Using the Library

You can search in the Bamberg Catalogue without formal registration. Furthermore, it is possible to work in the reading room, to use the books and journals that are located there as well as to order books into the reading room by telephone without any formalities.

In order to order and borrow media as well as to use the computers of the library in the reading room, you will need a free library card or a chip card of the University of Bamberg.

Your library card will be issued by the reading room supervisor.

For registration, please bring a valid ID card, a valid passport, or a valid passport with a current official confirmation of residence from your municipality.

With the activation of your library card, you accept the Allgemeine Benützungsordnung (ABOB). Fees incur only in the case delayed return of books and in the event of loss as well as for special services, i.e. reproductions.

The library card entitles you to the concurrent use of the Bamberg University Library as well as the Library of the Metropolitan Chapter, with which the Bamberg State Library forms a borrowing union. The holdings of the three libraries are recorded in the shared Bamberg Catalogue. The lendable holdings of the three libraries can normally be ordered to an issuing point of your choice.

Your chip card (student ID card or ServiceCard) of the University of Bamberg functions simultaneously as a library card for the Bamberg State Library. No further library card is necessary.

Adults without a fixed place of residence in Germany (e.g. researchers during a research stay) can borrow books to read them in the reading room. The Bamberg State Library supports research stays in various ways. Please inform us early via email about your visit as well as your request.

Pupils are accepted from 10th grade onwards. For registration, we will additionally need a valid pupil ID card or a valid confirmation of attendance from the school.

In order to avoid misuse, please tell us immediately if you have lost your library card. You can receive a replacement library card in the library. Students and staff members of the University of Bamberg need to contact the Studierendenkanzlei directly for a new chip card.

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Manual of the Bamberg University Library

In order to view your library account, you need to register in the Bamberg Catalogue with your library number (on the back of your library card, starting with 013…) and your password. If you are a new user, your first password will be your four-digit birthdate (day and month) without a dot between the numbers. Example: Your birthday is the 3rd of October, so the password is 0310.

Please change the pre-set password as soon as possible in the Bamberg Catalogue. To do so, you will need to register in the Bamberg Catalogue with your library number and the pre-set password. After registration, please click on My details – User details. The new password can have between four and twelve digits. Special characters are possible. Upper and lower case letters must be used.

Please inform us about changes to your address and name. You can also change your address yourself in your library account. Furthermore, please leave a correspondence address in the case of longer absence, preferably an email-address, so that we can reach you with any messages and reclaims.

Books from the external stack are collected once a week. Orders that were placed before Tuesday, 08:00 am of the following shelfmark groups are considered:

Due to their rarity, state of conservation or value, parts of our holdings cannot be taken home by borrowers. These holdings can be ordered into our reading room and used there. The loan periods and options for extension correspond to the regular loan periods.

The loan period is usually 24 opening days or six opening days for journals, respectively. Please note the loan periods written on the borrowing receipt. The borrowing receipt will be issued upon request when borrowing a book. Furthermore, all loan periods can be found in the Bamberg Catalogue under My details – Account summary.

If the relevant book is not reserved by another user, up to four extensions are possible. You can request an extension yourself via your account in the Bamberg Catalogue. Alternatively, you can call us under +49 951 95503-101. An extension is possible six days before the end of the loan period at the earliest.

You can return borrowed media during the opening hours either in the Bamberg State Library or in any of the departmental libraries of the University of Bamberg. The presentation of your library card is not necessary in this case.

You can reserve borrowed media free of charge via the Bamberg Catalogue. As soon as the medium that has been reserved for you is returned, it will automatically be made available to be picked up. If you have given your email-address during the registration, we will inform you via email.

With the admission to borrowing, you commit yourself to observe the Allgemeinen Benützungsordnung (ABOB), in particular to treat the books carefully, not to highlight anything in them and not to make any annotations in the books.

Please check every book for possible damages when borrowing and tell us if you find any. This way, you can avoid having to pay for damages that you did not cause when returning the book.

Should you happen to have damaged or lost a book, you will need to pay for the costs of repairing it or replace it, respectively. Please contact us immediately in these cases, we will be happy to assist you.

The use of the Bamberg State Library is free of charge – with the exception of special services. Fees can be incurred in case of inobservance of the Allgemeinen Benützungsordnung (ABOB), particularly when it comes to the delayed return of books.

When loan periods are exceeded, the library has the right and duty to demand the return, which includes charging a fee. Delay charges are a compensation for the administrative expense that is caused by reminders.

The following fees are appointed:

• 1st demand for return: € 7.50
• 2nd demand for return: € 10.00 (additionally to the fee for the 1st demand)
• 3rd demand for return: € 20.00 (plus postage, additionally to the fees for the 1st and 2nd demand)
• injunction: € 30.00 (plus postage, additionally to the fees for the 1st to the 3rd demand)

Please note that if you were reminded to return a book against payment of a fee, you can only borrow, order, reserve or extend the loan period for other books after you have returned the titles in question and paid the delay charges.

You can pay monition fees to the Bamberg State Library by cash in the reading room or transfer the money. In the case of credit transfer, please indicate the invoice reference, your name and your library card number. Chose one of the following bank accounts. The recipient of payment is the Staatsoberkasse Bayern in Landshut.

• Bayerische Landesbank München - IBAN: DE75 7005 0000 0001 1903 15 - BIC: BYLADEMMXXX
• HypoVereinsbank Landshut - IBAN: DE65 7432 0073 0000 8011 19 - BIC: HYVEDEMM433
• Bundesbank, Filiale Regensburg - IBAN: DE04 7500 0000 0074 3015 15 - BIC: MARKDEF1750

Usually it takes a few days until the Staatsoberkasse informs us about any incoming payments. However, if you show us a proof of payment (e.g. statement of bank account), we can reactivate your library account immediately.

Literature that is not available in Bamberg can be ordered from outside on interlibrary loan within the framework of the interlibrary loan system of the German libraries. To do so, you will need a library card that is valid for the Bamberg State Library. The delivery times can vary. However, you should plan with at least one week.

If you have given your email-address during registration, we will inform you about arrived interlibrary loans via email. Loan periods and extension options are set by the giving libraries. Normally a loan period of 24 opening days applies, after that four extensions of 12 opening days each are possible (if the item is not reserved).

An online tutorial fo the Bamberg University Library explains step by step how you can order books and journal articles that are not available in Bamberg from other libraries on interlibrary loan.

Within Germany, you can order books free of charge. You can also order copies of individual articles. You agree to pay costs up to € 10.00 without further enquiry by sending off an interlibrary loan order. 

Higher costs can arise for orders that can only be carried out via the international interlibrary loan process. Therefore, we always check back with you before posting such an order.

To place an order, please register in the Bamberg Catalogue with your library card number and password. If you do not receive any results for what you were looking for, you can expand your search to the Bavarian Union Catalogue via Expand selection of databases automatically.

When you have found the right book or journal, please check its availability in the Bavarian Library Network (Bibliotheksverbund Bayern) via Get document – further options and click on order afterwards.

On the following screen, you can choose where you would like to collect the book. Furthermore, it is possible to indicate on which date you need the book at the latest and which edition of a work is desired, respectively. By clicking on Send interlibrary loan request, you send off a binding order.

Should you not have found what you wished for in this way, you can place an interlibrary loan direct order. Click on Can't find what you're looking for? / Request in the Bamberg Catalogue and pick Interlibrary loan. Enter all necessary information about the desired title into the form.

Alternatively, you can place an interlibrary loan order using the union portal Gateway Bavaria. Further information on interlibrary loans can be found on the website of the Bamberg University Library.