KI 3385 Find books on the shelves and borrow them

2026-06-16 (updated 2026-06-20)

Here you will find information on how to locate books on the shelves, understand shelf locations, and know when you need to collect items yourself and when the library retrieves them for you.

Navigate the library collections

Oria can help you find out whether a book is on the shelf, where it is located, and whether you need to collect it yourself or request it.

Each book has a fixed place in the library, like an address. When you open a record for a physical book in Oria, you will find detailed information about the library department, section, and shelf where the book is located (e.g. UBBSMP 940.53 Wei). This makes it easier to find physical material in the collection and check availability before visiting the library.

How to find the shelf location in Oria

Search for a book title, author, or ISBN in the search field, and use the Books filter (below the search field, or under Resource Type in the column on the right) and the "Available on the shelf" facet filter to hide unavailable documents and only show books and other material that are actually on the shelves.

Open the desired record and navigate to the Get It section – it shows where the book is located (at which library) and whether it is available.

Pick up the book

If the book is in an open collection and is available, you can usually collect it yourself. If the material is in a closed collection or storage, it often needs to be requested via Oria before you can collect it. It is therefore advisable to check both location and availability status before going to the shelf.

Tip: All documents with location codes Z, Mag, UBBHFINST, Box, Roman numerals are in closed storage and must be requested in Oria.

How do I borrow the book?

Once you have found the book on the shelf, you can borrow it either at the self-service machine or at the library counter.

Borrow at a self-service machine:

Go to the self-service machine.
Scan your student card, student ID app, staff card, or library card.
Follow the instructions on the screen and register the book.
Once the loan is registered, you can take the book with you.

Borrow at the circulation desk:
You can also go to the circulation desk with the book and your library card. A library staff member will assist you with the loan.

See how it looks in practice:

Return to the Oria Knowledge Base homepage by following this link: KI 3300