Following the website relaunch at the end of March, the University Library will switch to a new catalog just one month later, at the end of April.

We’ll be using open-source software called VuFind. The catalog will feature a more user-friendly interface, making it even easier to search for and find literature (see work-in-progress screenshot). The website is optimized for use on smartphones and tablets.

For FAU members, login will be via IdM credentials in the future, so no separate password will be required for the catalog. Passwords for external library users will become longer and thus more secure.

The transition will be accompanied by training sessions, which are scheduled to begin in May.

More information will follow at the end of April after the successful relaunch.

Today is the day: The University Library’s new website is now live. Following the launch of fau.de and the rollout by faculty, the rollout by institutions is now underway—starting with the University Library.

The new “FAU Elemental” design theme showcases FAU’s brand identity and combines a clear information architecture with intuitive navigation and a consistent visual style. Dedicated entry points for specific target groups quickly guide students, researchers, faculty, citizens, and schools to the relevant services.

Technically, the site is designed with the future in mind: it is accessible, optimized for mobile devices, features an improved search function, and runs on WordPress, a flexible, scalable platform. In this way, we are accompanying FAU to its new digital home and strengthening the university’s brand identity through a consistent corporate design. The streamlined navigation structure makes the site easier and even more intuitive to use.

We welcome your feedback: Please help us improve the site further by using the contact form on the website.

The University Library Erlangen-Nürnberg is the first library to receive the Open Library Badge 2025. This is an award for libraries that embrace the concept of openness. It is aimed equally at public and academic libraries and rewards their commitment to greater openness in society and academia. The quality seal has been awarded in 2016 and 2020, and now in the latest 2025 edition. The initiative is organized by a working group of the same name within the German Library Association.

The University Library scored well in all seven thematic areas and was particularly impressive in the areas of Open Access, Open Data, and Open Source, where it met all criteria in each case. Other thematic areas include “Participation and Citizen Science,” “Inclusion and Social Responsibility,” “Open Educational Resources,” and “Open Government and Open Research Information.” Evidence for the individual criteria can be viewed transparently on the website. A brief press release regarding the inaugural awarding of the 2025 quality seal is also available there.

The project „Die Open Source Academic Publishing Suite (OS APS) als Publikationssoftware etablieren und relevante Akteure vernetzen“ (OS-APS NET), with a planned duration of two years, has been approved by the DFG.

Given the challenges associated with XML workflows at university publishing services and university presses—which often manifest as a lack of expertise and limited staff resources—the Open Source Academic Publishing Suite (OS-APS) offers an infrastructure solution that has already proven itself in production use by various stakeholders. However, the OS-APS community network remains loose, and the documentation of workflows and the use of OS-APS still has room for improvement. The proposed project therefore aims to consolidate, expand, and sustainably document the existing knowledge of users. The software’s existing potential is to be identified and leveraged so that, in the medium term, OS-APS can establish itself as a publishing tool for institutional providers and be used independently by interested institutions without a high need for consultation.

To the software: https://os-aps.de/

The University Library will discontinue the acquisition of e-books via the ProQuest Ebook Central e-book platform as of April 1, 2026. In this context, the range of e-books available on this platform will be limited. If you have set up a user account on the https://ebookcentral.proquest.com website, titles you have used in the past may also be affected. We therefore recommend that you export the information stored in your notebooks, bookmarks, and bookshelves by the end of March.

However, titles that have been permanently purchased via this platform can still be accessed via the university library catalog after April 1 and used with all service functions.

Over the next few months, improvements will be made to key digital applications of the University Library: the website will be relaunched, for the catalog we will introduce new open-source software with a clear interface, and we will switch to a new open-source library system!

New website: In the spring, we will follow FAU into its new digital home and switch to a uniform web design. With the corporate design, we are contributing to FAU’s brand identity. A reduced navigation structure will make the website easier and more intuitive to use.

New catalog: For the summer semester, we will introduce a new open-source software called “VuFind”. The catalog will feature a clearer interface, making it even easier to search for literature.

New library system: On August 4, 2026, the switch to the new FOLIO library system will finally take place – the acronym stands for “The Future of Libraries is Open.” It is also an open-source system with a modular structure that focuses on openness and transparency.

More information on the individual projects will follow in separate announcements. We will also provide information on social media (LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook).

