Use and service

Home loan

Direct links: Loaning media

Search and orderOPACplus
Information overviewLoaning media
Service opening hours and further informationMedia collection, media return
Do you need a reader pass?Registration

The majority of items belonging to the Eastern Europe collection of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek is kept in stacks that are not directly accessible. To obtain books and media for home loan, these items need to be ordered using the OPACplus/ BSB catalogue.
For this purpose you need a reader pass which can be requested in person at the library's registration office.
Ordered media are available for collection after 2 to 3 working days on average. Those for home lending can be collected in the book collection area on the ground floor.

Please note that there are also parts of the collection which cannot be ordered for home loan. Particularly valuable works or books particularly worth protecting, predominantly for reasons of conservation, for example, can be consulted in the reading rooms only.

Further services:

You cannot collect the ordered items from the library?
Delivery to your home by mail   (service at a fee)

The desired literature is not available in Munich? You need a book (or other item) from the Eastern Europe collection of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, but you do not live in Munich?
Interlibrary loan   (service at a fee)

Reading in the library

Booking a working place

Opening hours of the East European, Oriental and Asian Reading Room

Monday – Friday09:00 – 19:00

Contact East European, Oriental and Asian Reading Room

Phone+49 89 28638-2361
Online inquiry serviceOnline form

Direct links: East European, Oriental and Asian Reading Room

Shelving system of the reference librarySystem
Finding the reading room collection in the catalogueOPACplus/ BSB catalogue (Hbost)

East European, Oriental and Asian Reading Room

Reference library Eastern Europe

The works from the reference library Eastern Europe can be used immediately and without prior order. The reference library can be found in the front part of the East European, Oriental and Asian Reading Room. Here, around 30,000 volumes of reference works and very basic literature are freely accessible to all users.

  • The Eastern Europe collection of the reading room includes dictionaries, historical and current general and subject-related encyclopaedias, relevant national, regional and other bibliographies, catalogues of important libraries specialising in Eastern Europe, genealogical reference works, registers of locations, statistical yearbooks, as well as manuals and other standard works in printed and electronic form.
  • The reference library further encompasses bound annual volumes of selected, frequently requested periodicals. Current issues of periodicals and newspapers are available in the Periodicals Reading Room, in contrast.
  • A large portion of the reference library is available in the original Eastern European languages, but also literature in German, English or French is provided in a very broad scope.

Shelving system of the reference library

The reading room collection is shelved according to countries, and within the country sections according to subject areas and fields of specialisation.

Finding the reading room collection in the catalogue

The complete reference collection on Eastern Europe is entered in the OPACplus/ BSB catalogue. The volumes can be recognized on the basis of the introductory part "Hbost" of the classification mark.
These works may be used exclusively in the reading room and cannot be obtained for home loan.

Reading room equipment

  • 35 workplaces
  • 5 Internet PCs
  • WLAN
  • Book scanner
  • PC with DVD-ROM drive
  • Microfiche, microfilm readers
  • Earphones (available at the reading room counter)

Information counter in the reading room

If you have any questions, our library staff will be pleased to be of assistance during the opening hours.

Direct links: Reading room loan to the East European, Oriental and Asian Reading Room

Search and orderOPACplus
Information overviewLoaning media
Do you need a reader pass?Registration

Reading room loan to the East European, Oriental and Asian Reading Room

Almost all items forming part of the collections of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek – with a number of exceptions, such as maps, sheet music or manuscripts – can be ordered for use in the East European, Oriental and Asian Reading Room via the OPACplus/ BSB catalogue.

Ordered items are made available in the corresponding provision shelves in the East European, Oriental and Asian Reading Room after 2 to 3 working days. Your orders are immediately booked to your account as loaned. The books are thus made available for use for 4 weeks and the periodicals for 2 weeks.
After expiry of the loan term they are returned to the stacks. Please keep in mind to request an extension of the loan term in time, if required. When items are no longer needed, kindly take them to the return counter. Volumes ordered for consultation in the East European, Oriental and Asian Reading Room cannot be taken home.

Reader pass

When you wish to read books or other media from the stacks of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek in the East European, Oriental and Asian Reading Room or another one of the reading rooms, you need a reader pass.

Direct links: Reading rooms

Further informationOverview of reading rooms
Searching reading room collections in the catalogueOPACplus

Other reading rooms

Literature on Eastern Europe can also be found in the reference collections of the other reading rooms. These collections either treat special, particular aspects of Eastern Europe or are kept somewhat more general than the reference collection in the East European, Oriental and Asian Reading Room.

  • Literature on manuscripts, incunabula and early printed books from Eastern Europe can be found in the Reading Room for Manuscripts and Rare Books.
    (classification mark component "Hbh" in the OPACplus/BSB catalogue)
  • Literature on the topical focus of music or maps, atlases and images of Eastern Europe can be found in the reference collection of the Reading Room for Music/Maps/Images.
    (classification mark component "Hbks" or "Hbm" in the OPACplus/BSB catalogue)
  • The most recent issues of academic journals from and about Eastern Europe and current Eastern European newspapers are available in the Periodicals Reading Room.
    (classification mark component "Hbzs" in the OPACplus/BSB catalogue)
  • Some reference works on the history of Eastern Europe and on classical studies can also be found in the Aventinus Reading Room in addition to the East European, Oriental and Asian Reading Room.
    (classification mark component "Hbfo" in the OPACplus/BSB catalogue)
  • Further reference works on Eastern Europe and dictionaries of Eastern European languages are also available in the General Reading Room.
    (classification mark component "Hbl" in the OPACplus/BSB catalogue)

With the reader pass, literature from the stacks can be ordered for consultation also in these reading rooms via the OPACplus/BSB catalogue. Please keep in mind that the reading rooms have different opening hours and equipment and that access is partly restricted.

