The Staatsbibliothek's reading rooms and bookable on-site facilities provide designated areas tailored to different study and work preferences. Whether you're looking for a quiet study space for focused research and learning or a collaborative environment for teamwork: make the Staatsbibliothek your own.
Orientation in the Reading Rooms
Silence
Unter den Linden
Vivarium (Manuscripts) (only in German)
Wien (Music) (only in German)
Potsdamer Straße
Laptop-free zone on the 2nd floor
Unter den Linden, an information board in the foyer provides information about the different workspaces and there are stand-up displays in front of the rooms.
Are you curious about why these names were chosen?
Conditions of use
The Staatsbibliothek's reading rooms hold reference works and information resources on all academic disciplines – with a special focus on humanities, cultural and social sciences. Items shelved in the reading rooms can only be consulted in the reading rooms, they cannot be borrowed.
The special reading rooms (e.g. Maps Reading Room, East Asia Reading room) hold reference works which, as a result of the type of material or the geographical area, especially refer to the items preserved in the special departments. Any special department's items are consulted in the respective reading room.
Drinks in sealable bottles can be taken into most reading rooms, whereas food is constricted to areas outside the reading rooms.
Onsite Facilities
At our site Potsdamer Straße you can reach the information staff in the reading room personally from Monday - Friday from 10am - 6pm and Saturday from 10am - 2pm.
At our site Unter den Linden you can get help and advice at the Information next to the Issue Desk from Monday - Friday, 10am - 6pm and Saturday, 10am - 2pm.
Most of the study desks in both buildings can be used freely without prior booking. For hourly or longer-term reservations of study desks, please use the service StabiBooking. Further study desks are available in the Special Collections' Reading Rooms.
In all locations study desks for wheelchair users and visually impaired people are available. Find out more information here.
Carrels are available to you for more extensive academic work with the collections of the Staatsbibliothek. Book a carrel online. For further information on booking conditions, please visit StabiBooking.
For people with severe disabilities and pregnant women one carrel is available at both sites. Please enquire about free capacities via raumbuchung@sbb.spk-berlin.de / using the keyword "Carrel."
Unter den Linden on the 1st floor in room Jerusalem are three group study rooms for 6 persons and one for 10 persons.
You can book a group study room online. For further information on booking conditions, refer to StabiBooking.
You may also work collaboratively in room Alexandria, both in the main room and in work niches for up to 4 people. All spaces are freely available and cannot be booked in advance.
At Haus Potsdamer Straße are only tables and seats in the Foyer for group work.
At Unter den Linden, there is a parent-child room equipped with a workdesl, a comfortable armchair for resting or breastfeeding, carpet, child-friendly furniture, and a selection of toys and activities for young children. The room can be used without booking by parents with healthy children up to the age of 12 years. It is accessible via room Alexandria - just take the first door on the right.
A detailed list of rules for using the room is posted on-site.
At our Potsdamer Straße location (3rd floor), you can relax in our reading lounge, furnished with comfortable armchairs, and enjoy the latest print editions of The New York Times, Tagesspiegel, taz and ZEIT. We also have recent issues of the magazine 'Bild der Wissenschaft' available for perusal.
Additionally, you can explore a wide range of international newspapers and magazines on the tablet provided, including Süddeutsche Zeitung, The Guardian, The Washington Post, and access to over 7,000 international newspapers and magazines through Pressreader.
For those seeking a curated selection of books on various engaging topics, we offer a small but lovingly rotated collection that invites you to linger and indulge in some reading.
For those who need to use CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, cassettes, and vinyl records, there is a PC workstation available in the reading room on the 2nd floor of our Potsdamer Straße location. This workstation is located diagonally across from the information desk. Headphones can be borrowed from the information desk.
Use room Utopia for video calls with your own laptop.
The desks are fitted with half-height soundproof walls. The equipment is not suitable for confidential conversations.
Our provider Bibliocopy offers library users scanners, printers and digitization facilities i.e. for scanning library collections, as well as a selection of office supplies. All devices are equipped with a card for self-service, which can be loaded with credit. Scanning and copying equipment is available within the reading room areas during all opening hours.
The service times of the Copyshops in both buildings: Mo-Wed, Fri and Sat 11am-5pm, Thur 12pm-6pm.
During service hours, card loading, service and advice, office material sales and the acceptance of repro or service orders are possible.
There is also a scantent in each building to enable easy scanning with an appropriate smartphone app for free and up to A3 format. Exactly where to find and how to use them is explained in this German blog entry. Furthermore, three microfilm scanners are available in the Newspaper Reading Room at the Haus Unter den Linden. Please reserve an appointment in advance.
In both buildings you can book StabiBoxes online for storing your documents. For more information, please click on StabiBooking.
Study desks and computers with access to the internet and to licensed databases are available in the reading room. Internet access via Wifi or Eduroam is, of course, possible. For more information please have a look at the Wireless Portal. If you encounter difficulties with the Wifi access, please contact staff at the information, you may also use the contact form in the Wireless Portal.
The start of print-jobs from your laptop is possible. View instructions on the pages of the copy-shop.
