Library as a place of learning
Jackets/coats are now permitted in the library; however, we ask you to use the cloakroom for wet jackets.
For your bags and backpacks, please use our lockers in the entrance area of the library. Only slim cases (= laptop sleeves), mini handbags or similar are permitted.
Water and tea in recloseable drinking containers and small, dry snacks (e.g. nuts, muesli bars) are allowed in the library. For all other food and beverages, please go to the Bib Café in the Main Library AR.
The lockers in the Main Library AR and Branch Library US can be used with library locker cards or the previous ZIMT prepaid cards.
Locker cards can be bought directly at the library locations AR and US.
Lockers in Branch Library H can be used with a €1 / €2 deposit.
In the Branch Library PB and the Branch Library ENC, locker keys are issued for a ID card deposit.
Students have access to group study rooms for working in small groups, which are freely accessible throughout opening hours. The group study rooms are equipped with a whiteboard or monitors for connecting mobile devices. Due to the high demand, we recommend booking these rooms in advance.
If there are no more group study rooms available, you can also use our open group study spaces. These are located in the Main Library AR on floor 0 and are also equipped with monitors for connecting mobile devices. It is also possible to participate in online lectures in small groups via the monitors. Reservations are not necessary.
Or use the self-study center on floor 2 for communicative work.
The ZIMT of the University of Siegen offers the use of the university's WLAN at all library locations.
Please note that only university members (students and staff) can use the WLAN. Further information and instructions on how to set up the WLAN can be found on the
You are welcome to use our workstation trolleys in the Main Library AR and the Branch Library US.
The mobile and lockable trolleys can be rented for one month, and can be extended if necessary.
Reservation APW Main Library Adolf-Reichwein-Straße (AR)
Reservation APW Branch Library Unteres Schloss (US)
Carrels are small individual study cabins that can be reserved for the duration of one month for the preparation of academic theses.
As soon as a carrel is available, you will receive a message by e-mail.
Due to the high demand, we urgently ask you to pick up the carrel key on time or to cancel the reservation for a carrel if it is no longer needed.
Click here to make a reservation:
Carrel reservation main library Adolf-Reichwein-Straße (AR)
Carrel reservation for the Lower Castle Branch Library (US)
Of course, you are always welcome to bring your small children to the library.
There is also a family study room in the Main Library Adolf-Reichwein-Straße (AR).
A quiet room with baby changing facilities is located in the
Branch Library Unteres Schloss (US).
You can find out about other options on the pages of the
family service office of the University of Siegen.
There is car access to all
Access to the Main Library Adolf-Reichwein-Straße (AR) is only possible via a wheelchair lift, please contact the service staff at the circulation desk in advance by telephone.
The elevators within the libraries are in operation during opening hours.
The majority of the reading and PC workstations in the library and the group study rooms can be used by wheelchair users.
You can use a special PC workstation for the blind and visually impaired at
Internet-enabled PC workstations are available at all library locations and can be used free of charge for academic purposes. At these PC workstations, you can use the Firefox browser to access our catalog plus and all of our licensed services (eBooks, electronic journals, databases). It is also possible to edit documents with Libre Office.
Library card, activation & password
You can apply for a library card or the activation of the Uni Siegen App / your USiCard at any circulation desk of the University Library.
Please present the application with your valid identity card or passport and a registration certificate at one of the circulation desks. If you are studying at the University of Siegen, we will also check your electronic student ID in the University of Siegen app or require a current certificate of enrollment, possibly in conjunction with your USiCard.
It is also possible to apply by e-mail:
Please fill out the application form for the library card / for the activation of the Uni Siegen App/USiCard on the screen. Print it out, sign the form and send it scanned together with:
- a copy of your identity card (front and back) and
- if applicable, the current certificate of enrollment
- if applicable, a copy of the USiCard (front and back)
to: benutzung@ub.uni-siegen.de.
As soon as your library card has been finished or the Siegen University app/USiCard has been activated, we will send you “First Information on Borrowing” by email.
Your password must be at least 12 letters long and contain a mix of all 3 types of categories:
- Lowercase letters from the 26-letter alphabet: a, b, c, ...
- Capital letters from the 26-letter alphabet: A, B, C, ...
- Numbers: 1, 2, 3, ...
The following characters should not be used:
Umlauts ä, Ä, ö, Ö, ü, Ü
ß (Eszett / Sharp S)
Country or language-specific letters (e.g. with accents, trema, tick [Háček]
Special characters should be avoided (examples of special characters: ~ ! @ # $ % ^ & * _ - + = ` | \ ( ) { } [ ] : ; " ' < > , . ? /)
Your user name must not be part of the password.
