The division is currently directly in charge of the General Reading Room and the Aventinus Reading Room. Generally the division is responsible for coordinating the library's reading rooms and their services.

 

In the  General Reading Room over 500 working places are provided. Further 50 computer working places as well as a WLAN for laptop users provide internet access for scholarly purposes. The extensive book collection of the general reading room encompasses around 120,000 volumes, which are shelved systematically. This book collection consists primarily of encyclopaedias, bibliographies, other reference works and introductory literature as well as editions of complete works. As regards subject, the reading room collection is orientated towards humanities. Special mention should be made of the comprehensive collection of Bavarica. The general reading room furthermore accommodates the bound volumes of the most recent years of publication of selected journals, amounting to a total of approx. 30,000 volumes. In the periodicals reading room the latest unbound issues of around 18,000 specialty journals are available.

 

In the  Aventinus Reading Room 64 working places are provided. The Bayerische Staatsbibliothek pursues a double goal by providing this reading room: On the one hand research and academic studies - particularly in connection with older and rare books - are to be furthered in the best possible way by providing excellent working conditions. On the other hand the sustainable protection of our valuable cultural heritage - older and rare printed works - is to be guaranteed.

The reference collection of the reading room encompasses 20,000 volumes from the disciplines of history, Bavarica and classical studies.