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The German National Library in Leipzig offers you a total of eight reading rooms, each with a different atmosphere and dedicated to a very wide range of different subjects. The German Museum of Books and Writing and the German Music Archive also await you here. Everything you need to know about using them during your visit can be found on this page.

General information about registration, fees, user services and the ordering and accessing of media can be found here.

Are you looking for a specific title or edition? Then you can search directly in our catalogue:

Catalogue of the German National Library

Information for refugees from Ukraine // Інформація для біженців з України

Інформація для біженців з України

Information for refugees from Ukraine // Информация для беженцев из Украины

Информация для беженцев из Украины

Welcome to the German National Library!

If you are at least 18 years old and would like to spend your time in the Leipzig area studying, working, reading or listening to recordings at the library, you will find the following information useful:

  • The German National Library mainly collects and preserves literature in the German language. For the most part, the only works available in other languages are translations from German or works that deal with Germany or prominent figures from the German-speaking countries.
  • The German National Library is an archival library. You can only use the media in the library's reading rooms. They cannot be taken out of the library.
  • We will gladly issue you a library card. This will not cost you anything. You can renew the library card if necessary. In order to register, you will need to show us a valid passport and written confirmation of where you are staying
  • Media have to be ordered through our catalogue.
    The media you order will be available the next working day. They will be kept for you for 14 days and can be used in the reading rooms for up to six weeks.
  • Wi-fi is available everywhere in the building. You can use the internet in the reading rooms.

Opening hours


Reading rooms, registration, media issue

Monday to Friday 9:00–22:00
Saturday 10:00–18:00

Please note the latest news on the construction work

Information

Monday to Friday 9:00–18:00
Saturday 10:00–16:00

German Museum of Books and Writing
Reading room

Monday to Saturday 10:00–18:00

German Museum of Books and Writing
Exhibitions

Tuesday to Sunday 10:00–18:00
Thursday 10:00–20:00
National Holidays 10:00–18:00

German Music Archive
Music reading room

Monday to Saturday 10:00–18:00

German Music Archive
Exhibition

Monday to Friday 9:00–22:00
Saturday 10:00–18:00

Closing times in Leipzig

The German National Library in Leipzig is closed on the following days: Sundays, statutory national holidays, the Saturday before Easter, Reformation Day, Day of Repentance (“Buß- und Bettag”), and from 24 December to 1 January.

Please note that the exhibitions at the German Museum of Books and Writing have different opening hours.

Contact

Information

Submit enquiry

Phone +49 341 2271-453
Fax +49 341 2271-470

Issues desk

Submit enquiry

Phone +49 341 2271-277
Fax +49 341 2271-470

Copying and scanning service

Submit enquiry

Phone +49 341 2271-453
Fax +49 341 2271-470

German Museum of Books and Writing
Reading room

Submit enquiry

Phone +49 341 2271-318
Fax +49 341 2271-240

German Music Archive

Submit enquiry

Phone +49 341 2271-150
Fax +49 341 2271-140

Anne Frank Shoah Library/Collection of Exile Literature 1933–1945

exilarchiv@dnb.de

Phone +49 341 2271 410/328
Fax +49 341 2271-444

Map Collection

Submit enquiry

Tel. +49 341 2271-323
Fax +49 341 2271-240

All subjects

Just ask us!

New here?

Our checklist provides tips for your first visit.

More

How to find us

German National Library
Deutscher Platz 1
04103 Leipzig

Getting here

We advise you to use public transport.

1 / By public transport

By rail

From the main railway station, take S-Bahn S1 in the direction of Riesa, S2 in the direction of Markkleeberg-Gaschwitz, S3 in the direction of Stötteritz or S5/S5X in the direction of Zwickau. Journey time approx. 7 minutes, get off at “Leipzig MDR”. Exit onto Semmelweisstraße, then turn right and continue for 400 m to the intersection at Straße des 18. Oktober.

Alternatively, take tram line 16 from platform 2 in front of the main railway station (in the direction of Lößnig) and get off at “Deutsche Nationalbibliothek”. Journey time approx. 11 minutes.

By air

From Leipzig/Halle airport, take S-Bahn S5/S5X in the direction of Zwickau. Journey time approx. 30 minutes, get off at “Leipzig MDR”. Exit onto Semmelweisstraße, then turn right and continue for 400 m to the intersection at Straße des 18. Oktober.

2 / By car

Approaching from the north

Take the A9 to the Schkeuditzer Kreuz intersection, continue on the A14 towards Dresden and take the Leipzig-Mitte (city centre) exit; continue on the B2 towards Leipzig city centre as far as the intersection at Prager Straße/Semmelweisstraße (follow the signs for “Deutsche Nationalbibliothek”).

Approaching from the south and east

Take the A9 or A14, change to the A38 and continue to the Leipzig-Süd exit; change to the B2 and continue to the Südvorstadt exit; turn right into Kurt-Eisner-Straße and continue to the German National Library.

Construction work

Construction work will start in the Leipzig building in October 2023 and is likely to continue until October 2024. This will impact user services, e.g. by making it necessary to close some of the reading rooms.

Find out more about the latest developments

Access for persons with disabilities

The technical equipment at our workstation for blind and visually impaired users: keyboard with extra-large engraved letters and characters. Braille output device

The German National Library in Leipzig has designated parking spaces for disabled persons right in front of the building. The entrance for disabled visitors is signposted. The reading rooms and cafeteria are accessible by elevator.
A WC for disabled persons is located on the 1st floor near the cloakroom, and another one is situated on the 2nd floor in the German Music Archive's exhibition area.

If you are dependent on assistance, a free library card will be issued for your companion at the registration desk. Guide dogs are permitted.

