An incident or emergency in the University Library: What to do?

Report any incidents or emergencies to staff members at the University Library information desk. Do not call emergency services; a staff member will do this for you.

Library staff members are easily identified by their red uniforms. They can also be contacted by phone on the following numbers:

- Inner City Library: +31 43 388 5004
- Randwyck Library: + 31 43 388 5043

Briefly explain the nature of the incident or emergency and where it took place so that staff members can arrange for adequate assistance.

What is an incident or emergency?

  • You find someone sick or injured

  • You see smoke or fire

  • You witness a theft
  • You feel intimidated
  • You notice a strange smell or sound  

What to do if the fire alarm goes off?

Leave the building immediately and follow all instructions issued by employees wearing the brightly coloured vests labelled ‘BHV’ (emergency assistant). They are responsible for evacuating the room or building. You can return to the room or building once the BHV has deemed the situation safe. 

Where are the escape routes and emergency exits?

A map of the escape routes and emergency exits can be found near the stairwells on all floors in the library. These maps also explain where the fire extinguishers are located.
The maps are an important part of the building evacuation plan: they tell you how to leave the building as quickly and as safely as possible. The evacuation maps can be identified by their red frames.

Find your way in the  library: 

Floorplans of the Inner City Library (the Randwyck Library and the Bonnefanten Learning Spaces will be added)

 

Evacuation exercise: I’m in!

The University Library schedules regular evacuation exercises. Give yourself and the library staff the chance to practice evacuating the building by participating in one of these exercises.  

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Scientific information at your fingertips

The library gives students direct access to a wealth of information in the form of scientific journals, books, DVDs, films and databases, most of which are available in the Online Library. Many of the more general resources, such as international newspapers, dictionaries and the permanent collection, are also available online.

Students work in UM’s digital learning environment Canvas, which contains detailed information on course objectives, course structures, tutors and professors, tasks and assignments, full-text articles, digital lectures, multimedia and more. The library is responsible for maintaining this information and supplementing it with new applications that facilitate collaboration. These include tools that make it easier for students to participate in discussion forums and in tutorials when they are off campus. It is important that students are proficient in the use of scientific information. The library, therefore, organises training sessions and publishes manuals and instructional materials on the website. Students can also pose questions to experts and fellow students either in person at the front desk or electronically through the ‘Ask your librarian’ tool.

 

Study facilities and PBL

The library learning spaces have been specially designed to facilitate the learning process. Specific areas are reserved for group work (e.g. tasks and assignments) and individual study and all library locations boast the necessary facilities to support the learning process. These include scientific collections, WiFi, the Student Desktop, the digital learning environment, copiers, printers and catering. These learning centres are perfectly suited for working on assignments or studying for exams.

The library also organises training sessions to familiarise students with important study programs and applications – such as SPSS or EndNote – in special computer instruction areas. As a central meeting place, the library also serves an important social function.

The library and continued innovation

The library facilitates educational innovation at the interface between PBL and e-learning. Teachers can turn to the e-learning support team to draw on available expertise in these fields.

Scientific knowledge is increasingly being shared on a global scale. By collaborating, we are contributing to a generic infrastructure that makes scientific resources accessible to all.

Regional

The library collaborates with other Maastricht organisations such as the Maastricht City Library*, the Jan van Eyck Academy, Dominacanen Bookstore and the Regional Historic Center Limburg in showing and using each others collections, and in joint projects promoting the collections.
(*website is only available in Dutch at this moment.)

The library also acts as the library of the Open University (OUNL)  and the Maastricht UMC+ (MUMC+) / azM, and provides library services to the University of Midwifery Education & Studies (AVMU) of Zuyd University of Applied Science.

National

The library collaborates with:

  • other Dutch university libraries and the Royal Library in a UKB consortium. This collaboration is reflected in the collective procurement of scientific books and journals. The UKB also enables users to borrow material from international collections. 
  • academic medical libraries in CAMBIN.

International

  • Maastricht University works with Hasselt University on joint programmes and research projects within the transnational University Limburg (tUL) (website is only available in Dutch). To support students and academic staff, the library has also partnered with the Hasselt University Library  enabling staff and students to make use of both university collections in the joint programmes.  
  • The Maurits Sabbe Library at the Catholic University of Leuven, where part of Maastricht University’s Jesuit Collection is exhibited.
  • The library is a member of LIBER (Ligue des Bibliothèques Européennes de Recherche). LIBER represents the interests of scientific libraries across Europe.
  • The library also collaborates bilaterally with other libraries to offer internships and scholarships. 
Partner institutes

Library services for the transnationale universiteit Limburg (tuL)

As a tUL student or employee you have two university libraries at your service in Maastricht and Hasselt. 

The use of various electronic sources (catalogues, bibliographical databases, e-journals) is limited to the Diepenbeek and Maastricht campuses because of licensing conditions. You can borrow or consult resources from both libraries using a library card. It is also possible to request literature that is not presently on site via the interlibrary loan system.

The catalogues of both libraries can be accessed on the library homepages:

  www.uhasselt.be/UHasselt-Library
  www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/library

They provide information about the borrowing conditions, interlibrary loans and opening times. 

