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  4. Using the library

Registration

The University of Applied Sciences library is a public academic library.

It can be used by students, lecturers and employees of the University of Applied Sciences Erfurt as well as members of the public. You can register to use the library from the age of 14 (with the consent of a parent or guardian).

 

For registration, we need the following:

  • students - thoska | identity card | certificate of registration from the local authorities
  • staff - thoska | identity card | certificate of registration from the local authorities
  • school pupils - identity card | consent of a parent or guardian
  • collaborative users - confirmation | form | identity card of main user
Contact

University Library

+49 361 6700-7777bibliothek@fh-erfurt.de Altonaer Straße | Haus 2

Library card - thoska

Your thoska (Thüringer Hochschul- und Studierendenwerkskarte) is also your library membership card.

  • It can also be used as a library and payment card in all other Thuringian academic libraries.
  • Library users who don't have a thoska can obtain one from us.
  • There is a one-off charge of € 10, which must be paid immediately by cash-free payment.
  • The card can also be used to pay for copying and charges.
  • Please let us know if you lose your thoska card and we will block your account for your protection.

Library account

When you register, a personal user account will be set up for you. To access your account, use the library user number on the back of your thoska and a preset password. To protect your data, please regularly change your password.

In your account, you can

  • see the loan periods of any items you have borrowed
  • renew items twice provided they haven't been reserved by other users
  • see charges owed for late returns or interlibrary loans
  • manage your password settings

We will use your email address for all personal communications with you. You are entitled to use the library for one calendar year at a time. Your membership can be renewed once we have checked your contact details.

Storage locations and conditions of loan

All materials in our holdings are thematically indexed and arranged according to their various subject areas. For indexing, we use the Regensburg Union Classification.

Items placed in the "open access area" are freely accessible on the shelves in the basement and the first and second floors of the library.

Materials that are not freely accessible are located in the stacks. To see how to order these holdings free of charge, go to Katalog+/OPAC and use the order button. Three times a day at 9.00 a.m., 12.00 p.m. and 3.00 p.m., these items are available for collection at the service desk.

You can find out more about our collection and borrowing options in the following overview.

  • Monographs

    Open access area

    • Loan copy | 29-day loan
    • Reference copy | weekend / public holiday loan

    Stacks

    • Loan copy | 29-day loan
    • Order via Katalog+ / OPAC

    Journals

    Open access area

    • Reference copy | weekend / public holiday loan

    Stacks

    • Reference copy | weekend / public holiday loan
    • Order via Katalog+ / OPAC

    Standards

    Stacks

    • Reference copy | not eligible for loan – use on site
    • Order form

    Film, CD-ROM etc.

    Stacks

    • Loan copy | 29-day loan
    • Order via Katalog+ / OPAC

    Historical collections

    Stacks

    • Reference copy | not eligible for loan - use on site
    • Order via Katalog+ / OPAC
    • 1,000 works from the Benary Company Library
    • 3,000 works from the historical collection of the former Horticultural College in Erfurt
  • eBooks

    • an eBook is a digital edition of a printed book
    • our eBooks are listed in Katalog+ / OPAC

    eJournals

    Databases

    • bibliographical database - references on specific subjects
    • full text database - electronic collection of entire texts
    • factual database - primary data

Borrowing and returning items

You can borrow all items free of charge. To do so, please talk to our staff at the service desk or use the self-service checkout.

At the service desk you can also collect

  • any items you have reserved,
  • orders from the stacks,
  • pre-ordered materials, and
  • interlibrary loans.
  • You can reserve items currently loaned by other users free of charge. After the items have been returned, they will be held for you and you will receive an email letting you know that you can collect them from the service desk.

  • Items that have not been reserved by other users can be renewed.

    • You can renew items yourself twice via your library account.
    • Any further renewals have to be made by contacting the service desk (also possible by phone or email).
  • You can return the items you have borrowed during the library's opening times.

    You can also use our return box, located outside the door of the building, to drop off your books (main campus at Altonaer Straße, buidling 2, courtyard).

    You can also post borrowed items back to the library. In this case, please use the following address:

    Fachhochschule Erfurt
    Hochschulbibliothek
    Postfach 45 01 55
    99051 Erfurt

  • To avoid incurring overdue charges, we send out an email three days before your loan expires to remind you to return or renew your items. Once the loan period has expired, weekly reminder fees will be charged. You will receive the 1st and 2nd reminder by email and the 3rd reminder by recorded delivery.

    Per item borrowed, the overdue charges are as follows:

    • 1st reminder | charge of € 1.50
    • 2nd reminder | charge of € 4.00 (€ 2.50 for the 2nd reminder plus € 1.50 from the 1st reminder)
    • 3rd reminder | charge of € 8.00 (€ 4.00 for the 3rd reminder plus € 1.50 for the 1st and € 2.50 for the 2nd reminder)
  • Please report damaged or dirty items before you borrow them. Should you lose or damage loan items, please let us know as soon as possible.