Sistema Bibliotecario d'Ateneo
Library Services
The services of the University Library System are available to
- internal users: students, lecturers, researchers, technical and administrative staff of the University, scholarship holders, PhD students, postgraduate students, research fellows and contract staff of the University;
- accredited users: members of organisations that have entered into specific agreements with the University of Cagliari;and all those who have an official study or employment relationship with other Italian universities;
- external users: i.e. those who have no connection with the University. For the latter, certain services may be subject to restrictions
Consult the Library Regulations
Further details regarding the services offered can be found on the individual library pages or requested, depending on your faculty, using the following contact details:
Biomedical and Scientific District (Biology and Pharmacy, Medicine and Surgery, Sciences): biblio.bs@unica.it
Social, Economic and Legal Sciences District (Economics, Law and Political Science): biblio_sseg@unica.it
Humanities District (Humanities): dante.su@unica.it
Technology District (Engineering, Architecture, Mathematics): biblioing@unica.it
Discover our services:
Registration with the University Library System
Users who are not yet registered with the University of Cagliari libraries can self-register using their SPID, CNS or CIE digital identity credentials by accessing the BiblioSar online catalogue portal (https://opac.regione.sardegna.it/SebinaOpac) or the app of the same name, and selecting, after their first login, a home library from among those of the University.
Only foreign nationals or minors may self-register and access services using Sebina credentials, if they do not have a digital identity, by using the form on the page: https://opac.regione.sardegna.it/SebinaOpac/page/register
Reading and consultation on-site
In the libraries of the University Library System, you can consult and read books, journals or other types of documents, whether they belong to the libraries or are your own. Each library provides suitable reading areas and seating.
To consult a library document, you must first find out where it is located:
- by searching the catalogue;
- by asking the staff;
- by searching directly on the shelves in libraries that use an ‘open-shelf’ system, where materials are arranged in an order that allows readers to find their way around independently.
Accessing catalogues and databases
In all libraries, you can access online catalogues and search the bibliographic databases provided by the University.
Bibliographic research guidance
In the libraries of the Library Network, users can ask staff for information about the services provided and the information and bibliographic resources best suited to their needs.
You can also request information online: Ask @ your Library
Specialist reference service by appointment
The libraries offer personalised assistance to help you make the most of our resources (books, journals, databases, e-journals) and advanced bibliographic search tools.
The individual reference service aims to assist you in understanding, selecting and applying strategies for locating information – whether in print or digital format – available in our libraries or online, whether free of charge or via subscription, to help you carry out research, write a dissertation or produce a report on a specific topic.
Details on how to request the service can be found on the individual library pages.
Local lending
Libraries within the University Library System provide an external book lending service, in accordance with the Regulations, including through the use of automated procedures
Who can use the service
All users, provided they are registered or have access rights at a library within the University Library System.
Where and how to register for the service:
At your designated SBA library. Registration is done by completing a form, available online and at the libraries.
Loan terms and duration:
Loans are free of charge.
The service offers different loan periods depending on the type of user and the characteristics of the requested material.
- For educational materials, the standard loan period is 14 days for up to four items,
- and 28 days for other documents, with the exception of materials used by staff and internal researchers for the purposes of ongoing research.
Find out how to renew a loan
Find out how to reserve a book (if it is currently on loan)
Find out how to check your loan and renewal status
Interlibrary Loan - ILL
The interlibrary loan service allows you to request books from other institutions that are not held by the libraries in our Library System or those in the Cagliari metropolitan area.
This service is available only to internal, registered users.
Costs:
The library may cover shipping costs only if it has funds specifically set aside for that purpose. The end user of the service may be required to pay any other fees charged by the lending libraries.
Duration:
The material may be retained by the borrower for the period determined by the lending library on a case-by-case basis and, in any event, shall not normally exceed 21 days from the date of delivery of the items to the user.
Interlibrary loans to other libraries:
Interlibrary loans are provided to requesting libraries for a period of 28 days from the date of shipment, which may be renewed once for an additional 14 days.
