How to get a book

The majority of the most frequently used parts of the NL collections can be searched in the electronic catalogue. If you want to borrow a document, it is therefore the most appropriate search for it in the electronic catalogue. Only if you do not find it in the electronic catalogue, search the scanned catalogue or the card catalogue in the Main Hall. In thïs case we recommend you to consult library staff or to come to information briefing in the Main Hall.

Documents can be requested for study in the Reading Rooms (in-house loans) or for home reading, outside the NL building (external loans). Only a certain part of the NL collections is available for external loans and can only be used by users with a valid library card after complying with the other conditions.

Apart from the printed documents, also electronic documents and microfilms and microfiches are available for in-house study.

Requests

You can request items using:

• Online catalogue – NL database
• Scanned catalogues
• Card catalogues

The request can be placed without valid registration, however, the loan itself – both the in-house loan to a reading room and the external loan in the Main Hall (i.e. the loan for use outside the NL building) – is only possible with a valid library card.

For more detailed information about placing requests, borrowing and loan renewals see How It Goes Here.

Electronic Books

Electronic books can be studied on computers in the NL reading rooms and in most cases also on e-readers. E-books can be searched in the online catalogue – NKC database, or right in the individual licensed sources (e.g. ebrary, or selected titles of the  Academia Publishers in the project E-books to Every Library )