Log in to the Katalog plus and to the account functions (account viewing, loan period extension, reservation, interlibrary loan order) will be possible via the Shibboleth interface of the University of Siegen. Please change the assigned password via the ZIMT service page to an individual password.
University staff and students of the University of Siegen should contact the
Non-university users will be given an access code and an initial password by the library. If you have set your own password but have forgotten it, the staff at the Central User Services of the University Library can reset your password to the initial password. can reset your password to the initial password.
To protect against misuse, please report the loss of your library card immediately to one of the circulation desks of the University Library. The card will then be immediately blocked for library use. You are liable for any misuse until you report the loss. A replacement card will be issued on request for a fee.
If you lose your smartphone, you should change your ZIMT password immediately to prevent any misuse of the University of Siegen app with the digital library card.
If you install the Uni Siegen app on a new smartphone, the digital library card will be available there if it has already been activated once.
In your own interest, please inform the University Library immediately of any change of address, including your e-mail address. Any costs and disadvantages arising from non-compliance will be borne by you in any case.
Students of the University of Siegen should also contact the Student Secretariat (SSC).
If your name has changed (e.g. due to marriage), please fill out the appropriate application form again (students, university staff or non-university users).
You can find the applications and further information here: Library card, Uni Siegen App and USiCard
For students of the University of Siegen, the validity of the library card or the library function in the University of Siegen app or on the USiCard ends with exmatriculation.
Information on de-registration can be found here:
For staff of the University of Siegen, the validity ends with the expiry of the employment contract. Please let us know if you wish to extend your contract when you apply to renew your library card.
For users who are not members of the University of Siegen, the validity of the library card ends if no services relevant to borrowing from the University Library have been used in two consecutive calendar years.
The library card or the Uni Siegen App / USiCard may be blocked for the following reasons:
- The library card / USiCard has been reported as lost / stolen:
The blocking can be reversed by presenting the library card at any circulation desks. Otherwise, please apply for a replacement card (subject to a fee according to - Notifications / e-mails from the library could not be delivered:
In your own interest, please inform the University Library immediately of any changes of address, including your e-mail address. - The loan period of a borrowed item has been exceeded by more than 30 days:
Please return the item immediately and pay the fee for exceeding the loan period. - Fees due have not been paid:
Once the outstanding fees have been paid, the loan account will be unblocked. - The validity of your library card has expired (staff of the University of Siegen):
Please inform us about renewal or extension of your contract of employment by using the - You missed the enrolment deadline for the following semester:
Please present a certificate of enrolment for the current semester at one of the circulation desks so that the block can be lifted or apply for a
You can log in to the Katalog plus using your ZIMT ID and the corresponding password via the Shibboleth interface. If you have any questions about your library account or loan periods, please contact: benutzung@ub.uni-siegen.de
- Have you had the Uni Siegen app / your USiCard activated for library use?
Your Zimt ID can only be linked to your library account once it has been activated so that you can then log in via the Shibboleth interface. - It is possible that your library card or your activated Uni Siegen App / USiCard is not linked to a Zimt ID. Please let us know your library card number (UBSI...) or your app number / USiCard number (from the app or from the back of the card) and your Zimt ID(benutzung@ub.uni-siegen.de).
In the event of malfunctions or error messages, please always contact the support chat in the University of Siegen app directly.
You can find this in the menu bar at the top.
If this is not possible, you can write an email to the support team: support@uninow.de
Borrowing and returning
The loan period is usually 60 days. If the borrowed title is reserved by another user, this period will be shortened and you will be informed of the early end of the loan period by e-mail. Please pay attention to the loan periods as fines for overdue loans will be charged from the first day if the loan period is exceeded.
Borrowing and returning of media and also extending of the loan period (except interlibrary loan) is possible throughout our opening hours.
You can usually extend the loan period yourself via your library account. yourself. Please note the information on extending the loan period.
There can be various reasons for this:
- another user has reserved the medium: please return the medium to one of the circulation desks,
- your library card has been blocked, the reason is given in your library account: please contact one of the circulation desks,
- the validity of your library card has expired: please have the validity of your library card extended,
- the maximum loan period has been reached: please return the medium at one of the lending circulation desks and borrow it again,
- the loan period of another borrowed title has been exceeded by at least 31 days: please return the media or submit the form for media loss.
If you are prevented by illness or other circumstances from returning borrowed media on time, please contact one of the circulation desks before the loan period expires or by e-mail: benutzung@ub.uni-siegen.de.
