Services

Information on accessibility for disabled people in Þjóðarbókhlaða.

Presents the study facilities and services available to students and the main ways of finding information. Covers search techniques, lbs.leitir.is, the Library's website and leiðarvísar.is. The session focuses on the students' own subject, in consultation with the teacher. The main databases in that subject are presented; send a request for an introduction.

Staff and students of Icelandic universities can book a group study room on the Library's website. The rooms are on the 3rd and 4th floors of Þjóðarbókhlaða and seat 3–10 people. Please note that a group must be at least three people to book a room.

Library staff can send in questions about anything to do with cataloguing and Gegnir in general: gegnir (hjá) landsbokasafn.is. The Gegnir mailbox is not only for library staff: anyone, in Iceland or abroad, can send in a question or point out what could be done better.

The Library catalogues collections for smaller libraries with few acquisitions. This covers classification, cataloguing and linking in Gegnir. Spine labels are also added on request. For further information, contact the Library's cataloguing department: gegnir (hjá) landsbokasafn.is.

The Centre of Oral History collects, catalogues and preserves oral sources on the history of Iceland and its people, and makes them available for research and education.

The Centre is part of the Library's Audio-visual Collection. Part of its holdings is available on the Centre's website.

On the 1st floor, in the National Collection Reading Room: access to the internet and word-processing software
On the 2nd floor, opposite the service desk: access to the internet and word-processing software. 
On the 3rd floor: for University of Iceland students and staff. 
On the 4th floor: for University of Iceland students and staff.

There are also search computers for lbs.leitir.is on every floor.

Teachers can have material from the Library's collections set aside, have material obtained from elsewhere and/or place material of their own in the course reserves for the courses they teach. Material in the course reserves is either for use in the Library or lent for one to fourteen days, as the teacher wishes. Lists of the books set aside are in the course reserves guide (in Icelandic). The course reserves are on the 3rd floor of Þjóðarbókhlaða.
Further information: namsbokasafn (hjá) landsbokasafn.is or phone 525 5781.

The course reserves are on the 3rd floor of Þjóðarbókhlaða. Books and other material in the course reserves are either for use in the Library or lent for one to fourteen days. Students are encouraged to find out whether the teachers of their courses use the course reserves to make textbooks, supplementary reading and articles on the reading list easier to get hold of. More about the course reserves, and lists of the books set aside for each course, are in the course reserves guide (in Icelandic).
Further information: namsbokasafn (hjá) landsbokasafn.is or phone 525 5781.

Along with a copy of the final thesis, students must submit to Skemman an electronic declaration of how access to the thesis is to be arranged. Print the form, fill it in, sign it and submit it to Skemman as a PDF, as a separate file with the thesis, in step 2 (in Icelandic). Several files can be uploaded there, but only one at a time.

The Library manages a nationwide consortium subscription to WebDewey, the online Dewey Decimal Classification. It handles all the administration and finances and issues passwords.

Students registered for distance learning at the University of Iceland have the same rights as other University students, and the Library aims to give them comparable service. Distance learners outside the capital area can have books sent by post, and the Library pays the postage one way. Requests for books to be posted can be sent to utlan (hjá) landsbokasafn.is or made by phone to the loans department on 525 5681.

Doctoral students can submit a digital copy of their doctoral thesis to the repository Opin vísindi; see the instructions (in Icelandic). Doctoral theses must have an ISBN. Apply for an ISBN.
Authors are also encouraged to get an ORCID iD (in Icelandic). The ISBN and ORCID should appear on the back of the doctoral thesis's title page with the other bibliographic information.

The interlibrary loans staff photocopy or scan articles and book chapters from the Library's material. You do not need a library card to use this service. Document delivery is a paid service, see the fees. University of Iceland students and staff get a 50% discount on this service.

