Borrowing and requesting

You can find and order material in Oria, the University Library's search portal.

Students at UiB: Borrow using the student ID app or student card.

Staff at UiB: Borrow using their staff card.

Others: Can borrow by registering as an external user. Ask at the desk at one of our libraries. See Opening hours and contact.

• Ordinary books: 4 weeks, with automatic renewal for up to 4 months for students and external users, and 6 months for staff (provided there is no waiting list for the book)
• Course literature: may have a shorter loan period
• Journals, reference works and certain other types of material: may have lending restrictions

The due date is shown in Oria when you are logged in. You receive an email reminder 3 days before the due date.

Reserve a book that is on loan: Log in to Oria and order the book. You receive a notification when the book is ready.

Order from the closed stacks: Older material and special collections are kept in closed stacks and must be ordered via Oria. The material is ready within 1–2 working days and is placed on the pickup shelf.

Order pickup at your library: If the material is at a UiB library other than the one you usually use, you can have it delivered to the desk at your preferred library. (Exception: if you belong to one of the four city-centre libraries, you must collect books from the three other city-centre libraries yourself.)

Do you need something that is not available at UiB? The University Library can order interlibrary loans from other libraries in Norway and abroad. You order interlibrary loans via Oria. Interlibrary loans are only available to students and staff at UiB.

Books are returned to one of our libraries, not necessarily the one you borrowed them from. The Arts and Humanities Library has an outdoor return box you can use when the library is closed.

You are personally responsible for all borrowed material, and for ensuring that it is returned by the due date in the same condition as when it was borrowed.

The loan period must be respected. If you are away from UiB for more than 4 weeks, for example for a study period in Norway or abroad, you must return borrowed material before you leave. Lending material on to others is not permitted.

Some material, including course literature, is subject to special lending restrictions.

Material borrowed from other libraries (interlibrary loans) follows the lending rules of the owning library; usually a 4-week loan period with the possibility of renewal, but exceptions occur. If you receive a message that the material must be returned before the date set in Oria, this is a sign that the owning library has sent the University Library a recall, and the material must be returned as soon as possible.

Three days before the due date you receive a reminder that it is almost time to return the item. If the borrowed material is not returned, a reminder is sent. On the third reminder you will receive a replacement fee and will be blocked from further borrowing until the overdue material is returned or replaced.

You are liable to replace your loans and can settle this in one of three ways:

1. Return the borrowed material
2. Provide a replacement copy
3. Pay at least NOK 1000 per document by Vipps nr 18432 or by invoice.

You contact your library to do this. The deadline for meeting the charge is 10 days from the date the replacement notice is sent. Charges that are not met are transferred to the Finance Division, which sends an invoice. If the borrowed material is still not returned or replaced, the case is transferred to Fair Collection for further debt recovery. Fair Collection then takes over the case and the debt-collection claim must be paid.

You must replace lost or damaged material. Underlining or making notes in books is regarded as damage. Material reported lost that later turns up is still the library's property.