The University Library provides academic literature and information for teaching and research, in printed and electronic form. The library is also open to pupils and other academically interested people from the city and the region.
There are five reading rooms with a total of 1,125 working places: the reading room of the Central Library, Nikolakloster, Economics & Business Administration, Computer Science/Mathematics and Juridicum.
Opening hours
of the Central Library, helpdesks and reading rooms
Information & advice
You can get in touch with us by calling the library helpline, +49 851 509 1630, using the Message to the Library contact form or talking to us in person at one of the helpdesks in the Central Library, Innstrasse 29.
Passau Search Portal
Catalogue of Passau University Library plus simultaneous search in the Union Catalogue of Bavaria & Berlin-Brandenburg and in an interdisciplinary article database.
Your library account: you need to log on to Passau Search portal with your library user number and password to access the order and account functions (requests, reservations, renewals and interlibrary loan requests) or to do a literature search using one of the workstations in the reading rooms. You can also check the loan periods, renew your loans or change your password.
Library cards
You do not need to have a library card to use the library holdings on the library premises. However, only registered users with a library card can request or borrow books.
For students, the student ID card doubles as a library card.
Guided tours and training seminars. The University Library offers a comprehensive programme of guided tours and training courses to students, school pupils and the general public.
E-mail notifications
You might receive an e-mail from the library when the loan period for a borrowed item is about to expire, or a reserved item or interlibrary loan is ready for collection. If you're a student we will only send e-mails to your University e-mail account. More about e-mail notifications
Borrowing books from the reading room collections
Students, school pupils and other non-university members may borrow a maximum of five books at a time from the reading room stock. Loan period for 14 days, no renewal possible! Please return books on time to avoid overdue fines.
Extended loan periods apply for employees of the University of Passau, see loan periods.
Borrowing from the closed stacks
If you request books and other media with available status (shelf-marks starting with 00/, 02/, 03/ or 04/), they will be placed in the shelves in the collection area at the ground floor in the entrance area of the Central Library. The loan period is four weeks. Renewals are possible, unless someone else has reserved the title in the meantime. Requested items are kept in the collection area of the Central Library for you to pick up for precisely one week, before being moved back to their shelf locations.
Fees and charges
Use of the library is free of charge; however, you will be fined if you fail to return books on time, and you will have to reimburse the library for damaged or lost items. Moreover, there may be fees for interlibrary loans.
Printers, copiers and scanners
To use the copiers in the reading rooms you need to have a printer/copier balance on your Mensacard. The Mensacard can store two types of balances: one for services provided by the student services association (Studentenwerk), and another for the campus printer-copiers. The two balances are topped up using different terminals on campus. A terminal for topping up your printer-copier balance near the printer-copiers in the collection area of the Central Library.
The scanners in the reading rooms can be used free of charge. Don't forget to bring a USB key to store the scanned images – there is no e-mail access from the scanners!
The reading rooms and other freely accessible rooms (group work rooms, library lounge, central library learning room) are equipped with Wi-Fi access points. You must have your eduroam certificate installed on your device to connect to the wireless network. You will need your ZIM username and password to log in. The University's Wi-Fi network is not open to non-university members.
Non-university members can use Bayern Wi-fi. It is free of charge. Licenced library content (e-books, e-journals, databases) is not available.