DOI numbers are permanent digital identifiers for journal articles and other material published electronically on the internet. Attaching a DOI number to an article gives it a permanent, easily found address on the internet even if its ordinary web address changes. Publishers of scholarly journals can apply for DOI numbers for the articles in their journals through the Library by filling in a form. Publishers are advised to apply for DOI numbers shortly before a new issue is published. Note that all the information about each article must be available, as well as a link to each article. Further information: margret.gunnarsdottir (hjá) landsbokasafn.is

The Library accepts donations of books that strengthen its collections and are in line with its acquisitions policy. For further information, contact gjafir (hjá) landsbokasafn.is.

The National and University Library of Iceland runs and manages the publishing platform Ejournals.is, where peer-reviewed Icelandic scholarly journals can publish their content in open access.

An introduction to the reference management software EndNote. Covers the basics of recording and storing references in EndNote. Request an EndNote introduction.

The University of Iceland has an EndNote licence for its students and staff. EndNote is a program that helps you keep track of references, cite sources in your text and build bibliographies in a given style.
It can be linked to Word, so that citations and references are inserted into your documents automatically. EndNote saves time and makes working with sources much easier. It runs on both Windows and Mac; installation instructions (in Icelandic).

The Library offers doctoral students at the University of Iceland one-to-one help with EndNote from the Library's specialists, by appointment. It is meant for those who use EndNote but need help with particular points or problems.

You must book an appointment by e-mailing upplys (hjá) landsbokasafn.is.

The Gegnir cataloguers' handbook (HASK) covers all bibliographic cataloguing in Gegnir, of Icelandic and foreign material alike, whatever the format. The handbook is meant to promote careful and consistent practice. Its users are the cataloguers of the libraries that take part in Gegnir. Comments on the handbook can be sent to hask (hjá) landsbokasafn.is.

An introduction to the Library's history, role, collections and organisation. Request a general introduction.

The focus is on the study facilities and services available to students, and on the main ways of finding information. The Library's website, leiðarvísar.is and lbs.leitir.is are presented. Request an introduction.

The Iceland Consortium for Electronic Subscriptions (Landsaðgangur) is one of the Library's statutory tasks. All the electronic resources in the consortium are available on hvar.is.
The project manager is Birgir Björnsson. Enquiries and comments can be sent to hvar (hjá) landsbokasafn.is or made by phone on 525 5711

Information Services specialists help with searching for information and sources. Contact upplys (hjá) landsbokasafn.is, phone 525 5685, or come to the service desk on the 2nd floor.

The Library offers a range of instruction sessions and introductions that build information literacy and skills in academic work. The service is for University of Iceland students, but the Library also tries to meet requests from other groups for visits and introductions; send a request for an introduction.

For all University of Iceland students at any time during their studies. The instruction is linked to the assignments in a particular course, and students learn to search for sources for them. It can take place in Þjóðarbókhlaða, or teachers can book an information specialist for a class; send a request for instruction.

The Library runs the international book numbering system in Iceland. Numbers are allocated to publishers free of charge.

The Library allocates ISMN numbers for printed music published in Iceland.

ISSN numbers are allocated to newspapers, journals, series and yearbooks. It is best to apply for an ISSN for a new journal before the first issue is published.

The University of Iceland's Law Library is on the 3rd floor of Lögberg, the Faculty of Law's building. The library is open to everyone, but its material is largely lent only to students and teachers of the Faculty of Law. Opening hours may change with the season.

Further information: lagabokasafn (hjá) landsbokasafn.is or phone 525 4372.

The legal deposit staff can tell you which material is subject to legal deposit, printed and electronic alike, and how to deposit it. Further information and enquiries: skylduskil (hjá) landsbokasafn.is.

Guides to the sources in individual subjects, to working with sources, and other practical instructions (in Icelandic).

Library cards are issued at the service desk on the 2nd floor on presentation of photo ID showing your Icelandic ID number (kennitala). A library card is included in the registration fee of University of Iceland students, and University staff get a card free of charge; everyone else pays an annual fee, see the fees. International students at the University of Iceland need to fill in a library card application.

