Loan services

How to register for the Library?  

To register for CU libraries, it is necessary for you to own one of the CU Cards (https://cuni.cz/UKEN-163.html). You may find the list of card service centres here. To register for the Charles University libraries, you must agree with and send an electronic application form that you can find on the Central Library of CU webpage. To access the electronic application form, you must log in with your university details (the password is the same as for SIS, CAS, and other university services). If you have forgotten your password, you have to personally visit one of the card service centres, where you will obtain a temporary password that you must change in 5 days or else it expires. After successfully sending your electronic application form, you will automatically become a registered user of all CU libraries. 

Registration for CU libraries is free of charge. The issuance of a CU Card at the card service centre may include a fee according to the current conditions


Online user account

Whenever you borrow a book, you will learn the end date of the loan from the service at the loan desk, and you will get an e-mail with more details about the loan. You may check the status of your loans online in your user account in the discovery service UKAŽ. You may renew the loans through the user account and request or reserve a specific document.  

Discovery service UKAŽ – you can switch to English in the upper-left corner. Sign in via the “Sign in” button in the upper right corner with your username and password, that are the same as for SIS and other university services. 


Categories of documents  

In-house loan  

You can borrow this document after a determined period overnight/weekend//state holiday. It needs to be returned at a specified hour (usually noon) the following working day; it is only available to some categories of users. (You can find it in the catalogue as an In-house loan or Strictly in-house loan)  

Short-term loan  

Week-long – for all categories except the general public. (In the catalogue as a Short-term loan or Specific loan)  

Regular loan  

Month-long loan for all user categories. (In the catalogue as a Regular loan)  

Grant Loan  

Only for grant researchers, be it a student, PhD student, or employee – the loan lasts for the estimated period of the grant’s research. After the grant’s termination, the document’s category changes to one of the above.  

ePrezenčka (electronic in-house loan)  

The most demanded and poorly accessible titles at CU are available in digital form on the computers in Jan Palach Library, in Sporck Palace Library, and on marked computers in the departmental libraries. 


Fees for overdue return 

  • Regular loan: 3 CZK/day 
  • In-house loan: 50 CZK/day 
  • Electronic devices: 100 CZK/day 

Do you need to return a book in time and are unable to?  

  • Renew your loan online in your user account. (Discovery service UKAŽ> Sign in)  
  • Request a loan renewal via email: knihovna@ff.cuni.cz.  
  • Return the books to one of the library book drop boxes (see below).  

Book return and library book drop boxes  

You may always return the books to the library loan desk where you borrowed them.  

You can also use library book drop boxes for self-service return of borrowed documents (outside the library’s opening hours). They are placed in several buildings of CU FA:  

  • nám. Jana Palacha 2 ­– basement, floor -1  
  • Celetná 20 – entrance hall 
  • Sporck Palace, Hybernská 3 – ground floor  

Each building has its own book drop box, so please use the drop boxes only for the books of the particular building’s libraries.