Lending regulations
If you use materials from or via Utrecht University Library, you agree to comply with the applicable rules. These rules are listed below. The regulations apply as of 1 July 2026.
- UU students and staff automatically have a library card to borrow material, which can be found in the MyUU app. Log in with your Solis ID to use the card.
- The library card is free for UU students and staff.
- The library card is valid for as long as you work or study at the UU.
- Guests can borrow materials from the library if they have a guest Solis ID and a library card.
- You receive your free library card at the service desk. You can also activate your guest Solis ID here.
- Have you lost your library card or has it been stolen? Please notify the library as soon as possible. You will receive a new library card upon presentation of a valid ID.
- Are you under 18 years of age? Then we assume that you have permission from a parent or legal representative. They are expected to accept the liability arising from the subscription.
- Are you moving? UU students can change their address in Osiris. Utrecht University staff can change their address at mijn.uu.nl. Other visitors can email their change of address or inform library staff at the service desk on presentation of their library card or valid ID.
- Any consequences of not changing your address on time are at your own expense and risk.
- With your library card you can borrow books by using the self-issue machine.
- Forgot your library card? You can still borrow books at the service desk upon presentation of a valid ID.
- You may borrow up to 30 books at a time. You can request permission to borrow more books temporarily using this form.
- Some materials, such as books published before 1900, cannot be borrowed. However, you can consult these materials with a library card or reading room card.
- Make sure that everything you borrow is registered on your library card. If you take materials home without registering them, you may be denied access to the library.
- You may not lend borrowed materials to others.
- As a borrower, you are liable for any damage, late returns or loss of the materials you have borrowed, regardless of the cause. Before borrowing, check to see if the materials you wish to borrow are in good condition. If not, report this to the service desk.
- If the material you borrowed needs to be replaced after loss or irreparable damage, you will be responsible for the replacement costs.
- If the material you borrowed is damaged but can be repaired, you will be responsible for the repair costs.
- If you believe that you have not borrowed the material or have already returned it, please contact the library.
- After returning borrowed items, you can request a receipt.
- The standard loan period for books is 28 days. Some materials have a shorter loan period, such as materials from the testing materials library.
- The loan period will be automatically renewed. You will be notified one day before the automatic renewal. It is also possible to renew your book yourself via WorldCat.
- If the (automatic) renewal is not possible, for example because someone else has reserved the book, you will receive a message from the library requesting you to return the book. You will then have six days to return the book without incurring a fine.
- You can return borrowed materials to either location of the Utrecht University Library.
- Are you returning the materials by post? Make sure you pack them securely and affix sufficient postage. The risk of posting is yours.
If you do not return the material, you pay replacement costs.
How to pay replacement costs?
You can pay the replacement costs in various ways. You can pay at the payment terminal in the library with your library card, or at the service desk. Both locations only accept debit cards. You can also pay fines by bank transfer:
IBAN: NL38ABNA0484856898
Payable to: Universiteitsbibliotheek/ASC, Postbus 80011, 3508 TA Utrecht
Payment reference: Replacement costs UBU + library card number (9 or 15 digits) or your student number (7 digits)
Reminder messages
- Are you late returning items and has (automatic) renewal not been successful? As an extra service, the library will send you four reminders. You will receive these messages by email on day 1, day 7, day 14 and day 21 after the due date.
- Students will receive the reminders at their student email address.
- Even if you do not receive or see a reminder message, you still have to pay replacement costs.
- You can submit complaints by email or by calling (030) 253 61 15 during the opening hours of the service desk. The Head of the Public Services department will respond to the complaint by email within two weeks.
- If you are not satisfied with the response to your complaint, please resubmit your complaint within two weeks, addressed to the Director of the University Library. You will receive a written response within two weeks. During the period in which the complaint is being processed, the previous decision of the Head of Public Services will remain in force.
- No appeal is possible against a decision by the Director of the University Library, unless it concerns exclusion from borrowing and/or denial of access to the library. In that case, you can lodge an objection with the Executive Board.
- Always follow the instructions of library staff.
- The Director of the University Library (or their deputy) has the right to (temporarily) exclude a borrower from using the library who does not comply with the provisions of these regulations. You will receive a registered letter from the director informing you of this.
- The Utrecht University Library protects the personal data of its users, according to the Algemene verordening gegevensbescherming (AVG) (in Dutch).
- In cases not covered by these regulations, the Director of the University Library or a representative will decide.
- The Director of the University Library is entitled to deviate from these conditions on an incidental basis.
- In the event of exclusion from borrowing and/or denial of access to the library, you can enter an appeal to the Executive Board.
Interlibrary Loan Regulations
These regulations only apply to borrowing materials from other libraries via Utrecht University Library, requested via WorldCat. These may be books or PDFs of journal articles or book chapters.
- Not everything can be borrowed via IBL. For example: manuscripts, works published before 1900, valuable or rare works, very heavy or large books, loose-leaf works, newspapers, atlases, maps, works with loose supplements or plates, special collections, and bound or loose issues of periodicals.
- To submit copy or loan requests via WorldCat, you need a (guest) Solis ID and a valid library card from Utrecht University Library.
- The applicant is responsible for providing the correct email address on the request form in WorldCat.
- No rights can be derived from not receiving email messages.
- After you submit a request, you will receive an email stating whether your request has been approved.
- Has your request to borrow books been approved? You will receive a message when the material is ready and in which of our two locations it can be collected.
- Has your request for PDFs of articles or chapters been approved? You will receive a link and password with which you can download the PDF. The material will remain available for thirty days and can be downloaded up to five times.
Reservations
- You cannot reserve works that are already on loan via IBL.
- In most cases, the IBL applies a loan period of 28 days.
- The loan period will be automatically renewed three times.
- After this period you receive four reminders. If you have not returned the material by then, you pay replacement costs.
- After borrowing, return the book to one of our locations.
- ILL is free for employees of Utrecht University and UMC Utrecht.
- Students and private borrowers are required to pay fees:
| Loan from other Dutch libraries, per item | € 6.50 |
| Loan from foreign libraries, per item | € 17.00 |
| A4 article copy paper/digital from other Dutch libraries | € 6.50 |
| A4 copy paper/digital from foreign libraries, per item | € 12.00 |
- Charges for students and private borrowers will still apply, even if they do not collect or download the material on time.