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Using the German National Library

A user pictured with a pile of books and his notebook in the German National Library’s humanities reading room in Leipzig

The German National Library is a reference library. All media are made available for use in the reading rooms. Our locations in Leipzig and Frankfurt am Main have a wide range of reading rooms offering optimum work and study conditions. You can browse among 46,3 million media works, 12.3 million of which are online publications including approx. 1,600 digital journals. We also have special collections in the German Museum of Books and Writing, the German Exile Archive 1933–1945 and the German Music Archive.

The German National Library's collection mandate encompasses all texts, images and sound recordings published in Germany or in the German language, translated from German or relating to Germany that have been issued since 1913.

Services for refugees from Ukraine // Інформація для біженців з України // Предложения для беженцев из Украины

Інформація для біженців з України

Предложения для беженцев из Украины

We would like to support you and enable you to access media and information. You can use our printed and electronic media works, databases and the internet in our reading rooms in Leipzig and Frankfurt am Main. You are welcome to come here if you want to use our wi-fi access or work and study in peace. We also offer you the opportunity to listen to music; in Leipzig, you can even play it yourself (piano keyboards).

You can register to use the German National Library free of charge. You will need a valid passport and confirmation of where you are staying.

If you have any questions, you can call us in Leipzig on 0341 2271 453 or in Frankfurt am Main on 069 1525 2500; you can also e-mail us at info-l@dnb.de or info-f@dnb.de.

User ID, registration and fees

Do you want to use our library, and are you at least 18 years old? If so, you need a user account, for which you have to register – ideally online before your first visit. You will receive your user ID on site.

Use of the German National Library is free of charge.
The Administrative Council has decided to suspend general user fees for a trial phase from 1 March 2020 to 28 February 2025. Fees that have already been paid will not be reimbursed.

Administrative fees and other fees listed in the fee schedule, e.g. for duplications or document deliveries, will still be charged.

Please ask our staff at the media issue.

Searching the catalogue

You can search our catalogue from any location, view the full texts of more than 1.9 million open access publications or display the tables of contents of more than 2.5 million titles.

Simply enter your search term in the adjacent catalogue box or click directly on the magnifying glass.

Ordering and provision of media

Avoid unnecessary waits in the library and order the media you are interested in before you visit. Here you can find out everything you need to know about when and where media are made available, borrowing periods and order restrictions.

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Use on site

One library – two locations. Find out more about what we offer in Leipzig and Frankfurt am Main. Here you will find information about getting to each location, barrier-free access, parking, our opening hours and how to contact us. We also give you an overview of the reading rooms with their reference collections and copying, printing and photography facilities.

Using digital media

Here you will find information on searching and using the various electronic publications in our holdings, which include e-books, e-journals, e-papers, electronic publications on data carriers, digitised media and websites.

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Services for users

Do you have questions about using the German National Library, our collections or the copying and scanning service? Or do you need help searching for literature? Our expert staff are here to help!

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Introductory sessions

Are you new to the German National Library?
Get to know us by attending one of our introductory sessions - either virtually or on site.

The DNB Coffee Lectures: coffee breaks with informative content

Our Coffee Lectures were designed to let you spend your coffee break finding out more about the library and how to use it by watching a series of short 20-minute lectures online.
The series of nine lectures will give you glimpses into many different areas of the library.

Dates (only available in German)

User surveys and research

We at the German National Library regularly conduct surveys and ask for feedback in order to find out how satisfied our users are. We then use the results to develop our offers and services further.

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Just ask us!

Do you have any questions about the German National Library and its collections, browsing the catalogue, or searching for literature on specific subjects? If so, please get in touch with us.

Just ask us!

DNB Professional

Here you will find library information for our expert public.

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Short-URL: https://www.dnb.de/use

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