Today’s opening hours: Universitätsbibliothek from 8:00 to 21:00 o’clock · Teilbibliothek Mil: now closed · Teilbibliothek Jura: now closed
Welcome to the HSU library. Start your studies and read our guide to using the university library.
There are three library locations in building H1 (campus plan):
The university library is the largest of the three locations and provides books in the fields of humanities (GeiSo), economics (WiSo), mechanical engineering and electrical engineering (MB/ET).
The law branch library offers legal literature (JUR).
The military branch library has literature available on military affairs (MIL), general reference books (ALL) and other small shelfmark groups such as GER, LIT, SPO, and various languages.
Your chip card is also your library card. Normally, your data will be automatically transferred to the library upon enrolment.
The number on the back of your chip card is your user number (0705…).
If you have only received a temporary paper student ID card, it is already activated and valid.
Library login (library account):
A list of your borrowed items including the loan periods can be displayed in your library account. You can also make reservations.
User name: 0705… (your library number)
Password: DD.MM.YYYY (your date of birth with dots)
PC workstations in the library:
You can log in with your RZ-Kennung (Computing Centre ID) at the workstations in the library.
The Bundeswehr intranet can also be used via the workstations. For this purpose, also log in with your RZ-Kennung (Computing Centre ID).
Send your document to Q-Pilot to print it out on a printer of your choice.
HSU login (Shibboleth):
Log in here to access our licensed products (electronic media, Citavi, Anny).
Universitätsbibliothek
| Monday – Friday | 8:00 – 21:00 |
| Saturday – Sunday | 10:00 – 18:00 |
Servicezeiten Universitätsbibliothek
| Monday – Friday | 8:00 – 17:00 |
| Saturday – Sunday | Closed |
Teilbibliothek Mil
| Monday – Thursday | 9:00 – 16:00 |
| Friday | 9:00 – 14:00 |
| Saturday – Sunday | Closed |
Teilbibliothek Jura
| Monday | Closed |
| Tuesday – Thursday | 9:00 – 16:00 |
| Friday – Sunday | Closed |
| 11. February | 12:00 – 16:00 |
| 10. March | 10:30 – 16:00 |
| 27. January – 29. January, 9. April – 16. April, 26. May – 3. June | Closed |
The library is closed on public holidays.
During lecture-free periods, the library has reduced opening hours. Please refer to the information on our startpage (news).
You can borrow print media (books and bound journals) with your chip card using the self-booking system. You will be responsible for the media from that time until you return them.
If you have only received a temporary paper student ID card, please contact the information desk regarding the loan.
Loan periods
*You may keep borrowed books for another 12 weeks after the 4 weeks, unless they are reserved. If a reservation has been made, you will receive an email notification asking you to return the book.
Manual renewing is not possible.
Return of items
You can return borrowed media via the self-booking system during the library opening hours. Outside the opening hours, you can put them in the book return boxes in building H1 (ground floor and 2nd floor, each at Roter Platz).
You do not need a library card for the return.
Use HSUfind to search the stocks of the HSU libraries (books, journals, e-media). To find printed items, you will need the following information:
Shelfmark
HSUfind shows a shelfmark for printed works, for example “JUR 285:YD0012”. Next to the shelfmark, you will find a note on whether the book is available or unavailable.
Click on the shelfmark to find information in which of the three libraries the book is to be found.
The shelfmark provides information on the exact location of the book in the shelf and also on the contents. For example in the JUR 285:YD0012 shelfmark, JUR 285 designates the subject area “university legislation/law of research”. Books of the same subject area are sorted alphanumerically on the shelf by using letter and number codes such as YD0012.
Specific locations
| Location | Description |
| Textbook collection | The textbook collection comprises media recommended in lectures or seminars, which are available in large numbers. It is located in the WiSo I area (Economic and Social Sciences). |
| Specific reference items/documents | Specific reference items/documents are available in the respective professor’s office only and are therefore not accessible to you. |
| Special stack | Please contact the information desk. |
| Trimester-specific reference items/documents | Recommended literature for seminars and lectures is located in the entrance area of the university library on the 2nd floor and can only be viewed on site. Borrowing is not possible. |
Special parts of shelfmarks
| Special component | Description |
| “S” after colon | Books with a shelfmark that has an “S” after a colon in the textbook collection and are available in large numbers. |
| “Z” after colon | The “Z” after a colon indicates that it is a journals. They have a separate location. |
| Person-related codes, e.g. SMI | Person-related codes are assigned if the content focusses on a specific person, e.g. Helmut Schmidt |
| Country codes, e.g. 2AA | Country codes are used if the content focusses on a specific country, e.g. Germany |
In addition to printed literature, you can also find e-media such as e-books or e-journals in HSUfind. They are marked “online”.
In the electronic journals library (EZB) you will find an overview of our range of licenced e-journals, which you can also search in HSUfind.
Subject-specific databases:
The database information system Datenbankinfosystem (DBIS) gives you access to our range of licenced and freely available databases for your subject area.
The library has licenced both full-text databases and reference databases/technical bibliographies. First select a database in DBIS and then start your literature search in the database.
Within the campus network, you can access the library’s licenced stock without restrictions.
Off campus:
Access from outside requires a VPN connection. Information on setting up a VPN connection to the university network can be found on the intranet pages of the Computing Centre (Rechenzentrum).
If access via VPN is not possible, many publishers now offer access via Shibboleth. On the pages of the publishers, registration via Shibboleth is often possible under “Log in via Shibboleth” or “Institutional Login”. For registration use your Computing Centre ID (RZ-Kennung) and your password.
Additional login data are only required in exceptional cases. Before creating personal login data, please contact our service personnel.
You can order literature that is not available in the HSU library from other libraries free of charge via interlibrary loan (see detailed information).
The following is possible in the library
Refer to the displayed list for copy prices.
Copies can be paid with coins. For printing, you have to deposit money on your chip card. The deposit is to be made at an automatic payment machine in the university library (2nd floor).
Your lecturers will compile trimester-specific reference items/documents for your courses.
They can be viewed via an online portal of the library.
Electronic documents can be retrieved after entering the course password.
Printed literature can be found on the trimester-specific reference items/documents shelf in the entrance area of the university library.
Literature management programmes allow you to collect, sort, and use your literature information to create bibliographies.
The library has licenced the Citavi literature management programme for all HSU members.
Information on possible uses can be found a „Managing Literature with Citavi“.
The library also provides information and support regarding the Zotero open source literature management programme.
When you leave HSU, please return all borrowed books. If you wish to, we provide you with an advance overview of the books you have borrowed.
Do not hesitate to contact us by email ([email protected]) or by telephone (040/6541-2177).
Please note that we will not be able to sign your outprocessing checklist (Laufzettel) until all borrowed books have been returned.
For questions use our contact form.
You can contact us personally Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., via chat or by telephone at (040) 6541-3701.
Do you have any questions about literature search, literature management, quoting or scientific work?
You are welcome to arrange a personal advice session or book a training course (advice and courses).
