After borrowing, keep track of due dates

In LibraryFind, check the location, availability and material type. Undergraduate and associate degree students have a 100-item loan quota and normally a 30-day book loan; use the actual due date shown for each item in your account.

Check out items at the Circulation Counter or a SelfCheck unit with your own valid identity. Course Reserves, short loans and media have different loan periods.

A 100-item loan allowance is different from the request limit: undergraduates/associate-degree students have a ten-item CityUHK Book Request Quota. Search LibraryFind by title/ISBN and confirm the edition. Locate Course Reserves by course or instructor name and collect closed-access items at the Circulation Counter; their loans are not the normal 30 days.

From 31 August to 20 December 2026, both the Circulation Counter and Library IT Help Desk operate Monday–Friday 08:30–21:00, Saturday 09:00–18:00 and Sunday 13:00–18:00; closed public holidays. For 21 December 2026–10 January 2027, hours change to weekdays 08:30–18:00 and Saturday 09:00–17:00, closed Sundays/public holidays. Library opening is longer, daily 08:30–23:00 except 25 December and 1 January.

Sign in to My Library Account with your EID and select the items to renew. Record the new due date after a successful renewal. If renewal fails, arrange a return by the existing due date or ask the counter for help.

Undergraduate and associate degree normal loans may be renewed repeatedly within a maximum 180-day renewal period, provided no other user has requested the item and account conditions are met. Renewals do not add unlimited 30-day periods. Short loans and media are excluded.

1. 1

   Sign in

   Open My Library Account below, use EID/password and open the current loans list.

   Sign in to your library account (opens in a new tab)
2. 2

   Renew selected items

   Request renewal for the items you need. Even if using a bulk option, inspect each result.

3. 3

   Record each new date

   The new due date is calculated from renewal day. Save the date and any charge. If unchanged or rejected, retain the existing return deadline and address the rejection reason.

If another reader requests your book, the Library may recall it and revise its due date. The email and My Library Account show the new date. Return it within 15 days of recall or by the original due date, whichever is earlier.

After returning an item, check the return record or receipt and confirm it has left your loan list. If it still appears, keep the receipt and contact the counter promptly.

Return normal CityUHK circulation books at the Circulation Counter, the bookdrop near the Library exit, or outside Hall 7 (Jockey Club Harmony Hall). Return ILL/HKALL books, short loans and special items directly to the appropriate counter. Check that the item leaves your account and retain the email receipt; report the title/barcode, place and time if it remains on loan.

If a CityUHK circulation book is checked out, sign into LibraryFind and select Request on its record. You cannot request a book currently borrowed by yourself. Verify the request in My Library Account and wait for the pickup email; use CANCEL if no longer needed. A request is not a completed loan.

Fines depend on the loan type, not a general price increase after ten days. Normal and recalled loans have different rates; short loans, media and ILL+HKALL use their own categories.

Normal books have a three-day grace period. Beyond it, fines are charged from the original due date. Counter-closure days/hours are excluded as specified in the Library Regulations, and fines have no ceiling. Unpaid fines over HK$30 and other restrictions can block loans or renewals; the grace period is not a loan extension.

If renewal is refused, check a request by another user, maximum renewal period, a non-renewable item, or long-overdue items/fines over HK$30. Return or settle the block as appropriate. Loans enquiries: +852 3442 8316 / lbasprs@cityu.edu.hk. Report a lost/damaged item to the counter for assessment before assuming a replacement purchase resolves the account.

You do not need a JULAC card to request HKALL. Eligible on-campus undergraduate degree students can request physical books from other UGC libraries and eligible articles/single chapters. The request/loan quota is 15; books have a 15-day loan, renewable up to 45 days from initial checkout when permitted. Interlibrary books also use the overall CityUHK loan quota. Outside-Hong-Kong and visiting students are excluded. Requests are not filled when CityUHK already holds the item digitally or physically.

Smart Pickup is beside the Circulation Counter and operates during Library opening. Bring your student ID or Mobile ID, follow the pickup notice and terminal prompts, collect all items and close the locker. Opening the locker registers checkout; confirm the due date in your account/Check-out Notice. Oversized/fragile items and interlibrary books assigned to the counter require counter-hours collection. Official pages differ on which ILL categories use lockers, so follow the specific location in your notice.

1. 1

   Sign in and expand the search

   Sign into LibraryFind with EID and check CityUHK holdings first. If unavailable, select expand your search and Get it for me from other libraries on the matching result.

   Sign in and search other libraries (opens in a new tab)
2. 2

   Choose the required format

   For a book, select Get a physical copy → GET IT, specify the volume where relevant, then SEND. For one chapter, use Need a chapter? → GET IT and enter its title/number/pages. For an article, use Get a digital copy. Read and accept the applicable copyright declaration before SEND; do not request a whole book as one chapter.

3. 3

   Check the request and wait

   Track My Library Account → My request. Immediately obtainable UGC materials average 4–6 working days for loans or 2–3 for copies; these are estimates. For a cancellation, read the reason and contact lbilloan@cityu.edu.hk with the request details.

4. 4

   Collect or download

   For books, wait for the Materials Pickup Notice and collect through Library Smart Pickup before its Held for You Until Date. Download digital items through the email or account promptly: a maximum of five views and 30-day availability applies. Check the loan due date; return ILL books directly to the Circulation Counter, not bookdrops.

UGC-funded undergraduate degree students, excluding outside-Hong-Kong/visiting students, can apply for a JULAC Reader’s Card. It permits in-house use, not borrowing, and is valid from 1 August to 31 July. Application at CityUHK is free; each host library charges HK$50 registration, and replacement costs HK$50. Eligible postgraduates use a different Borrower’s Card; its borrowing privileges must not be applied to an undergraduate Reader card.

1. 1

   Prepare the photo and apply

   Use the same high-resolution passport photo as your student ID, JPEG/JPG no larger than 1 MB. Open the JULAC application below, authenticate through AIMS and submit the form/photo. Only one application is allowed per validity period.

   Apply for a JULAC card (opens in a new tab)
2. 2

   Wait for the collection notice

   After the Pickup Notice, collect at the Library Circulation Counter within 14 working days and during counter hours, with your student ID and electronic pickup notice. Newly admitted students should allow the official 14-working-day processing period after obtaining their CityUHK ID and successfully applying.

3. 3

   Register at the host library

   Take the JULAC card and physical CityUHK student ID to the host library counter and pay the applicable fee. Mobile ID cannot replace the physical ID for this registration. Check the host’s examination-period access restrictions before travelling.