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Reading rooms/Working places
The reading rooms at a glance
Direct links
The most important data on the reading rooms
The Bayerische Staatsbibliothek holds a collection of more than ten million books. The great majority of the books are stored in the stacks of the main building in the Ludwigstrasse and the modern book repository in Garching.
Approximately 240,000 volumes and the unbound issues of 18,000 current periodicals are directly accessible for the library users in a total of six reading rooms. Other items have to be ordered in BSB DISCOVER! first.
| General Reading Room | 1st floor | 520 working places | 80,000 volumes (open-shelf volumes) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Periodicals Reading Room | Basement floor | 70 working places | 12,500 freely accessible periodicals and newspapers |
| Aventinus Reading Room | 2nd floor | 56 working places | 23,000 volumes (open-shelf volumes) |
| East European, Oriental and Asian Reading Room | 3rd floor | 35 working places | 50,000 volumes (open-shelf volumes) |
| Reading Room for Music/Maps/Images | 1st floor | 21 working places | 10,000 volumes (open-shelf volumes) |
| Reading Room for Manuscripts and Rare Books | 1st floor | 30 working places | 49,800 volumes (open-shelf volumes) |
Loan of media to the reading rooms
Literature which cannot be found in the open-access collection of a reading room can be looked up in the library's catalogue (BSB DISCOVER!). Frequently such literature can be ordered for home loan – depending on the age, state of conservation and value of a book –, and always for consultation in one of the reading rooms. Ordered materials can usually be collected after two working days.
An order for the General Reading Room or for the Aventinus Reading Room will be booked directly, i.e. the book is already registered in your name as a loan. It is at your disposal until the end of the loan period in the self-collection area of the General Reading Room and accordingly of the Aventinus Reading Room. Please note that works which have not been collected for use – in the other reading rooms – within 10 days counting from the order date can be returned to the stacks.
Booking a working place
Prior reservation of a working place is required for every visit to the reading room.
Further information on booking a working place in a reading room
Workplaces for learning and working
Opening hours of the Plaza
| Monday – Friday | 8:00 – 19:00 |
The "Plaza" – Learning and working area on the ground floor
400 square metres, 130 new workplaces, modern design and high quality of stay:
The "Plaza" offers open zones for group work, various individual workplaces for concentrated working and learning, so-called "carrels" for having an exchange in quieter surroundings and a lounge area for communication and recreation. The complete area of the "Plaza" is equipped with WLAN and fulfils the requirements of modern library design concepts.
Terms of use
Kindly note the following when using the Plaza workplaces:
- The workplaces are intended for both concentrated individual work and for group work and professional exchange.
In order to accommodate everybody's interests, please adapt the sound level of group discussions or telephone conversations to the learning and work environment. - It is permitted to bring beverages.
For eating food, however, please use exclusively the areas specifically provided for this purpose, for example the lounge or the cafeteria on the basement floor.
Bringing food and eating is not permitted in the Plaza area. - Reserving workplaces is not possible and not permitted.
- Please do not use the seating accommodation as loungers.
Internet workstations
For academic purposes free-of-charge Internet access is provided for registered users in all reading rooms and user areas. Numerous PCs can be used to browse the library's extensive offer of catalogues, databases, subject portals, electronic journals and e-books.
WLAN
In the reading rooms and at the workplaces several different types of WLAN (WiFi) access are available to choose from.
In almost all user areas of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, the Bavarian WLAN is accessible for everybody – free of charge, open and unrestricted.
BayernWLAN (@BayernWLAN)
For students and staff members of the Munich universities and colleges and scholars on a business trip with an eduroam account:
WLAN of the Münchner Wissenschaftsnetz (lrz, eduroam)