessary.
• Return
  Return is via the book slot at the issue counter Monday to Friday, 9.00 to 18.00.
  Please note that the media will be taken back, but for technical reasons will not be booked back. They will therefore continue to appear in your account including any fees. We will credit your account as soon as our borrowing system is fully operational again.
• Testothek
  Tests can also be ordered again bei e-mail.

• The reading room is again open to a limited extent, but journals and books from the reading room (for a short loan of one hour) can still only be ordered by e-mail and can be collected from the loan desk in the magazine on the next opening day from 2 pm.
  Opening hours for lending: Mon - Wed 11-15, Thu 11-18, Fri 11-15
• The reference desk remains closed. Ask for advice by telephone or e-mail.
• Until further notice we do not offer research courses and guided tours.

• The textbook collection remains closed.
• However, you can order textbooks via the USB portal. They will be available for you to borrow for 2 weeks on the next opening day from 2 pm at the lending desk in the magazine. Opening hours for borrowing: Mon - Wed 11-15, Thu 11-18, Fri 11-15.
• There are no PC workstations available.  Therefore you cannot access electronic media there at the moment.

• Media can be borrowed for copying or scanning in daily borrowing until the specialist library is closed or for an extended period of three days. Students who are writing theses can be granted a special borrowing period of one week. In this case we need a proof. The return of the items is possible until 14 on the day of deposit. Immediate re-borrowing is not possible.