Information for external users
The Duisburg-Essen University Library is open to all interested users -
whether you are studying at another university or would like to research privately.
We have compiled all the important information for you here.
Current info on registration & use
Access to the branch libraries
You do not need a library card to enter the branch libraries.
Please wear a medical mouth-nose protection (OP mask or FFP2 mask) during your entire stay in the branch libraries - also at the study places.
Register & lending
You need a library card to borrow media.
If you would like to register for the first time, please complete the online registration form. You will receive your library card at the service or lending desk during service hours.
For more info, click here:
Learning in the library
In all branch libraries you will find both individual study places to work quietly and group work areas and rooms to study together.
Registration or booking is not required.
Printing, copying, scanning
For copying and scanning from printed media as well as for printing from the internet, copy cards are available at vending machines. It is also possible to save the data on a USB flash drive and/or send it by email.
Files (PDF, Word, Excel) on USB flash drives can be opened at the PC workstations and printed from there.
Retrieving e-media
For licensing reasons, numerous electronic resources (e-books, journals, databases) can only be used by UDE members within the university network.
External users can only access these e-media at the PC workstations in the branch libraries. Access to electronic media from home, e.g. via VPN, is not possible.
Literature research
Tips & tricks
Primo, the catalogue of the UL
In Primo, you search the local library catalogue and other electronic sources in an integrative user interface.
Campus delivery service
All lendable and available media can be ordered from the branch libraries on the other campus via campus delivery service at no charge.
Interlibrary loan
Literature which is not available at the Duisburg-Essen UL can be ordered via interlibrary loan. For each order, a fee of 1.50 € is due.
Databases
Databases and various electronic resources are available only to UDE members due to license agreement reasons and are available at the PC workstations in the libraries without limitation.
You need articles?
For many of the articles available through the library, free author's versions exist (pre-prints are often referred to as "working papers").
In some cases, the published versions are even "open access", i.e. free of charge for readers.
Search options:
- Restrict the number of hits in Primo to online available and Open Access.
- Filter in the database overview for full text databases that are freely available on the web.
- Use special search engines to find open-access publisher or author versions:
- Google Scholar: search engine for scientific articles
- IDEAS: search engine for economic Open Access articles
- Open Access Button: search engine for the open-access version of a specific essay
- Dissemin: search engine for the open-access version of a specific essay
- OADOI: add the DOI of a specific article behind the following URL to find the Open Access version
- Unpaywall: this browser add-on shows you if there is a freely available version of an article
You need books?
More and more often books are published in "open access", i.e. free of charge for readers.
In addition, individual chapters can often be read online.
Search options:
- Restrict the number of hits in Primo to online available and Open Access.
- Use special search engines to find Open Access books:
- Use those chapters that you can read online for free:
- Google Books: search engine for books