Index

How long is my library card valid?

FAU-Students
Your FAUcard stays with you during the whole course of your studies.
Its validity period is printed onto it a.d. after re-registering for the next semester, can be renewed every semester at validation machines.
After exmatriculation, your FAUcard expires.
If you wish to continue using the services of the University Library, please contact our staff at the Information Desks.

Researchers and employees of the FAU
How long your FAUcard is valid, depends on your employment status:

  • If you are a fixed-term employee, your FAUcard will be valid until your contract is terminated.
  • Regular employees usually receive a FAUcard without time limit. The validity period printed on the card, however, is set to a five-year period.
    This period can be renewed at a validation machine anytime if the employment is still ongoing.

After your contract has been terminated, your FAUcard will also expire. If you wish to continue using the services of the University Library, please contact our staff at the Information Desks.

External users
Your library card is valid for a year. You can prolong the validation period once every year for another year.
If you have not made any use of the library’s services for at least two years, your personal data will be automatically deleted.

How can I activate the library function of my FAUcard?

Your FAUcard comes with an UB-ID (University Library User ID).
To use it for borrowing books at the library, you have to accept the „General Regulations on the Use of Bavarian Public Libraries“ (ABOB) online.
For this, you have to do the following:

  1. Log on to the IdM Portal.
  2. In the upper menu bar, click Requests/Tasks
  3. Confirm Library card activation and follow further instructions.
  4. Accept the Terms and Conditions of Use to activate your card.

Please confirm afterwards if the activation was successful:

  1. Click on Self Service in the upper menu bar.
  2. Scroll down to the section Services to see if University Library has active written next to it.
    If this is the case, your FAUcard has been activated successfully.
    If not, please see if you have actually completed the activation process successfully (see above).
    It take a few minutes for the card to activate.

Please bear in mind that your FAUcard can only be used for borrowing starting the day after activation (in certain cases, 2 days after).

How do I get a library card?

The activated FAUcard functions as library card for students, researchers and employees of Friedrich-Alexander University (FAU) and members of the Graduate Centre. Activation can be done through the IdM homepage. A manual on how to activate the library function of the FAUcard can be found on this page.

If you are a member of the research staff of FAU, but have not received a FAUcard yet, the reason may lie in not having in a regular employment at FAU. In such cases, you can still obtain a library card for external users.

Members of the public (age 16 and older) need a library card of the University Library of Erlangen-Nürnberg (UB) for borrowing books. The fee for issuing is 5,00€. A 5€ note is required for payment.

Members of the University of Applied Sciences Nuremberg can use their OHMcard to register as a user of the university library. A PDF ID card with barcode issued by the University of Applied Sciences is not accepted at the UB; you must obtain an additional library card from the UB against payment.

The library card can be issued at the following locations of the University Library.

For issuing, an identity card or a passport is required.
For library users who are under 18 years of age, a parent or guardian must complete and sign the consent form.
By registering as a library user, you accept the General Regulations on the Use of Bavarian Public Libraries (ABOB).

If you are a citizen of a non-EU country, your passport with a residence authorization that is still valid for at least 3 months is required. Alternatively, a residence titel can be provided.

What is my library card number and password

The library card number is an 11-digit number. You will find the library card number on your FAUcard or your library card starting with 028 … or 056 … (for library users who have registered with their OHMcard).
The password is preset to the day, month and year of your birthday, for example 17051982, which is an identification feature to protect your personal data from unauthorized access.
Please change this password in the catalogue via the function Account / Renewal – Personal Data – Change Password to a personal password. The new password needs to consist of at least 8 and at most 12 characters. . You can use letters, numbers and special characters – with the exception of backslash \ and asterisk = star *. Please note that the password is case-sensitive.
We recommend that you change your password regularly.