In principle, you can also instruct a person you trust to return items and pay any fees. Another option is to return the item by regular mail (see below).
All media with white or green call-number tags can be borrowed. Media with a red label form the reference stock of the library and cannot be borrowed generally.
You can also see in our Katalog plus whether the title is borrowable or not.
Media can be returned to any library location, or by mail (see below).
In the Main Library Adolf-Reichwein-Straße (AR) and the Branch Library Unteres Schloss (US) there are return machines available for returning borrowed media. The return machine in the Main Library AR is accessible 24/7, i.e. also when the library is closed.. If items are not accepted by the machine, please contact the circulation desk.
To avoid complaints, please check your library account regularly.
Yes! Please always return media to:
Universitätsbibliothek
Leihstelle Hauptbibliothek
Adolf-Reichwein-Straße 2
D - 57076 Siegen
Please note that for the calculation of the fines for overdue loans the date of receipt is decisive, not the date of receipt at the University of Siegen's mailroom.
Due to the internal distribution to all institutions of the University of Siegen, a delay of at least one day is to be expected.
The sender is liable for loss by post.
The media will be forwarded to the corresponding branch library after your library account has been relieved.
Overdue fines can be reduced or waived on application in exceptional cases if the user is not responsible for the reason for exceeding the deadline (for example, illness or accident). The reduction or waiver of that fines is decided by the Central Services for Users, Main Library Adolf-Reichwein-Straße.
Yes. The overdue fines are due to the expiry of the loan period, regardless of whether you have received a reminder or not. The users themselves are responsible for monitoring the loan periods in their library account and for extending or returning borrowed media on time.
A reservation is not possible under the following conditions:
- the title is not on loan, reservations are only possible for borrowed items,
- there are further copies of this title still available for loan, possibly also in other branch libraries. Please borrow one of these copies,
- a copy with this call number has already been borrowed or reserved by yourself,
- the book is in a reserve collection and can only be used within the library. The location of the reserve collection is shown in the Katalog plus,
- your library account is blocked or the validity of your library card has expired: please contact one of the circulation desks
Reservations can be canceled within your library account, account section reservations.The medium will then be released for further use.
If you cannot find a book on the shelf that you have not borrowed, please contact the Central InformationDesk in the Main Library Adolf-Reichwein-Straße or one of the circulation desks. It is possible that the book has only recently been returned and has not yet been put back on the shelf.
If literature cannot be found at the location for a longer period of time and has not been borrowed, it will be entered as "Missing" in the catalog. If there are no further copies of the title in the University Library, it is possible to place an interlibrary loan requestin this case. is possible.
Interlibrary loan
You can order literature that is not available in Siegen from other libraries via interlibrary loan.
Please note that not all titles can be delivered via interlibrary loan. Further information can be found in the information on interlibrary loans.
- Books, sections from books and other media (Formulation in the catalog plus: books and sections from books)
- Journal articles (Wording in the catalog plus: journal articles)
Please note the information on interlibrary loans. Here you will also find a guide for placing interlibrary loan requests.
An interlibrary loan order costs 1.50 Euro. This handling fee will be charged to your library account. The fee will also be charged if the order cannot be fulfilled. Interlibrary loan requests are currently free of charge for university staff with the appropriate library card.
You can indicate in the terms of delivery the amount of additional costs you are willing to pay. Additional costs may arise, for example, if an essay consists of more than 20 pages or if a title is to be ordered by way of international interlibrary loan.
Please note that if you have not provided an e-mail address, you will be charged additional postage for notification by post.
You will be notified as soon as the book or copies you have ordered have arrived.
For delivered interlibrary loan media, the period of availability is 10 days from the arrival of the interlibrary loan delivery at the library.
Orders for articles are delivered electronically if there are no legal licensing requirements to the contrary. This means that you will receive a server-generated e-mail from the Landesbibliothekszentrum NRW (@herakles.hbz-nrw.de) with a link to a PDF file that you can retrieve within 30 days.
Orders for articles that cannot be delivered as PDF files for licensing reasons can be obtained as paper copies at the circulation desk of the Main Library, Adolf-Reichwein-Straße (AR).
The loan period for books and media that must be returned is set by the lending library and can be found on the booking receipt or the library account .
The loan period begins with the delivery of the book, not with the lending.
Renewals are possible if the owning library allows this. In this case, please contact the interlibrary loan department and bring your library card, the items to be renewed and the pink interlibrary loan documents.