Library cards are issued to an individual, and the card holder is fully responsible for the material borrowed with the card. If library material in your keeping is lost or damaged, you must pay its value. Further information: utlan (hjá) landsbokasafn.is or phone 525 5681.

Anyone aged 18 or over with a registered legal address in Iceland and an Icelandic ID number (kennitala) can borrow books from the National and University Library of Iceland.
Books and other material are lent out at the service desks on the 2nd and 4th floors. There is also a self-service machine on the 2nd floor. The loan period is usually 30 days. Some material is lent for a shorter time, for example items in the course reserves, which are on the 4th floor. Teachers at the University of Iceland can ask that items in the course reserves be for use in the Library only, or lent for 1 to 7 days. Films are lent for 3 days. If the Library does not have an item, you can order it from another library as an interlibrary loan, for a fee. University of Iceland students and staff get a 50% discount on this service. All borrowed material must be returned to the service desk on the 2nd floor. Overview of the loans service (in Icelandic).

Þjóðarbókhlaða, the library building, is at Arngrímsgata 3, 107 Reykjavík, on the University campus west of Suðurgata.

Phone: 525 5600.

The Library maintains the subject heading and personal name authority file of Gegnir. The subject headings are based on Kerfisbundinn efnisorðalykill (the Icelandic systematic list of subject headings), with the changes approved since then by the subject heading committee. Suggestions for new subject headings can be sent to efnisordarad (hjá) landskerfi.is.

Manuscripts and private archives

The National Collection is on the 1st floor of Þjóðarbókhlaða. It collects and preserves material published in Iceland, and material published abroad about Iceland and Icelanders.

Visitors can use the reading room, which it shares with the Manuscript Collection.

The Library gives access to a large number of online databases and journals. Access is through the University Network or by signing in.

Þjóðarbókhlaða, the library building at Arngrímsgata 3, is normally open on weekdays from 9:00. Opening hours vary at weekends, in summer, during examination periods and on public holidays.

Opin vísindi is the digital repository for peer-reviewed scientific articles, doctoral theses and other work by the staff of all the universities in Iceland. Instructions on submitting to Opin vísindi (in Icelandic). Further information and help with submitting material: opinvisindi (hjá) landsbokasafn.is or phone 525 5685.

The Library obtains books and journal articles for its users from other university and research libraries. Instructions on how to order books and articles are in the guide Interlibrary loans (in Icelandic). The Library is also the national centre for interlibrary loans: it advises Icelandic libraries on interlibrary lending and is the library that foreign libraries turn to for interlibrary loans from Iceland. Further information and enquiries: millisafnalan (hjá) landsbokasafn.is or phone 525 5730/32.

The Library runs a library for the University of Iceland's Faculty of Law on the 3rd floor of Lögberg. There is a branch for the School of Education on the 2nd floor of Saga, and the Health Sciences Library of Landspítali and the University of Iceland is in Eirberg, Landspítali at Hringbraut.

You choose your password on lbs.leitir.is. The password is used to sign in to "Mínar síður" (your account pages) on lbs.leitir.is. Once signed in, you can renew loans, view your loan history and reserve material. More in the guide to leitir.is (in Icelandic).

On the 1st floor, in the National Collection: staff make photocopies of the Library's material for visitors. There is a charge per sheet (see the fees).
The 2nd floor has photocopiers that are also scanners. You can buy credit at the service desk on the 2nd floor to use the machines (see the fees).

Practical matters are gone over, such as searching for sources, submitting to Skemman and more, as the teacher wishes.

Send a request for an introduction.

On the 2nd floor, at the service desk. There is a charge per sheet (see the fees).
On the 3rd floor: for University of Iceland students and staff. Black and white printing. The cost is deducted from your printing quota in Ugla, the University's intranet.

Rafhlaðan preserves and gives access to works published by Icelanders in electronic form.
Electronic material can be submitted for preservation in Rafhlaðan here: Electronic deposit.

