Readers wishing to know which works - including electronic resources - are available in the General Reading Rooms can consult the relevant subject classification via the online catalogue (StaBiKat). The abbreviations HA and HB refer to the reference collections at the sites of Potsdamer Straße and Unter den Linden respectively. The classification scheme is roughly the same at both sites.

The General Reading Room at the location Haus Potsdamer Straße represents the concept of a Modern Research Library.
Thematically, the focus is on authors and topics of the 20th and 21st centuries – enlarged by basic universal reference works. Currently, there are around 150,000 items on the shelves.

Classification scheme of the reference collections

HB 1 Bibliographies: on shelves on the 1st and 2nd floor
HB 2 General Works, Library and Information Science, Encyclopedias: on shelves on the 2nd floor
HB 3 Philosophy, Religion, Theology: on shelves on the 2nd floor
HB 4 Psychology, Education: on shelves on the 2nd floor
HB 5 Language and Literature: on shelves on the 2nd floor
HB 6 Art, Prehistory, Archaeology, Music: on shelves on the 2nd floor
HB 7 History, Ethnology: on shelves on the 4th floor
HB 8 Social Sciences, Public Administration and Political Science: on shelves on the 3rd floor
HB 9 Economy: on shelves on the 4th floor, gallery
HB 10 Law: on shelves on the 3rd floor
HB 12 Mathematics, Natural Sciences (general): on shelves on the 4th floor, gallery
HB 13 Physics, Astronomy, Chemistry: on shelves on the 4th floor, gallery
HB 14 Geosciences, Geography, Environmental Sciences: on shelves on the 4th floor, gallery
HB 15 Biology, Agriculture: on shelves on the 4th floor, gallery
HB 16 Medicine, Sports and Games: on shelves on the 4th floor, gallery
HB 17 Technology: on shelves on the 4th floor, gallery