FAQ

• Registration at the ZBW
• Ordering copies of articles or books
• Ordering books to be sent by mail to my private address
• Waiting time for ordered books
• Order button is missing
• Interlibrary loan
• Copying facilities
• Professional advice for difficult topics
• Multiple copies
• User card expired
• User cards from other libraries
• User account
• Online orders
• Renewal of the loan period
• Renewal in the database ECONIS is not possible

Please ask EconDesk if you have further questions.

Registration at the ZBW

Q: How can I register as a user at the ZBW?

A: If you want to register as a user please get in touch with the information desk of the ZBW. A user card will be issued after you show us a valid identity card. (A written confirmation of residency from the local registry office may be required.) The user card is issued free of charge.

Ordering copies of articles or books

Q: How can I order photocopies of articles or books if I cannot pick them up personally?

A: The document supply services/interlibrary loan services of the ZBW supply photocopies of articles by mail, by fax or electronically. Books can be borrowed through interlibrary loan or document supply services.

Ordering books to be sent by mail to my private address

Q: Can I have books sent to my home address?

A: The ZBW delivers books to your home address through the document delivery service subito. This service charges fees.

Waiting time for ordered books

Q: How long do I have to wait until a book I ordered from ECONIS can be collected at the loan desk?

A: Items are usually available at the loan desk after 30 to 45 minutes if they are held at the same branch of the ZBW where you are. If you order items from the other branch they will be available on the next day at the branch where you want to collect them.

Order button is missing

Q: I have found an interesting title in the database ECONIS, but can’t find the “request“ button. What should I do?

A: Usually these are articles from books or journals.

If it is an article in a book click the title of the source („In“) in the description of the article and order the book.

If it is an article in a journal published after 1999 click the title of the source named in the description of the article („In:“) and order the volume or look up the issue in the journals reading room.

If it is an article in a journal published before 1999, please do the following: Note the year, the number of the volume and the issue of the journal in which you found the article and click the title of the source. You will find a description of the journal and next to the shelfmark a button named “volume list“ where you can find and request the volume you need. Sometimes you have to scroll down to see the shelfmark for the corresponding volume.

If this doesn’t work, simply fill out the orderform on our homepage or the white paper form available on site in the ZBW. If you are on the library premises you can leave the paper order form at the loan desk or at the information desk.

Interlibrary loan

Q: If you don’t have the book I want, can I make a request for an interlibrary loan?

A: We regret that we do not accept such requests. Please get in touch with the nearest university library if you want to borrow through interlibrary loan.

Copying facilities

Q: Can I copy material in the library?

A: Copiers are available in the library. In Kiel copiers are operated with coins. In Hamburg they are operated with cash cards which can be obtained and recharged at the telling machine.

Professional advice for difficult topics

Q: My topic is proving rather difficult and I can’t find pertinent literature. How do I go about this?

A: If you use the ZBW on site in Kiel or Hamburg you can ask for help from our professional staff at the information desk. Our academic librarians will be glad to answer questions regarding the subject matter of your search. They can also instruct you in the best use of ECONIS and other databases that we provide for you in the library.

If you are using the ZBW “from afar“ you can request assistance with your literature search from our online reference service EconDesk.

Multiple copies

Q: How can I find out if you hold several copies of an item?

A: Look up the item in our database ECONIS and look closely at the lower section of the bibliographic description. If we have several copies they will be listed there and can be requested or reserved.

User card expired

Q: My user card is no longer valid. Can I phone in to have it renewed?

A: Yes, but please have the card ready so we can check all relevant details. Please bring your ID (and the confirmation of residency from the registry office) the first time you visit us after a renewal by phone and present it at the information desk.

User cards from other libraries

Q: I have a user card from another library in Kiel or Hamburg. Can I use it to order literature from the ZBW?

A: Sorry, you can’t. You need a user card from the ZBW. You can apply for it at the information desk in Kiel or Hamburg. Please bring a valid identity card (a written confirmation of residency from the local registry office may be required) if you want to register with us.

User account

Q: I can’t find my user account to change my password. Where is it?

A: Your user account can be found at www.econis.eu. It is called Borrower info and the button is in the grey bar below the browser bar. Before you can access it you must give your password (by default your birthday as DDMMYY) and your user number (on the back of your user card below the barcode). The relevant information for your account can be found under the various tabs.

Online orders

Q: I live in Munich. Why can’t I order online?

A: If you want to make online orders from the database ECONIS you need a user card from the ZBW. You can only get it from the information desk of the ZBW in Kiel or Hamburg. Items ordered online directly from ECONIS must be collected at the loan desk of the ZBW in Kiel or Hamburg.

All books at the ZBW are available for document delivery services / interlibrary loan. The ZBW also supplies copies of articles.

Renewal of the loan period

Q: How can I renew borrowed items?

A: Go to our online catalogue ECONIS and click the button “Borrower info“ in the upper horizontal navigation bar. There you can find a list of the items you borrowed. You can see which items can be renewed and make the renewals yourself.

Each renewal extends the loan period for three weeks starting on the day of the renewal. The loan period of books can be renewed four times if no other user has made a reservation for them. Should you need the books beyond that period you must present them at the loan desk. If they have not been reserved by others they can be issued again immediately.

Renewal in the database ECONIS is not possible

Q: I can’t renew the loan period for a book in the database ECONIS. Why?

A: There are four possible reasons why you can’t renew your loans:

1. The book has been reserved by someone else.
2. You have already renewed the loan period four times. You can have it re-issued to you after presenting it at the loan desk of the ZBW.
3. Your user card is no longer valid. Please have it renewed at the information desk of the ZBW.
4. The loan period for the book has elapsed.

Please ask EconDesk if you have further questions.