East European, Oriental and Asian Reading Room

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
To the date selection for the East European, Oriental and Asian Reading Room

Our library staff will be pleased to be of assistance during the opening hours.
At the information counter, you can also place orders for reproductions/digital copies (for high-quality, reproducible scans).

• WLAN access   (WLAN information)

Equipment in the East European, Oriental and Asian Reading Room

The East European, Oriental and Asian Reading Room has the following equipment:

• 1 book scanner

Detailed information about services and fees, further locations, service times, technical support, etc. can be found here:
Scanners, copiers, printers

Digitization orders

The digitization and photographic reproductions service within the framework of the document delivery service "Altes Buch" ("older and rare printed works") of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek produces high-quality and reproducible scans. You can generate corresponding orders for reproductions with the aid of the programme ERaTo. Digitization orders from the department's collections can also be placed in the East European, Oriental and Asian Reading Room or can be placed in writing.

Document delivery service "Altes Buch"   (scope of services, prices, etc.)

Place a reproduction order via ERaTo

The reference library on the Orient contains dictionaries, encyclopaedias, bibliographies and other reference works, predominantly in Oriental languages, but also in German, English or French. It contains a total of around 8,000 volumes.

All Oriental works held by the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, including the reading room collection, can be searched in transcription in BSB DISCOVER!. Since 2007, Arabic, Persian and Hebrew titles have been catalogued also in the original scripts.

Unbound issues of Oriental periodicals in the original languages are available in the East European, Oriental and Asian Reading Room. Most original-language periodicals from the Orient are acquired in a bound state and are searchable in BSB DISCOVER!.

The reference library on Asia (focusing on east Asia) encompasses general and special reference works in Asian languages, but also in German, English or French. The total of around 10,000 volumes is shelved in accordance with countries and partly in accordance with language groups, and within these, in accordance with subject-related subdivisions. The literature on Buddhology represents a subdivision of its own.

A selection of the current, unbound original-language periodicals and newspapers is available. Most periodicals in the original languages are acquired in a bound state and are searchable in BSB DISCOVER!. Original-language periodicals from the subject area of sciences and medicine are available in the Periodicals Reading Room.

The Asian collections of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, including the reading room collection, can be searched in transcription in BSB DISCOVER!, the Japanese and Chinese titles being searchable also in the original scripts. Merely the collections in the Thai language have not yet been catalogued electronically; for these, an author and title catalogue is available in the reading room.

The Bayerische Staatsbibliothek has been hosting a Taiwan Resource Center for Chinese Studies since 2014. For the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek this means among other things that substantial amounts of Sinological research literature can now be obtained regularly free of charge from Taiwan via the National Central Library. The most recent titles are available in each case in a separate area of the East European, Oriental and Asian Reading Room, older titles are accommodated in the stacks. All titles are searchable in BSB DISCOVER!.