Loans, reservations and renewals

If you are a registered user, you may borrow works, place reservations, and extend your loan period.

Please ensure that any change of address is communicated to the library as promptly as possible, so that we may keep you informed regarding reserved items awaiting collection, the imminent expiry of loan periods, and other important notifications.

Searching and Requesting

• The catalogue enables you to ascertain which works form part of the Ghent University Library collection.
• Certain works are available on open shelves and may be retrieved directly by the reader. Others are stored in a closed repository and must be requested in advance in order to be made available for loan or consultation. For such works, a request button will appear in the catalogue.
• Please consult the catalogue carefully to verify whether a work may be borrowed, or whether it is restricted to on-site consultation only.

Borrowing

• Within the library, works may be borrowed on-site, and all such transactions are duly recorded in the library’s system.
• The standard loan period is four weeks. Exceptions may apply depending on the faculty library; please refer to the library regulations.
• Should the due date fall on a day when the library is closed, the next opening day shall be considered the final date of the loan.
• Shortly before the loan period expires, you will receive an e-mail reminder.
• Once the loan has expired, two reminders will be sent. Thereafter, the library reserves the right to charge the full cost of replacing the item.
• Loans are strictly personal, items may not be transferred to others.
• Sign in to the website to view your loans via My Library.

Reservations

• You can reserve items and have them held for you at the library.
• Not all items can be reserved.
• You can see if there are already reservations for an item.
• The library will notify you when the reserved item is ready for pickup.

Renewals

• You can extend your loan period yourself.
• Renewal is not always possible, for example if the item has already been reserved by another user.
• Each loan can be renewed up to three times. If you need more time, please contact the library.
• For items borrowed from another library (via Interlibrary Loan, ILL), only one renewal is possible, subject to approval from the supplying library. Please contact lib.docu@ugent.be for this request.

Returns

• Return borrowed items to the library before the loan period expires.
• Items may be returned either at the service desk or, where available, through the return box. Please consult the opening hours of the respective libraries before returning your items.
• In the event of damage or loss, the library will determine and charge an appropriate compensation fee.

For more information concerning library services, please consult the General Library Regulations.