BCU Lausanne library card
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The Bibliothèque cantonale et universitaire Lausanne (BCU Lausanne, BCUL) is the cantonal and university library of Vaud. It is a public institution of the State of Vaud and one of the largest libraries in Switzerland. Registration is free, and an EPFL campus card can be used as your library card. This page covers who can register, the main sites, the Renouvaud network and the published fees.
Key facts
- Free registration: "Inscrivez-vous, c'est gratuit !" (BCUL, Prêt et consultation).
- EPFL and UNIL students: your campus card becomes your library card once validated at a BCUL desk (BCUL).
- 30 items at a time, standard loan 28 days (BCUL).
- One catalogue for the canton: the BCUL coordinates Renouvaud, the Vaud library network of more than 150 libraries (BCUL, Réseau Renouvaud).
1. Who can get a card
You must be at least 14 and belong to one of these groups (BCUL, Prêt et consultation):
- you live in Switzerland;
- you are a student, teacher or staff member at UNIL, EPFL, HEP Vaud or the Provence or Renens upper secondary schools (gymnases);
- you are a Swiss citizen living abroad;
- you are a cross-border commuter working in Vaud.
How to register:
- EPFL or UNIL student, assistant, doctoral student or professor: go to any BCUL desk to validate your campus card, which then works as your library card. For your Camipro card itself, see Camipro.
- Holder of another Swiss university library card, a Lausanne city library card or a Renouvaud card: fill in the online pre-registration form (formulaire de pré-inscription, available in English), then validate your card at a desk.
- No library card yet: fill in the pre-registration form, then collect your card at a BCUL desk with valid ID. The BCUL accepts a Swiss ID card, Swiss passport, Swiss driving licence or a residence permit valid for at least 3 more months.
2. Sites
The BCUL has 7 sites (BCUL, Qui sommes-nous). The ones most useful to newcomers:
| Site | What it is | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Riponne | Collections for the general public, in the Palais de Rumine | Place de la Riponne 6, Lausanne (M2 Riponne) |
| Unithèque | Academic collections and the reading room for rare and heritage documents | UNIL Dorigny campus, next to EPFL |
| Internef | Academic collections (law and economics building) | UNIL Dorigny campus |
The other sites are HEP Vaud, Renens, Crissier and Provence. Opening hours change by site and in holidays: check the BCUL opening hours page before you go.
Rare and heritage documents (manuscripts, old maps, books before 1850) can be read by anyone, without a library card, but only by appointment at least two working days ahead (BCUL).
3. Renouvaud: one catalogue, many libraries
- Renouvaud (réseau vaudois des bibliothèques) was launched in 2016 by the BCUL on behalf of the Vaud Council of State. It has more than 150 member libraries: universities, heritage, medical, school and commune libraries (BCUL, Réseau Renouvaud).
- You search, request, renew and check due dates in the Renouvaud catalogue with your BCUL account.
- If a book is in storage, at another site or already on loan, log in to Renouvaud and click demande; you get an email when it is ready at the site you chose (BCUL).
- Digital resources: library members can use resources marked "Accès UNIL ; CHUV ; HEP Vaud ; Sites BCUL" only on site (public PCs or UNIL / HEP Vaud wifi). Resources marked Accès libre work from anywhere (BCUL). Remote access through an institution's VPN is offered only to UNIL, CHUV and HEP Vaud students and staff; EPFL students count as library members, so on-site access only (BCUL, Prêt et consultation). For EPFL's own e-resources, see Library and printing.
4. Loans, fines and fees
- Loan periods: 28 days standard; 14 days for Blu-ray and DVD at Unithèque; 7 days for open-shelf newspapers and journals at Unithèque. Online renewal is possible up to 3 times the first loan period, unless someone has reserved the item (BCUL).
- Returns: at any site desk, in the return boxes, or by post (BCUL).
| Item | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Registration and reader card | free | BCUL, Tarifs des prestations |
| Replacement of a lost reader card | CHF 10 | BCUL, Tarifs des prestations |
| Late return | CHF 0.20 per working day and per item, from day one | BCUL, Prêt et consultation |
| Interlibrary loan via Renouvaud plus | CHF 5 (UNIL students, because UNIL pays part of the cost) or CHF 8 (other users, including EPFL students) per item | BCUL, Prêt et consultation |
- Damage or loss of a document, including admin costs, is fully charged to the user (BCUL).
- To verify: the fee table PDF has no validity date and its interlibrary-loan section still shows older prices; the loan page figures above are the current ones.
5. Interlibrary loan
Interlibrary loan (prêt entre bibliothèques, PEB) brings in a book or article the BCUL does not hold, from outside the Renouvaud network. It is paid on collection at the desk, and uncollected orders are invoiced (BCUL). The steps change with the catalogue, so follow the BCUL interlibrary loan section rather than a copy here. The lower price applies to UNIL students because UNIL pays part of the cost; EPFL students pay the "other users" price (BCUL).