Contact: Email: fernleihe@ub.uni-siegen.de or phone: 0271 740-4262
Service hours: Monday - Friday, 9:00 am - 3:30 pm
Catalog plus and literature search
The media available in the University Library are listed in the catalog plus catalog. There you will also find information on where to find the desired media in the library, whether they are available for loan or whether they are currently borrowed by another reader.
Please also note the tips for using the catalog and our course offerings for literature research.
Siegen University Library has ordered this book, but the title has not yet arrived at the library. If you would like to reserve this book, please contact the Central Information Desk.
The library has ordered the book. It has already been delivered by the bookseller, but is not yet available for use. If you would like to reserve this book, please contact the Central Information Desk.
If you find in the catalog plus of the Siegen University Library, this title is located in an area of the library that is not freely accessible. After logging in with your library card number and password, please click on "Order".
The desired title will be selected and made availableat the respective at the respective circulation desk.
Click on the portal "Semesterapparate" on the start page. You will then be shown the semester collections of the lecturers, sorted alphabetically by surname.
After searching for the title in the catalog plus you will be shown the owner and location of the course reserve collection.
The access ID to the Katalog plus can NOT be used by non-university library users for access via VPN or Shibboleth, i.e. "from home".
However, you can use the licensed e-resources free of charge at the PC workstationsof the University Library. of the university library.
If you search in the"Articles and more" section, you will get hits from many different databases, not all resources are licensed. Links "To the full text" should take you to the full text of the resources, other links may work, but do not have to. It is better to use the link"How to access" to check whether a resource is available online, in the library collection or via interlibrary loan.
In the catalog plus under the tab "Articles and more" you will find hits from the extensive sources of the EDS index and thus in particular so-called dependent publications, such as articles from journals, individual chapters from books or contributions from anthologies.
If you are not offered a link to the full text because the reference is a printed book, for example, you can start a search for availability via the "How to access" icon.
Please note: Not all hits belong to the holdings of Siegen University Library. Please note the information under "How to find it" to the right of a hit. On the following page you can now see in which other libraries the book is available and, if necessary, order it via interlibrary loan.
To search for articles from other sources, it is best to use the subject-specific bibliographies and databases. You can find these in the catalog plus via the"eResources" tab.
Please also note the tips for searching for literature and our course offer on searching for literature.
The "My favourites"-list may disappear if the ID number of the account changes, e.g. if you have changed your name or are no longer a student but an employee or non-university user (or vice versa).
Please contact the Central User Services at benutzung@ub.uni-siegen.de. Often, the “old ID” can be retrieved and linked to your new account.
Scanning, printing and copying
A total of ten modern book scanners are available in the Main Library Adolf-Reichwein-Straße (AR) and in the branch libraries Hölderlinstraße (H), Paul-Bonatz-Straße (PB) and Unteres Schloss (US).
There are a total of seven book scanners in the Main library AR, including four devices for A2 formats and one barrier-free scanner. The touchscreen is located next to the device. This scanner is located on floor -1 in the Main Library AR.
There is a scanner located at locations H, PB, and US. A2 formats can also be scanned at location H, and such large-format scans can be performed by library staff at location US upon request.
Scanning is free of charge. Please bring your own USB stick (formatted FAT 32).
You can print at the library locations AR, H, PB and US. You should bring your own paper, but it can also be purchased at the circulation desks for 25 cents per 5 sheets. The printing itself is free of charge.
The multifunctional devices (printing/copying/scanning) from UTAX were dismantled in 2022.
The black-and-white printers have been disconnected from the previous billing system and can still be used by library users (see “Where can I print?” above).
In order to reduce paper consumption in the long term, users are asked to use the existing, state-of-the-art book scanners to save printed materials.
Previous prepaid cards can continue to be used for lockers at the Main Library AR and the branch library US.
Previous prepaid cards can also be returned to ZIMT until September 30th, 2026.
If you would like to return old prepaid cards to ZIMT, please make an appointment in advance by e-mail (support@zimt.uni-siegen.de).
Please provide the following information in the mail:
- The number of the prepaid card/cards to be returned.
- In case of multiple cards, a scanned or photographed version of the purchase receipt (This has been informed accordingly on all charging stations). If the receipts are not available, only one card can be refunded per person.
If cards are damaged or blocked, ZIMT reserves the right to refuse to accept the card. Cards must be returned by the acquirer and not by another person.
When you return the prepaid card to ZIMT, you will receive a refund of the 5 Euro deposit. Please note that a refund of remaining credit was only possible until May 31st, 2023.