On December 9, the departmental library for Japanese Studies (07JA) will introduce an electronic lending system. Then, it will be possible to borrow, renew, and reserve media from the Japanese library using an FAUcard or an University Library card for external users. Please note that you can only reserve borrowed books via the catalog if you select the Japanese Studies departmental library under “Libraries without interlibrary delivery service” when choosing the access option.

Most materials can be borrowed. Exceptions include the reference and special collections under the shelf numbers 07JA20, 07JA30, and 07JA70, as well as the periodicals collection. The loan period is four weeks, with six renewal options. If the loan period is exceeded, an automatic chargeable request for return will be issued. With the introduction of the electronic loan system, all previously applicable special loan conditions are no longer valid.

Due to the intensive use of the Open Access publishing funds managed by the University Library, the funding limit of €3,000 gross will also be applicable to articles with a DFG background as of January 1, 2026. All invoices for article processing charges (publication fees in fully Open Access journals) exceeding €2,520 net or €3,000 gross will not be subsidized by the University Library.

Furthermore, the subsidy will be reduced from €1,500 to €1,400. Invoices submitted via the submission form of the university library from January 1, 2026, will be subsidized with €1,400. The reduction also applies to articles accepted in fully Open Access journals covered by the DEAL agreements with Elsevier, SpringerNature, and Wiley from the first quarter of 2026 onwards.

For invoices submitted by December 31, 2025, the existing funding conditions apply, even if these invoices may not be paid until financial transactions resume in 2026.

Guarding scientific integrity

The pressure to publish is increasingly leading to a rise in fake publications and fraudulent companies. These are so-called „paper mills“ that produce fake papers (often with the help of AI) as well as questionable companies that knowingly distribute this content. Even established publishers are not immune to fake content.

In addition, there has been a recent trend toward “journal hijacking,” whereby an established and indexed journal, or even an entire portfolio of a publisher, is bought up by dubious companies that do not maintain the quality of the journal or the portfolio respectively. These circumstances are initially concealed by the prior reputation of the journals and only become apparent through more intensive research. At the same time, journal hijacking often leads to the introduction or increase of publication fees.

In order to protect the integrity of research and publishing outlets, the staff of the Open Access Department at Erlangen University Library are monitoring these developments on an ongoing basis and provide advice regarding journal selection. To ensure that research results continue to be published through reputable outlets, hightened caution is advised when selecting journals, especially if they have not been used for some time, have been renamed or are unknown.

If any doubts arise about the integrity of a journal, please consult with your professional community or contact the Open Access Department at the University Library. The staff in the Open Access Department not only check journals for fundability, but also monitor qualitative changes and changes in ownership. To make it easier for you to submit inquiries, you can now also get in touch with us via a contact form on our website: https://ub.fau.de/en/research/open-access/funding-options/

As per usual, you can also contact the Open Access department via ub-open-access@fau.de.

A study on journal hijacking can be found here: https://zenodo.org/records/14766415

A ZB MED blog post calls for vigilance among authors and provides a list of helpful websites: https://blog.zbmed.de/journal-hijacking

The University Library Erlangen-Nümberg is introducing a learning place and room reservation system. The majority of study spaces in FAU libraries will remain reservation-free. In addition to the existing reservation areas in the WSZB, TNZB, and reading room 3 of the Main Library, it will now be possible to book group study areas in reading rooms 5 and 7 of the Main Library. This will make it easier to plan teamwork.

The old system will be shut down on November 10, 2025, before the library opens. Unfortunately, no reservations will be possible on that day.

The new reservation system offers significantly more flexibility and convenience than before. You can freely select times, set up reminder emails, and have reservation times automatically entered into your calendar system. Reserved spaces must always be confirmed on site at the respective study place by checking in via a QR code. Otherwise, the booking will be canceled and the space or room can be reserved again.

Individual study places can be reserved for a maximum of 6 hours, with up to three bookings per day. Group workstations can be reserved for a maximum of 3 hours, with one booking per day. Spaces can be reserved at least one week in advance.

The University Library Erlangen-Nürnberg has a significant collection of botanical, zoological, and anatomical works. A large part of this collection comes from the collection of the Nuremberg physician and botanist Christoph Jakob Trew (1695–1769).

Thanks to the support of the Universitätsbund Erlangen-Nürnberg, the University Library was able to add an important work by Georg Wolfgang Knorr to its collection.

The two-volume work Delices de la Nature, printed in Nuremberg in 1779, is not yet available in any Bavarian library and features 91 hand-colored copperplate engravings of birds, shells, amphibians, fish, corals, quadrupeds (four-legged animals), etc.