The University Library has 4 departments:

  • Education, Content & Support
    Responsible for advising, managing and developing the digital learning environment, blended PBL support, information literacy skills and academic support, collections and learning resources
  • Library, Locations & Services
    Responsible for - managing the library locations and learning spaces and obtaining (licenses for) scientific sources, such as e-journals, books and databases, and making these resources available
  • Research Support & Development 

    Responsible for policy advice, (individual) support and knowledge exchange with regards to Scholarly Communications (open science/access, publishing, outreach), Research Intelligence (impact, assessment, metrics) and Research Data Management, as well as managing and developing research and library information services and systems

  • Staff
    This unit provides secretarial support, as well as services regarding HR, finances, information management and communication

The director of the University Library is Dr. Claudia van Oppen.

The University Library houses collections related to the different faculty disciplines at Maastricht University, a central background collection, learning and resource centre collections and Special Collections. A large part of the faculty and general collections are digitally available in the Online Library.

Visit our Resources page in the Online Library for more information.

Special Collections
The Jesuit Collection is UM Library's most important special collection, comprising some 250,000 volumes. It is a broad humanities collection, offering a range of starting points for the research and teaching activities of the  different faculties of Maastricht University. The Jesuit Collection contains mainly books in the fields of philosophy, history, anatomy, literature, theology, law and social sciences (sociology, psychology, anthropology, economics). Some of the library’s special collections have direct links to the province of Limburg and its history, such as the personal library of Maastricht poet Pierre Kemp and the documentation collection of painter Charles Eyck. The special collections are classified in seven core collections which are relevant for teaching and research at the UM, as well for individuals and parties from the outside community.

Visit the Special Collections pages for more information.

The collections

The University Library supports students and researchers in achieving their academic goals. We offer a modern study and research environment that is available online, 24/7, either on campus or worldwide accessible with your UM account and password.

Our library collections: a wealth of academic information

We offer a large collection of books, databases, films, dictionaries and journals in digital and printed form. All of our collections are developed in close consultation with faculty researchers and teachers, which allows us to keep them fully updated and guarantee a wealth of academic information. Besides the modern collections we have special heritage collections. Both are an excellent addition to your study or research.

More information on our Resources page in the Online Library.

overview photo of library and art work

Our facilities: a comfortable study experience

Our modern study facilities guarantee a comfortable study experience. Stop by the University Library to find your favourite study spot. Choose a different spot each time, depending on the day’s schedule. 

You can study at eight locations: the Inner City Library, the Randwyck Library (incl. LINK and the Randwyck Computer Facilities), the Tapijn Learning Spaces (at Tapijnkazerne 11 and Loods V), the USC Learning Spaces at the University Sports Centre and the Paul-Henri Spaak Learning Spaces at the Faculty of Science & Engineering. The Learning Spaces are BYOD only. The Inner City and Randwyck locations have plenty of desktops, but you can also use a personal laptop or tablet to study on your own or in a group. Printing, copying and catering facilities are available at or in the vicinity of all locations.

The University Library has extensive opening hours: we are open 7 days a week. As exams approach XXL hours apply. 

More information on the library locations and opening hours.

students studying in the inner city library

The digital learning environment: a gateway to education

Maastricht University offers a digital learning environment, with information and tools for students and staff. The library in close cooperation with the faculty support staff hosts this web-based learning environment by providing regular system support and updates.

Students enter course-related content and tools in the digital learning environment via the Student Portal. Teaching and support staff work in the back-end or learning management system (currently Canvas).

The digital learning environment allows students to perform learning activities from remote locations; it gives access to all course materials, including readers, academic publications, presentations, videos, assignments, and exams. It is also the place to communicate and work with students in the tutorial group, e.g. via group pages, emails, wiki posts and peer feedback tools.

UM teaching staff can turn to the library for support on using the current digital learning environment and  additional e-learning tools. 

More information on Teaching staff supporthttps://library.maastrichtuniversity.nl/teach/.

Tailored support for your study programme or research project

As your study or research progresses, the need for support you need may change. We offer training programmes that teach you how to search, analyse, structure and present academic information. We also offer smart services at exactly the right time in your research or study programme. Call on Peer Point when you need help finding information. Have a question or need advice? Ask the information desk or pose your question online using the Ask your librarian tool. 

More information on training programmes and - for advice - the:

  Thesis SupportAll 
  Peer Point 

Facilities for researchers

The University Library helps researchers at various stages in their research. We provide support in writing the data paragraph and the set up of a data management plan as required by funding agencies. We offer training programmes and workshops that help you how to efficiently and effectively collect and store numeric and textual data.

If you are conducting joint research, we offer excellent conferencing facilities for joint collaboration, communication and publication. We are also happy to provide secure storage and archiving solutions for your research data before, during and after your research.

We give advise on (open access) publishing opportunities and impact of your research results.

Once you have published your findings, the library will help you register your publication information and make sure full-text copies are freely accessible on the UM Publications Portal and the UM Profile Pages.

Interested in our other facilities? Visit our special Research Support Portal for more information 

More than just a collection of books

Watch our video and get to know us

Strategic agenda

Strategic plan 2022-2026

Annual Reports

UM Library annual reports