Services

Library services

Registered users have access to the following services of the ISI library:

• loan services (outside and in-house loans);
• interlibrary loan service;
• reprographic services;
• reference-enquiries services (referral services);
• Wi-Fi and internet access;
• Registration Form for Access to the Study Room in the Institute of Scientific Information (ÚVI) Building of the First Faculty of Medicine

Loan services

The ISI library offers loan services to students of bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programmes of study at any faculty of Charles University (student, doctoral student), to foreign exchange students at the CU (internship student), to members of the academic staff and researchers and other staff at any faculty or unit of the CU (employee), to employees of an institution cooperating with the CU (e.g. General University Hospital in Prague or Czech Academy of Sciences) (CU co-operator). We also provide library services to other categories of users (Charles University Alumni Club, external users) (public) and interlibrary loan services for artificial persons listed in the register of libraries of the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic (ILL).

Library documents can be read in the study room (so-called in-house loans) or can be checked-out in the loan room and borrowed from the library (so-called outside loans).

Any person wishing to use the services of the ISI library has to register first. In order to use our library services, it is necessary to have a CU ID card, which can be obtained at the CU Point. Once you have your CU ID card, you can register by filling in an electronic registration form.

By filling the registration form, the user confirms he/she would observe the Charles University Library and Circulation Rules (see the Documents section) and consents to processing of his/her personal data. Prior to filling-in the e-registration, you will be asked to log in via the Charles University Central Authentication Service (to be able to do this, you need to know your personal number and your valid password). After logging in through the CAS authentication, you will see your current personal data. If your contact information is not up-to-date, it needs to be changed in the WhoIS system (section Možnosti: Moje osobní a kontaktní údaje > Kontakty) prior to giving your consent. A change of your permanent address can only be done when you visit the student/personnel department at your faculty.

If you want to change your contact information after having given your consent, you need to visit any library of the Charles University.

Users with an external user CU ID card

An electronic user registration is available to both CU users (students and staff) and general public users, providing they have collected their external user CU ID card in one of the card service centres.

Loan desk

The loan desk is situated in the basement of the ISI. Before entering the premises of the loan desk, every user has to collect a ticket at the e-kiosk and wait till his/her number is called. If the documents are only to be returned, no user ID card is necessary. However, if you want to borrow a new document, you have to show your CU ID card to the librarian. For returning books you can use bibliobox right behind the entrance to the ISI building. For technical reasons, the loan desk does not offer access to open shelves, so when you come, you should already have a clear idea of what you want to borrow. At the loan desk, users can use 3 computers, where they can eg. search through the library catalogue, as well as a multifunction device for printing, copying, and scanning (see Reprographic services).

Study room and locker room

The study room is located on the upper floor of the Institute of Scientific Information (ÚVI). Registered users have open access to materials from the ÚVI reference collection available for on-site use. Study materials may not be removed from the study room premises. Access to the study room is granted to any registered ÚVI user who presents a valid physical library user card when passing through the entrance turnstiles or upon request by the study room staff. Users without a valid card will not be admitted to the study room. Users may bring light refreshments and beverages in sealed containers, as well as writing materials and their own study resources and publications. All users are required to behave quietly and respectfully towards others and to follow the instructions of library staff. Users must keep their study area clean and tidy; trays, napkins, and similar items are available for this purpose. The possession of weapons or dangerous items within the study room is strictly prohibited. Mobile phones must be set to silent mode, airplane mode, or do-not-disturb mode.

Users wishing to make use of the study room services are required to leave their jackets, coats, umbrellas, and hand luggage in the locker room. The locker room is located on the ground floor of the ÚVI building. To enter the locker room, users must present their physical ISIC card or Charles University employee card to the electronic access reader. The door can then be opened manually. Lockers are also locked and unlocked using a physical ISIC card or Charles University employee card. External users may apply for a personalized Charles University external user card at the Charles University Card Service Centre. If a card does not function properly, users may contact the Chief Librarian at katerina.hajdukova@lf1.cuni.cz. Users of the study room are required to collect all personal belongings from the locker room no later than 15 minutes after the study room closing time. After this period, the locker room will be centrally locked. ÚVI reserves the right to open locked lockers after closing hours and to transfer their contents to the Institute Secretary’s Office. Storage of users’ belongings is subject to a fee in accordance with the current ÚVI Schedule of Fees and Services (see Dean’s Order No. 13/2026). The Secretary’s Office is open for the collection of unclaimed items from lockers between 7:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

In the study room, users may use – besides other things – 12 computers and two multipurpose devices for printing, copying, and scanning (see Reprographic services).

(International) interlibrary loan service (ILS/IILS)

For libraries – the ISI library provides interlibrary loan services (ILS) to all libraries in the Czech Republic: it provides loans of medical literature from the collections of the ISI and its sectional libraries of individual institutes and clinics).

For users – to its users, the ISI library provides interlibrary loan services (ILS) and international interlibrary loan services (IILS): provides copies of articles or loans non-fiction and scholarly literature from other libraries in the Czech Republic (excluding the libraries of the Charles University) and from foreign libraries. Articles ordered as IILS will be provided exclusively in printed form and are charged according to the current price lists of the service providers.

A request of ILS/IILS should always contain a precise citation (author, name, name of the journal /book, year, pages).

Full terms of this service are stated in the: Charles University Library and Circulation Rules.

An ILS/IILS can be requested:

• through our online form;
• via e-mail: jan.skrdleta@lf1.cuni.cz;
• by phone: +420 224 965 608.

Reprographic services

Since September 1^st 2017, the provider of printing and copy services at the 1^st Faculty of Medicine CU is the company JANUS spol. s.r.o. The remaining credit from the previous system (SafeQ) can be cashed out at the ISI loan desk – U Nemocnice 4 (basement). In the ISI building, the following multifunction devices are available:

• TASKalfa – loan desk, study room, large computer lab (“terminálovna”)  – for colour/greyscale printing
• ECOSYS – study room of the ISI – allows you greyscale printing

User instructions and a valid price list is available at the pages of the 1^st Faculty of Medicine CU.

Reference-enquiries services

The department of referral services and of administration of electronic resources offers:

1. answering a research enquiry (1^st FM CU and GUH staff),
2. consultation / an initial methodical support (1^st FM CU students) on a given topic from available e-resources.

Research enquiries are based on currently available e-resources and a regular delivery time is 14 days starting with the day, when your request was accepted.

Users can make a reference enquiry or ask for consultation:

• by email at: david.horvath@lf1.cuni.cz or jitka.stejskalova@lf1.cuni.cz.

When making an enquiry, it is necessary to state:

• contact information: name and surname, department, phone number, e-mail address;
• a thorough formulation of your enquiry, keywords in English (or Czech);
• an example of relevant citation (if you know a specific article on the topic);
• time a language specification;
• let us know, if your enquiry is a one-time reference enquiry or a continuous one (monitoring news in regular intervals).

Wi-Fi and internet access

The whole ISI building je covered by the Eduroam network. Furthermore, the users have access to 12 computers with internet access in the study room and 3 additional ones at the loan desk.
More information can be found at the website of the 1^st Faculty of Medicine CU.