Living room with 1.4 million books

Learning, reading, researching, checking emails, copying, surfing the net - maybe even relaxing in the café: The university library is the central point of contact for almost all students. It offers a comprehensive range of services.

The break between seminars is used for studying. The best place to write that overdue seminar paper is at one of the 1,000 workstations in the library. 200 are equipped with computers. W-Lan is a matter of course in the library. The library offers group study rooms for up to ten people, which can be booked via the Internet. Some rooms have recently been renovated to be "hearing-sensitive". No noise penetrates outside and disturbs the other library visitors if the academic discussion in the group gets a little heated. The university library is something like the students' secret living room, their teaching and study room. Feel-good atmosphere included. "Service is at the centre of everything we do," says Heike Andermann, Deputy Head of the University Library. "Our visitors - over 1.1 million a year - should find the best working and learning conditions."

Students can use the library's services almost around the clock: It is open until midnight during the week and until 6pm at weekends. But first they need a library card. These are available at the counter of the Haarentor Campus Central Library and in the Wechloy Campus Departmental Library. It is issued on presentation of your student ID and identity card and five euros. This authorises you to borrow books and has other functions: After paying the fees, it serves as a chip for the lockers, the photocopiers and for print jobs.

Once registered, library users have access to over 1.4 million books, most of which are in the open stacks. The library also has 14,000 e-books, 22,000 electronic journals as well as bibliographic, subject and fact databases, films, videos, software, sound recordings and one of the largest video recording collections in Germany.

But how do you keep track of such a wide range of resources? Above all, how do you find your way around? For example, with a library tour, which the library staff regularly offer. "Students can approach us at any time," advises Andermann. "We are happy to help with complicated searches. Subject librarians keep a close eye on the current literature and electronic media relating to the subjects and research focus. They are on hand with help and advice and provide helpful tips when searching for literature."

What should students bear in mind when using the library? "We want visitors to adhere to our 'Golden Rules'. They are a kind of code of conduct for the university library. We try to fulfil every wish of all our users," says Andermann. In return, it goes without saying that the collection is treated with care and that a calm, focussed atmosphere prevails in the library. After all, the library should remain something like a living, teaching and learning room where everyone feels comfortable.