Loan services

How to register for the Library?  

To register for CU libraries, you have to be a holder of a CU Card (https://cuni.cz/UKEN-163.html). A list of card service centres is available here. You must then agree to and send an electronic application form, which is available from the website of the CU Central Library. To access the electronic application form, you must log in with your CU credentials (the password is the same as for SIS, CAS, and other university services). If you have forgotten your password, you have to visit a card service centre in person, where you will be given a temporary password that you must change within 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 a card service centre may be subject to a fee according to the current conditions


Online user account

Whenever you borrow a book, you are given the end date of the loan from the staff at the loan desk, and you are also sent an e-mail with more details about the loan. In your user account in the UKAŽ discovery service, you can check the status of your loans, renew loans, and request or reserve a specific document.  

CU discovery service UKAŽ – click in the top right corner to switch to English. Click on the “Sign in” button in the upper right corner to log in. Your username and password are the same as for SIS and other University services. 


Categories of documents  

In-house loan  

This allows the borrowing of documents overnight or over a weekend/public holiday. Items borrowed must be returned at a specified time (usually noon) the following working day; it is only available to some categories of users. (Listed as an In-house loan or Strictly in-house loan in the UKAŽ discovery service)  

Short-term loan  

Week-long loan – for all categories except the general public. (Listed as a Short-term loan or Specific loan in the UKAŽ discovery service)  

Regular loan  

Month-long loan for all user categories. (Listed as a Regular loan in the UKAŽ discovery service)  

Grant loan  

For grant researchers only, whether they are a student, PhD student, or member of staff – the loan lasts for the estimated period of the grant project. After the end of the grant project the document’s category changes to one of the above.  

ePrezenčka (electronic in-house loan)  

The most in-demand and difficult to obtain titles at CU are available in digital form on the computers in the Jan Palach Library, the Sporck Palace Library, and on marked computers in 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  

Books can be returned to the loan desk of the library you borrowed them from in all cases.  

You can also use library book drop boxes for self-service return of borrowed documents (outside the library’s opening hours). These are located 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. Please use the drop boxes only for books loaned from that particular building’s libraries.