University of Nicosia Library & Information Centre (www.library.unic.ac.cy)

The Library is a short walk away from the main campus building.

The Library’s main objectives are to provide quality resources that support the educational and research goals of the University community, to help students assume responsible roles in a changing society and to be of service to society through partnerships with business and civic institutions.

The Library provides access to thousands of electronic resources through on-line databases, a big number of eBooks (500,000) and full text eJournals (30,000) from various publishers that cover all relevant areas of study. The Library also holds approximately 100,000+ print books that can be searched in the online catalogue UniCAT (Aleph) and are available to users who can visit the Library.

All resources are available through the Library webpage. Online resources can be accessed on campus, whereas for off-campus access, OpenAccess and Proxy Server authentication are provided (more info at: https://www.library.unic.ac.cy/english-instructions-distance-learners).

To make access easier and faster, the Library uses various discovery search tools, such as UNIC Library Search (the search box found on the Library home page), which enables users to search databases, eBooks and eJournals or search the catalog concurrently. Through one search, results in abstracts or full-text, from different sources and publishers, are displayed simultaneously on a single screen.

In addition to the big number of resources, the Library provides a pleasant atmosphere for individual or group study, with a seating capacity of 200 seats, with networked PCs for electronic access and Wi-Fi access. Photocopy facilities are also available, TVs and tape recorders as well as dedicated terminals with Super Nova (a program for blind or visually impaired users).

Νo library can hold all the materials needed for research. In such cases a loaning and Interlibrary Loan Service is provided, which through collaboration with other state universities, or through the British Library Document Supply Centre, aims to satisfy all user needs. The Library is also part of a Cyprus Library Consortium (CALC), which has been created, along with other academic libraries, with the aim of sharing costs and resources for the benefit of all.

Our moto is “Service to all users”, and the Library staff is always on hand to assist in the search for any materials needed. The Library organizes regular training sessions to assist students in developing hands-on skills and is very active in organizing training workshops, user groups and annual updating on old and new e-resources, always aiming at providing the best service possible. Information Literacy is an integral part of the service given to students, with the aim to be assisted in gaining skills and critical thinking that can be transferred in the future, from the academic environment to their personal and professional lives.

Service also extends to service to the community, and for this reason a Children’s Reading Room has been prepared, where authors and actors are invited to read stories to children (ages 4-12) and help them gain a pleasant experience as to what a Library is.

Finally, in the recent years, the Library has been selected to host the European Documentation Centre (EDC). The EDC receives and has access to official EU publications, documents and electronic databases, to make them available to academics and the public. This EU information (covers policies, legislation, statistics etc.) can be accessed through the EDC webpage http://www.library.unic.ac.cy/unicedc.html. The EDC, also, provides training and instruction for individuals and groups in finding EU information and using EU tools.

Access and other instructions for DL users can be found at: https://www.library.unic.ac.cy/english-instructions-distance-learners