Using the Library

You can search our catalog without formal registration. You can also work in our reading room, use the books and journals located there and order books for the reading room by telephone or email 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.

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

Please bring the following original documents with you when registering: 

• a valid identity card with a current German registration address
• OR a valid passport together with a registration certificate from your municipality
• AND, in the case of non-EU nationals, a residence permit or visa.

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.

We provide you with separate privacy notices on the general library services.

Adults without a permanent place of residence in Germany (e.g. scholars 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 admitted from the age of 16. In addition to the above-mentioned documents, these must also be submitted for registration: 

• the application for admission to the Bamberg State Library for minors, completed and signed by a legal representative, as a hard copy
• AND the identity card or passport (or a legible photocopy) of the legal representative who signed the application.

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.

Your account shows

You can yourself

In order to view your library account, log in with your user number (also known as "user ID", which can be be found on your library card, starting with 013) and your password. If you are logging in for the first time, your date of birth will be set as your password in eight digits without dots (in the form DDMMYYYYY). Example: If your birthday is 3rd October 1990, the password is 03101990.

Please change the default password as soon as possible. To do this, log in to the catalog with your user number and the default password. After logging in, click on your name in the top right-hand corner, then on Library Card – Personal Details – Update Login Credentials. The new password must be at least eight characters long. Special characters are possible. The password is case-sensitive.

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 placed by Tuesday at 8:00 of the following shelfmark groups will be 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 renewal 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 listed in your library account. After logging into the catalog, click on your name in the top right, then on My Loans. 

If the relevant book is not reserved elsewhere, renewals are possible. You can do this yourself via your account in the library catalog. You are also welcome to call us on +49 951 95503-101. A renewal is possible at the earliest six days before the loan period expires.

You can return media borrowed from the Bamberg State Library during our opening hours. The presentation of your library card is not necessary in this case. The Bamberg University Library and the Library of the Bamberg Metropolitan Chapter cannot take back media borrowed from the State Library – even if they are media from these libraries that have been ordered for loan to the State Library via the local lending service.

You can reserve borrowed media from the State Library’s holdings free of charge via the catalog. 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 the library, 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.

You can also use the catalog of the Bamberg State Library to order media that belong to the holdings of the Bamberg University Library or the Library of the Bamberg Metropolitan Chapter. Media ordered via the local lending service are delivered to the State Library. They can usually be collected within two opening days. We will inform you by email as soon as an item ordered via local lending service is ready for collection, provided you have entered an email address when registering.

Reference collections, journal volumes and currently borrowed media from the Bamberg University Library and the Library of the Bamberg Metropolitan Chapter cannot be ordered to or reserved at the State Library. Media ordered to the State Library must be returned there. The University Library and the Library of the Metropolitan Chapter cannot directly take back the media made available via the local lending service, even though these are their own holdings.

When searching in our catalog, you specify which holdings you would like to search. You can only search the holdings of the Bamberg State Library. However, you also have access to the holdings of the Bamberg University Library and the Library of the Bamberg Metropolitan Chapter by selecting Local lending service. You can also search the entire holdings of the Bavarian/Berlin-Brandenburg union catalog via Interlibrary loan.

The path to the local lending service – just like the path to interlibrary loan – is via an SFX menu window. It opens as soon as you click on Place a local loan order for a search result. In the SFX menu window you can see from the information Bestellung über den Ortsleihverkehr (Order via the local lending service) that you are ordering an item from the Bamberg University Library or the Library of the Bamberg Metropolitan Chapter. Select the type Staats- und Landesbibliothek (State and Regional Library) and the name Staatsbibliothek Bamberg (Bamberg State Library). Click on Go to start ordering and you will be asked to enter your user number and password.

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 valid library card. 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 renewal options are set by the giving libraries. Normally a loan period of 30 days applies, after that mostly two renewals of 30 days each are possible (if the item is not reserved).

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.

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 Allgemeine 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 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 renew the loan period for other books after you have returned the titles in question and paid the delay charges.

You can pay reminder 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 user 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.