Reference works, materials in poor condition, and all publications prior to 1930 are generally excluded from interlibrary loans.
Educational books may be excluded from interlibrary loan if only a small number of copies are available and there is high internal demand—which varies depending on the time of year—and research books may be excluded if the owners of the research collections cannot part with them, even temporarily.
The service is normally provided on a reciprocal, free-of-charge basis.
Document delivery
For Our Users
The document delivery service allows you to obtain photocopies and/or electronic copies of journal articles or portions of documents not held by our library from other libraries.
This service is reserved for internal and registered users
For libraries:
Libraries at our University can, in turn, provide Italian and foreign libraries with copies of articles or portions of books requested by their users. The service is free of charge on a reciprocal basis.
Booking study spaces and services
For organisational reasons or to meet specific requirements, some of the University’s library services may only be available by prior booking.
Reservations and appointments can be made via the Bibliosar catalogue portal or via the linked mobile app.
For detailed instructions, please consult the online booking guide
Device loans (laptops, tablets)
Laptops and tablets are available for daily loan at the libraries.
Please contact the reception desk for information and enquiries.
Internet and Wi-Fi
Internet. In all libraries within the University Library System, you can use the internal network computers to browse the internet and search electronic resources and catalogues.
Wi-Fi. Within the libraries, users with University credentials can connect to the internet using their own devices via the Wi-Fi network.
Who can access the service and how: the service is available to internal users who have obtained authentication credentials.
For external users without credentials, access is limited to consulting the online catalogue.
Temporary guests can request access credentials via the “Sponsor for guest” service.
Information literacy
As well as offering reference, guidance and bibliographic research support services, the Libraries organise the following throughout the academic year:
- presentations and guided tours for freshers
- courses and seminars on the use of library services and resources
- information literacy courses, worth 1 ECTS credit.
Go to the page with the calendar of our courses
The University of Cagliari Library System provides the e-learning module ‘Biblio4Unica: library training’, which helps students learn more about UniCa’s libraries, services and bibliographic resources.
To access the module, visit https://elearning.unica.it/course/view.php?id=2245 and enter your Esse3 credentials (for students) or UGov credentials (for staff). Once logged in, click on the Dashboard section, where you will find the course “Biblio4Unica, library training”.
Within “Biblio4Unica, library training”, the following tutorials are available for asynchronous learning:
- Biblio4Unica tutorial presentation
- Libraries and services
- Catalogues: Bibliosar, SBN, ACNP
- UnicaSearch: UniCA’s bibliographic search engine
- Bibliography and copyright
Each tutorial includes a self-assessment test to be completed at the end of the tutorial, a forum for discussion and questions, and a glossary providing further details on the most relevant terms. The tutorials will be available via the YouTube channel Biblio4UniCA: library training.
Access to daily and weekly newspapers
Daily and weekly newspapers are available for consultation in the Political Science, Engineering and Dante Alighieri libraries.
The following publications are available:
- Political Science: Il Corriere della Sera, l’Espresso, Il Fatto Quotidiano, Internazionale, La Nuova Sardegna, Panorama, La Repubblica and L’Unione Sarda;
- Engineering: Il Corriere della Sera and L’Unione Sarda;
- Dante Alighieri: Il Corriere della Sera, Il Fatto Quotidiano, La Repubblica and Il Sole 24 Ore.
Accessibility tools
The University’s libraries and their services are designed to ensure maximum inclusivity and to remove all barriers to accessing facilities and resources.
Accessibility tools:
- SensusAccess: online service for converting documents into accessible formats
Mailing lists
Each library in our network manages its own mailing list to provide up-to-date information on changes to opening hours, courses and seminars, events and other activities, including via newsletters.
The service can be accessed exclusively by interested users simply signing up themselves; they may unsubscribe at any time or request that their email address be removed from the list by contacting their local library.
Detailed information can be found on the dedicated page of the website: Mailing list