A significant part of the collection is available in open access, which means, among others, that the reader:

• has free access to the resources,
• individually finds required items on the bookshelf or in the catalogue,
• puts the library materials back in a designated location or gives them back to the librarian after use,
• is required to record at the librarian on duty loans of materials taken out from of a given collection to be used within the Library premises.  

Books with the status “Wolny dostęp” (Open access) or “Na miejscu” (On site) displayed in the online catalogue can only be used on-site.
All open access books are recorded in the online catalogue, where their location information is indicated. To find a book on the bookshelf, check the symbol of the section.
On the shelves, within each section, books are arranged in the alphabetical order by title - except for the Reference Department and Periodicals Reading Room where books are arranged by the authors name.

The following collections may be used on site:

• Social Sciences Collection – Yellow – publications in such areas as journalism, philosophy, theology, sociology, economics, law and administration, pedagogy and advertising.
• The Section for the European Documentation Centre located in the Social Sciences Collection — publications related to the European Union.
• Natural and Technical Sciences Collection – Green – publications in such areas as mathematics, informatics, ecology, geodesy, biology, zoology, medicine, veterinary medicine, technical sciences, agricultural sciences, nutrition and food technology, organisation and management, accounting, architecture, spatial planning, landscaping and geography.
• Humanities Collection – Blue - publications in such areas as art, painting, music, film, theatre, sports, tourism, literature, history, science, archaeology, martial arts, biographies.
• Reference Department and Periodicals Reading Room - reference publications, dictionaries and encyclopaedias.
• Department of Special Collections - resources published until 1945, books in the field of library science, general and subject bibliographies, publications related to the Warmia and Mazury region.

Use of periodicals — basic information

• Periodicals can only be used within the Library premises.
• Periodicals are available in open access or upon a previous order from the Storeroom Department.
• The library also offers online access to selected Polish and foreign periodicals.

Use of Open access periodicals

• A significant part of the periodicals is available in open access, which means, among others, that the reader:
  • has free access to the resources,
  • finds the required items on the bookshelf or in the catalogue on his/her own,
  • puts the library materials back in a designated location or gives them back to the librarian after use,
  • is required to record any loans of materials taken out from a given collection to be used within the Library premises.
• All open access periodicals are registered in the online catalogue, where their location information is also indicated.
• Open access periodicals are located in:
  • Reference Department and Periodicals Reading Room - Polish and foreign research journals and popular science magazines, Polish and foreign research journals, periodicals thematically related to the European Union, daily newspapers and weekly magazines, journals published by the UWM;
  • Department of Special Collections - periodicals published before 1945 and related to the Warmia and Mazury region.

Periodicals are arranged on the bookshelves in the alphabetical order, separately for Polish and foreign titles.

Ordering periodicals

• To order a periodical, the user needs to look it up in the online catalogue.
•  Periodicals with the Periodicals Storeroom location can be ordered.
• Ordered periodicals must be collected within two days from the Reference Department and Periodicals Reading Room.
•  All older items not included in the online catalogue should be checked in the card catalogue, which is located in the Reference Department and Periodicals Reading Room.
• Delivery times of ordered periodicals: 
  • Monday - Saturday, orders placed:
  • by 8.30 - can be collected after 9.00
  • 8.30-9.30 - can be collected after 10.00
  • 9.30-10.30 - can be collected after 11.00
  • 10.30-11.30 - can be collected after 12.00
  • 11.30-12.30 - can be collected after 13.00
  • 12.30-13.30 - can be collected after 14.00
  • 13.30-14.30 - can be collected after 15.00
  • 14.30-15.30 - can be collected after 16.00
  • 15.30-16.30 - can be collected after 17.00
  • 16.30-17.30 - can be collected after 18.00
  • 17.30-18.30 - can be collected after 19.00
  • after 18.30 - can be collected on the next day after 9.00

Special collections

• Special collections can only be used on-site, and they are not made available for copying.
• Items published by 1945 (including old prints), doctoral dissertations defended in the UWM, cartographic, iconographic, audio-visual (vinyl records, CDs, DVDs, video cassettes), microfilms and microfiches are made available in the Department of Special Collections.
• Standardisation documents are made available at the Information Desk for Standardisation.
• Patent documents are made available in the Centre for Patent Information.