Workstations for persons with disabilities

Workstations for wheelchair users are available in all reading rooms.

Workstations for the blind and partially sighted

PC workstations for the blind and partially sighted are located near the media issue. Here you can search the catalogue and make use of the collections and internet. These PC workstations are equipped with the following:

  • DIN A3 scanner with OCR software
  • Braille keyboard
  • Jaws for Windows with text-to-speech output
  • ZoomText magnifying software
  • “VIG Keys” high-visibility keyboard
  • Optelec ClearView magnifier

Please make an appointment for an introductory session.
Phone +49 341 2271-453
info-l@dnb.de

You should start working at these workstations during the information desk’s hours of service.

Reading rooms and their collections

Note

From October 2023 to June 2024, extensive construction work will take place. You can still use the reference collections in the humanities and natural science reading rooms despite the construction work. Please ask at the issues desk.

Plan showing the locations of the eight reading rooms at the German National Library in Leipzig Plan showing the locations of the eight reading rooms at the German National Library in Leipzig In Leipzig there are 8 subject-specific reading rooms

Main reading rooms

The humanities and natural science reading rooms contain 370 workstations and extensive reference collections for each subject category. You can access our bibliographic reference library directly in the old technology reading room.

There is a group workroom in the humanities reading room with pc and six workplaces.
Please make a reservation at the information desk on site, by form (only available in German, Thema Gruppenarbeitsraum) or by calling +49 341 2271 453.

You can use the computers in the reading room to access the catalogue and full texts of online resources such as e-books, music files, digitized works, e-papers and databases. More

Internet access at the stationary workstations is free of charge, as is WLAN (DNB network and eduroam), which can be used on your own mobile devices.

Multimedia/periodical reading room

The reference collection in the multimedia/periodical reading room contains current daily and weekly newspapers along with around 1,800 selected periodicals in all important subject categories and a computer science reference collection. To the catalogue


You can use the computers in the reading room to access the catalogue and full texts of online resources such as e-books, music files, digitized works, e-papers and databases.

The electronic publications (e.g. CD-ROMs, audio CDs or DVDs) ordered are made available at designated computers.

You will also find reader scanners, copiers and printers there.

Our qualified staff will help you search for, order and use electronic media such as CD-ROMs, audio CDs and DVDs.

Internet access at the stationary workstations is free of charge, as is WLAN (DNB network and eduroam), which can be used on your own mobile devices.

Anne Frank Shoah Library/Collection of Exile Literature 1933–1945

In this reading room, you will find the Anne Frank Shoah Library and the reference collection of the Collection of Exile Literature 1933–1945.

Internet access at the stationary workstations is free of charge, as is WLAN (DNB network and eduroam), which can be used on your own mobile devices.

Map reading room

In the map reading room, you will find cartographic literature, reference works, atlases and current maps. to portal collection.

Material ordered from the map collection is made available for use here. Access is granted between 10:00 and 16:00 from Monday to Friday or by arrangement.

Internet access at the stationary workstations is free of charge, as is WLAN (DNB network and eduroam), which can be used on your own mobile devices.

Music reading room

The music reading room contains a reference collection of selected music literature and the most important current periodicals from the collection of the German Music Archive.

Music publications (and sheet music) ordered from the collections of the German Music Archive and German National Library are made ready for use here.

You can listen to all our digitised music recordings in high quality at specially configured reading room computers. Four of the workstations are equipped with piano keyboards. Please book in advance if you wish to use the soundproof listening booth.

Internet access at the stationary workstations is free of charge, as is WLAN (DNB network and eduroam), which can be used on your own mobile devices.

Museum reading room

In the museum reading room, you can access publications from the study collections of the German Museum of Books and Writing. The reference collection contains books and journals on book and media culture and various materials in the museum’s holdings – for example watermarks, art prints and objects in the portrait collection. [Link zu Benutzung DBSM]

Internet access at the stationary workstations is free of charge, as is WLAN (DNB network and eduroam), which can be used on your own mobile devices.

Copying and photography

In the user areas, you can make paper copies at various machines against payment of a fee or store scans of printed media on USB sticks. Microfiches can be re-enlarged at the reader scanners.

The following fees are charged per page:

  • DIN A4 black/white 0.10 Euro
  • DIN A3 black/white 0.20 Euro
  • DIN A4 colour 0.50 Euro
  • DIN A3 colour 1.00 Euro
  • Digital copy 0.05 Euro

Please refer to our fee schedule for other fees. Please add cash to your library card at the automated pay station to pay all the fees incurred.

You are permitted to take photographs of media works (except sheet music). Please handle media with care. When taking photographs in the reading room, please refrain from using flash or tripods and avoid disturbing others.

You as the user are responsible for observing and complying with copyright regulations.

The storage of excerpts from electronic publications is not permitted.

We prepare digital or paper copies of works in accordance with the applicable copyright regulations (§ 53 und § 60e) and in line with our collection preservation guidelines. Please send us your reproduction request via the order form (only available in German).
You will find further information at the help page.

Refreshments

Self-service counter at the German National Library's cafeteria in Leipzig

“Saxonia-Catering” in the German National Library offers a varied selection of drinks and meals including vegetarian dishes. The restaurant is open from Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 14:30. Food and drink may only be consumed at your seat.

Opening hours

Monday to Friday 08:00–14:30

Contact

Phone +49 341 2271-329/429
Fax +49 341 2271-529
dnb@saxonia-catering.de

Monatlicher Speiseplan (only available in german)

Collections

Join us on an exploratory tour of our collections and holdings.

More

Further information

Last changes: 16.11.2022

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