Staying up to date

Direct link: Recent acquisitions

New Books and More on Eastern EuropeSearch and subscription service

Recent acquisitions

Recent acquisitions: Exhibition

The Bayerische Staatsbibliothek acquires around 2,000 volumes from and about Eastern Europe per month. These new acquisitions are presented in an exhibition in the East European, Oriental and Asian Reading Room from the first to the twentieth day of each month. The subdivision of the exhibition in accordance with the countries of Eastern Europe offers scholars and all interested readers a good overview of current and available literature on their regional focal points of interest. After the end of the exhibition, the books can then be ordered and loaned via the OPACplus/ BSB catalogue.

Recent acquisitions: Search system

New acquisitions are additionally entered in an information system of their own. They can be searched systematically according to countries, subject areas and epochs, and according to authors, title keywords and subject headings. You can enter your own individual subject-related, regional and temporal selection and subscribe to title lists that are custom-tailored to your interests and sent to you be e-mail free of charge.

Direct link: Blog

Information for studies of Eastern EuropeOstBib

Blog: OstBib – Sources for studies of Eastern Europe

The blog of the Department of Eastern Europe of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek is intended to inform the community of German and international specialists and members of the public interested in the field of Eastern European studies about special sources, materials and events in libraries.

Direct links: Newsletter and Twitter

Newsletter of the Specialised Information ServiceInformation and registration
Archive
Twitter account of the Specialised Information ServiceTwitter

Newsletter and Twitter

The newsletter and the extensive Twitter content of the Specialised Information Service for East, Central and Southeast European Studies enable you to stay up to date in the field of East-European studies. The two services contain information about interesting digital or printed source and material collections, newly licensed databases and research tools, freshly published research data, "thematic dossiers" as a "first point of access" to selected areas of content, courses, events and other relevant dates, the further development of services of the "Specialised Information Service for East, Central and Southeast European Studies" and much more.

For further information and registration for the newsletter please go to the research portal osmikon. The earlier issues of the Eastern Europe newsletter continue to be available in the archive.

Direct link: Courses

Dates/ detailsSchedule of courses

Courses: Subject information Eastern Europe

Forming part of the series of courses of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, a subject-related information event takes place every six months on one of four focal topics related to Eastern Europe.

The following courses are offered:

  • Introduction to literature search on Eastern Europe
  • Subject portals
  • Electronic journals and databases
  • Microforms, maps, images, manuscripts, early printed books, personal papers

For the dates and further details please consult the schedule of courses.

Questions?

Questions and answers – Eastern Europe

Online inquiry serviceOnline form
In the libraryEast European, Oriental and Asian Reading Room  (3rd floor)
Phone+49 89 28638-2361

Service opening hours for information about Eastern Europe

Monday – Friday09:00 – 17:00
In August from 12:30 without professional information service

Do you have questions about the Eastern Europe collection or its use?
Do you encounter difficulties searching for literature from or about Eastern Europe?
We will be pleased to be of assistance.

However, please note that we do not compile literature lists or make translations and do not offer legal or medical consultation.

Online inquiry service

The online form ensures that your question is received by the correct contact person right away.

You will usually receive our response to technical questions within 5 working days.

Information counter in the East European, Oriental and Asian Reading Room

No matter if you call us on the telephone or come to the library: Our staff at the information counter in the East European, Oriental and Asian Reading Room will be pleased to answer your questions.

FAQ

In case you have general questions about the use and the services of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, answers can be found at:
FAQ – Frequently asked questions

Planning a study visit

Direct links: Planning a study visit

Further informationDetails on the procedure and registration forms
Opening hoursReading rooms

In case you wish to use the Eastern Europe collections of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek within the framework of a brief visit or study visit, please take into account that in most cases books and journals cannot be consulted straight away. They need to be ordered a few days in advance using the OPACplus/ BSB catalogue. If you do not have a reader pass yet, you should therefore inform us of your visit in writing one week before your arrival date at the latest. Please also note that the opening hours of the East European, Oriental and Asian Reading Room differ from those of the General Reading Room.

If you wish to work with the desired media in the East European, Oriental and Asian Reading Room, in order to use the extensive reference collection available there, please let us know in the section "Mitteilungen" (further remarks) of the form.

Donating books

Direct links: Donating books

E-mail inquiry (about titles/ title lists)osteuropa@bsb-muenchen.de
Collection verificationOPACplus

If you wish to donate books from Eastern Europe to the library, we kindly ask you to send us a title list by e-mail in advance, containing the following data:

  • Author
  • Title
  • Place and year of publication

You can check in advance in the OPACplus/ BSB catalogue whether the book already forms part of our collections.

We appreciate your understanding that we only accept such books which we do not own yet and which match our collection profile.

Loaning exhibits for exhibitions

Direct links: Loaning exhibits for exhibitions

Further informationLoans for exhibitions

Within the framework of its cultural mission, the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek also makes available exhibits for other exhibitions in Bavaria, Germany and abroad on an international level. Loans can be provided only for exhibitions with a cultural and academic purpose, but on principle not for exhibitions with a duration of more than three months, for displays of large quantities of material or for touring exhibitions.

Independently of the topic of the planned exhibition, please contact the Department of Manuscripts and Rare Books of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek for this purpose.

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