University Library of Bern UB

Faculty libraries

German Studies

Opening hours

The German Studies Library is part of the Unitobler Library

Services

The German Studies Library is open to the public; its services and collections are intended to meet students' and faculty's needs.

For general information about infrastructure, borrowing and returning, courier services, information and research assistance please visit the website of the Unitobler library.

Infrastructure

  • 66 long-term study spaces which can be rented for one semester; 54 of them come with mobile file cabinets
    Further information on the loan of study spaces and mobile file cabinet can be found here.
    Reservations for study spaces and mobile file cabinets can be made with this form.
    An overview map shows the layout of the study spaces in the German Studies Library.
  • 9 study spaces for day use
  • 3 online catalog terminals; print option from the terminals (instructions)
    2 self-checkout terminals
  • 1 Uniprint device (next to staircase on the 4th floor)

Introductory tutorials

Introductory tutorials to the library are held at the beginning of the semester (dates are published on the "News" webpage of the Institute of German Studies and on the blackboard in the institute).

Individual guided tours of the library can be booked here.

Bibliothek Germanistik

Collection

The German Studies Library serves teaching and research and focusses on the following collections:

  • Modern German Literature
  • Medieval Studies
  • Linguistics
  • Communication Studies
  • Comparative literature

The collection of around 80,000 volumes grows by around 1,500 new acquisitions every year. 150 current journals, a rare book collection, in-house master's theses and dissertations as well as a small collection of non-books complete the holdings. The entire collection is catalogued in swisscovery University and PH Bern.

Most of the books can be borrowed and are shelved by subject according to the institute's own systematics (Systematik der Bibliothek Germanistik - document in German). 

Borrowing restrictions:

  • reference library (shelfmarks H, Y)
  • linguistic atlases (shelfmark K)
  • rare works (shelfmark R)
  • large formats (shelfmark Q)
  • course material 
  • single issues of periodicals

Items that cannot be borrowed can be copied or scanned. Please inform the library staff.

The new acquisitions of the Institute of German Studies will be displayed on two shelves by the staircase for a few weeks.

We are happy to receive your acquisition suggestions by e-mail or electronic form.

A partial stock of around 17,000 volumes is located in the von Roll stacks and can be borrowed via swisscovery University and PH Bern.