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COVID-19 measures
- According to the new provisions of the Federal Council, access to the library is again free without restriction.
18 February 2022
Information to all users
Information to all users
The Academy of architecture Library reopens
Monday 1 March 2021
Monday 1 March the Academy of architecture Library opens its new premises in the Palazzo Turconi and reactivates its services.
After the forced closure due to the coronavirus and the transfer of our collections to the new spaces, we are happy to welcome you, albeit with reduced hours:
Monday - Friday: 9am-6pm
We still need to guarantee sanitary measures, therefore an official inauguration is not yet possible. Thus, we open "quietly" but with great enthusiasm. In the new rooms you will find the general collection (around 130'000 books), author libraries and a large collection of journals. The library covers 1800 m2, has 110 individual study places and 4 group study rooms.
The attached flyer provides a useful map of the library.
The library is now part of swisscovery, the new research platform that unites the collections of 475 swiss scientific libraries and gives access to more than 30 million books and journal, and more than 3 billion electronic articles. All searches need to be made on the new Reperio interface.
A small part of the library's documents is still in closed storage. Requests for this material need to be placed via Reperio. Delivery, notified per email, is granted the same day if the request is placed before 3am, the next opening day if the request is placed later.
After the forced closure due to the coronavirus and the transfer of our collections to the new spaces, we are happy to welcome you, albeit with reduced hours:
Monday - Friday: 9am-6pm
We still need to guarantee sanitary measures, therefore an official inauguration is not yet possible. Thus, we open "quietly" but with great enthusiasm. In the new rooms you will find the general collection (around 130'000 books), author libraries and a large collection of journals. The library covers 1800 m2, has 110 individual study places and 4 group study rooms.
The attached flyer provides a useful map of the library.
The library is now part of swisscovery, the new research platform that unites the collections of 475 swiss scientific libraries and gives access to more than 30 million books and journal, and more than 3 billion electronic articles. All searches need to be made on the new Reperio interface.
A small part of the library's documents is still in closed storage. Requests for this material need to be placed via Reperio. Delivery, notified per email, is granted the same day if the request is placed before 3am, the next opening day if the request is placed later.
On 7 December 2020, USI Libraries will become part of a new library system. They will transfer their catalogues to a new IT platform, which will be called 'swisscovery' and will bring together 475 scientific libraries scattered throughout Switzerland. Through 'swisscovery' and its USI branch, called 'Reperio', users of USI Libraries will have access to the entire directory of scientific documents stored in Switzerland: over 30 million books, magazines and documentary materials, as well as more than 3 billion online articles. A new registration will be required to use 'Reperio' and 'swisscovery', and therefore USI library services.
This "revolution" is the result of a project launched in 2017 by 15 Swiss universities and schools of higher education, including USI, to create a national, collective and multilingual catalogue, which gave rise to the Swiss Library Service Platform (SLSP), which manages 'swisscovery'.
The transition also marks the withdrawal of USI libraries - the Lugano University Library (BUL) and the Library of the Mendrisio Academy of Architecture (BAAM) - from the Ticino Library System.
What changes for USI users?
The transition to 'Reperio' and 'swisscovery' will entail the following main changes for USI Library users:
What doesn't change for USI users?
There will be no substantial change for searches in USI Libraries: as of 7 December, 'Reperio' will, in fact, be integrated into the websites https://www.bul.sbu.usi.ch/ and biblio.arc.usi.ch/. To search for a document, users will therefore be able to continue to use the search tools made available on the sites of the two libraries. Also, it will be possible to extend the search to all 'swisscovery', i.e. to all Swiss scientific libraries.
What happens between now and the date of the switchover to the new system?
Loans and bookings will continue through the current platform until 2 December 2020 and partway through 3 December 2020. To ensure a smooth transition to the new platform, between the evening of Thursday, 3 December 2020 and the morning of Monday, 7 December 2020 at 10:00 am it will not be possible to loan or book in both the old or the new system. During the transition, loaned documents can be kept or returned as usual.
This "revolution" is the result of a project launched in 2017 by 15 Swiss universities and schools of higher education, including USI, to create a national, collective and multilingual catalogue, which gave rise to the Swiss Library Service Platform (SLSP), which manages 'swisscovery'.
The transition also marks the withdrawal of USI libraries - the Lugano University Library (BUL) and the Library of the Mendrisio Academy of Architecture (BAAM) - from the Ticino Library System.
What changes for USI users?
The transition to 'Reperio' and 'swisscovery' will entail the following main changes for USI Library users:
- need for a new membership
To use the new system, and therefore also to borrow documents from USI Libraries, users will have to re-register using their SWITCH edu-ID.
Registration is already possible at https://registration.slsp.ch/?iz=usi.
If you do not yet have a SWITCH edu-ID account, you can create one during registration. We recommend that you associate your SWITCH edu-ID account with the USI affiliation. If you are unable to create a SWITCH edu-ID account, please contact info-BiUSI@usi.ch. - impossibility to reach USI library assets through the Sbt (Sistema bibliotecario ticinese)
By consulting the catalogue of the Sbt (Sistema bibliotecario ticinese), it will no longer be possible to find the resources available in USI Libraries. And vice versa.
What doesn't change for USI users?
There will be no substantial change for searches in USI Libraries: as of 7 December, 'Reperio' will, in fact, be integrated into the websites https://www.bul.sbu.usi.ch/ and biblio.arc.usi.ch/. To search for a document, users will therefore be able to continue to use the search tools made available on the sites of the two libraries. Also, it will be possible to extend the search to all 'swisscovery', i.e. to all Swiss scientific libraries.
What happens between now and the date of the switchover to the new system?
Loans and bookings will continue through the current platform until 2 December 2020 and partway through 3 December 2020. To ensure a smooth transition to the new platform, between the evening of Thursday, 3 December 2020 and the morning of Monday, 7 December 2020 at 10:00 am it will not be possible to loan or book in both the old or the new system. During the transition, loaned documents can be kept or returned as usual.
9 November 2020
#BiUSIrevolution: the virtual migration of USI libraries
#BiUSIrevolution: the virtual migration of USI libraries
The Academy of architecture Library closes… and reopens in Palazzo Turconi
Suspension of services and closure to move the library from 3 December 2020 to 31 January 2021
Before the closure (3 December 2020):
During the library closure (3 December 2020 - 31 january 2021):
Suspension of services and closure to move the library from 3 December 2020 to 31 January 2021
Before the closure (3 December 2020):
- please complete your bibliographic searches and organize loans and study material
- we'll increase the number of simultaneous loans to
- Bachelor and MsC1 students: 10 documents
- faculty and MsC2 students: 20 documents
- special loan requests for usually non-circulating material will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis
During the library closure (3 December 2020 - 31 january 2021):
- the loan period will automatically be extended until the reopening
- we will place a return-box at the entrance of Palazzo Turconi, into which you can slip your returning documents
22 October 2020
We're moving!
We're moving!
From the end of October some interlibrary loan (ILL) requests may not be fulfilled
because more than 400 Swiss libraries will simultaneously migrate
to the new SLSP (Swiss Library Service Platform).
Moreover, due to moving our library, the ILL service will be suspended
from 8 November 2020.
All interlibrary loans should be returned before 1 December 2020.
because more than 400 Swiss libraries will simultaneously migrate
to the new SLSP (Swiss Library Service Platform).
Moreover, due to moving our library, the ILL service will be suspended
from 8 November 2020.
All interlibrary loans should be returned before 1 December 2020.
20 October 2020
ILL (interlibrary loan)
ILL (interlibrary loan)