University Library

Non-local guests

Visiting professors and lecturers, students of summer school and exchange programmes as well as anyone with an academic interest are welcome to use the media and services of the University library.

Tübingen university library and its holdings date back into the 15th century. It is the central lending library of the university of Tübingen. In addition it is part of the special collections system where it supplies media in specialized fields nationwide by interlibrary loan. The subjects of these special collectitons are:

Theology, Religious studies, Ancient Oriental studies and Criminology (the latter in cooperation with the Institute for Criminology).

Before your visit

Contact us

We are happy to help you plan your visit – as far as the University Library is concerned.
Especially in view of possible changes in opening times, it is highly recommended that you contact us beforehand.

Information
For general enquiries:
: +49 (0)7071 / 29-72846
informationspam prevention@ub.uni-tuebingen.de
Contact form

Manuscript Department
If you would like to access mainly old prints and manuscripts:
: +49 (0)7071 / 29-76064
handschriftenspam prevention@ub.uni-tuebingen.de

Representatives of the Specialised Services
about our theological, religious, indological or oriental collections.

Catalogues

In our Catalog plus you will find:

  • literature from 1960 up till today
  • historical collections from 1500 up till 1850
  • journal titles
  • references on articles and essays relating to your search terms

Holdings not yet catalogued electronically can be found in the digitalised card catalogue UB-Digikat.

Written Pre-orders

Books can be reserved for you in advance. Please let us know of your literature requirements at least several days in advance, either by letter or e-mail.
This is especially important if you are only going to be in Tübingen for a few days.

The holdings of our library are mainly stored in closed stacks and have to be ordered first. It can therefore take up to half a day for a book ordered from the stacks to be ready.

While you are here

Access

Please check our FAQ page for all questions you may have. By entering the University Library you accept our regulations for use.

Lockers

You may bring coats and bags with you to the library.
If you would like to lock something away, you can find lockers in the ground floor of the main building which
require a 1 € or 2 € coin as a deposit.

Guest ID card

You can get a temporary guest ID card at the information desk in Ammerbau. With this card, you can order media, which will then be reserved for you. It is not possible to borrow media to take home. Please bring your valid identity card or passport with you. At the end of your stay, please return the guest ID card at the information desk in the Ammerbau. Please return the chip card at the end of your stay at the Information Desk in the Ammerbau.

If you are a guest lecturer associated with a university institute in Tübingen and plan to stay in Tübingen for at least three months or longer, you may – under certain circumstances – receive a library card which entitles you to borrow items to take home. If this is the case, please contact the staff in charge of the Lending Center, if possible together with a representative of your host institute.

Chip card functions

This guest ID card is a chip card, which allows you to:

  • register in “Catalog Plus“ and order literature to use in one of the reading rooms
  • have books from the open stacks deposited at the Information Desk in the “Ammerbau” for your use in the library
  • access library computers (ThinClients) and carry out internet research and send print jobs

You can also charge the chip card with money and

  • pick up print jobs, copy and scan using any network printing and copying machine within the university
  • scan with our book scanner on floor 3 in the Ammerbau (USB stick necessary).
  • use the canteens and cafeterias of the Studierendenwerk (Student Union).

Laptop and eduroam

The use of laptops in the library is permitted and you can use the restricted WLAN access.
If you are a member of another university participating in the eduroaming network, you can connect to eduroam:

  • Choose SSID „eduroam“ from the list of available networks
  • Please use your login and password of your home institution as your “access data“ in the following format: <home-login>@<home institution.country code>

For more information on setting up the eduroam.

Scientific research

You can use your guest ID card to conduct scientific research using our licensed e-resources and the Internet for a limited time each day using the internet work spaces in the main buildung (Hauptgebäude) and in the Ammerbau, which are marked green.

Further information

For further information, please refer to our information flyer 12 (Guests of Tuebingen University Library).