A reminder of the due date is normally sent to your e-mail address. It is nevertheless entirely your responsibility to return material on time. You can renew your loans yourself by signing in to lbs.leitir.is with your password. Material returned after the loan period has run out incurs daily fines according to the fees. The National and University Library of Iceland sends two recall letters after the due date. If they bring no result, the material is passed to the collection agency Motus for recovery.

The databases the Library and the University of Iceland subscribe to are only available on the University Network. If a computer is not connected to the University Network, various connections and features may be blocked. University of Iceland staff and students can use the resources off the University Network through a VPN connection; see the University's instructions (in Icelandic).

You can renew a loan up to 6 times if no other borrower is waiting for the item. Sign in to lbs.leitir.is to renew your loans. More in the guide to leitir.is (in Icelandic).

The Library has 144 lockers. Most of them are for visitors who use the Library regularly and want to keep their things there from day to day over a longer period, up to a semester. Keys are handed out at the service desk on the 2nd floor on presentation of a library card and payment of a deposit, see the fees. The deposit is refunded when the key is returned.
The 2nd floor also has lockers rented for shorter periods, 1–2 days.
Further information is in the brochure (PDF, in Icelandic) available in the Library, or by e-mail from utlan (hjá) landsbokasafn.is

The 26 study rooms on the 3rd and 4th floors are meant first and foremost for scholars, postgraduate students and others who are working on a particular project and need the Library's material for it. Study rooms are rented for a month at a time. Apply for a study room on the application form (see the rules on allocation (PDF, in Icelandic) and the fees).

Application to rent the classroom. The classroom is on the 3rd floor and seats 24.

Information Services specialists carry out information searches for a fee, see the fees. A search can generally be expected to take four hours. This service is not meant for students, who can instead ask for help with information searching.

Information Services specialists offer short sessions of help with information searching. Contact Information Services at upplys (hjá) landsbokasafn.is, phone 525 5685, or come to the service desk on the 2nd floor for good advice on searching for sources.

To reserve material, you need to be signed in to leitir.is (lbs.leitir.is) with your password. More in the guide to leitir.is (in Icelandic).

Skemman is the digital repository for the final theses of undergraduate and master's students. One aim of Skemman is to open scholarly material to as many people as possible, and students are encouraged to make their theses openly accessible. Some faculties have set rules on access to final theses, and students should read their own faculty's procedures or other guidance on final theses carefully.
Under Article 54 of the Rules for the University of Iceland no. 569/2009 (in Icelandic), a student about to graduate from the University of Iceland must submit a digital copy of their final thesis to Skemman. Further information and help: skemman (hjá) landsbokasafn.is.

Reading areas and desks are on every floor of Þjóðarbókhlaða and open to all visitors. During examination periods, seats are reserved for University of Iceland students. There is more room before noon.

Groups can book a group study room and talk without disturbing others.

The Library buys material for the University of Iceland's acquisitions fund. Students, scholars and other users of the Library can also suggest purchases.

The complete list of the electronic journals the Library subscribes to. It also gives access to a range of journals that are available in open access. You can search both for journal titles and for individual articles.

There are toilets by the lifts and by the stairs on every floor of Þjóðarbókhlaða.

Larger, wheelchair-accessible toilets are on the 1st and 4th floors, also by the lifts.

The software Turnitin supports teachers' feedback to students on academic writing, citation and the use of sources. An agreement on the use of Turnitin by all upper secondary schools and universities runs until the end of 2026, and the Library manages it. Hilma Gunnarsdóttir (hilma.gunnarsdottir (hjá) landsbokasafn.is) is the Turnitin project manager, and Sigurbjörg Jóhannesdóttir (sigurbjorg (hjá) hi.is), teaching consultant for university teaching at the University of Iceland's Centre for Teaching and Learning, looks after Icelandic access to Turnitin.

The wireless network LBS-HotSpot covers the whole building, and anyone can join it with their own device.

The University of Iceland Writing Centre helps students with writing, the use of sources and the finishing of essays and theses.