Museum reading room

We place media about book and media culture, materials from the special library of the German Museum of Books and Writing and books from the German National Library's holdings at your disposal in the museum reading room in Leipzig. The reference collection encompassing more than 3,700 publications helps you get started quickly in the most important subject categories.

Equipment: 26 workstations, a computer with internet access, three workstations with access to the catalogue and all online resources, flatbed scanner for duplicates, printing station, microfiche reader, (WLAN DNB network and eduroam).

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Workstation with reading lamp in the museum reading room

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: Workstation with reading lamp in the museum reading room …

: An old book, held open on foam wedges using so-called book weights …

Notes on using

The majority of our collection is available to order via our catalogue; for unlisted publications, please contact dbsm-benutzung@dnb.de. The order limit for monographs and journals is 10 copies. Specialist materials with more extensive content might be excluded from this and will be provided following a consultation with the staff. Individual media (e.g. in a vulnerable state of preservation) may be subject to usage restrictions or are unavailable for viewing due to legal reasons.

Reproductions of any kind (smartphone photographs, scans, etc.) can be made for special materials only by prior agreement. We will advise you of your reproduction options when providing you with access to your desired publications.

The collection of the German Museum of Books and Writing also includes personal documents and biographical testimonies. These are subject to copyright law as well as data protection law and privacy law.

In accordance with § 4 No. 7 of the German National Library’s Conditions of Use, the media must be treated with care, must not be damaged and the sorting must be maintained. When working with specialist materials, you are not permitted to use fountain pens, felt-tip pens or ballpoint pens to take notes. We will be happy to provide you with pencils.

The German National Library’s Conditions of Use issued on 28.02.2024 apply, as does the German National Library’s Fee Schedule published on 01.03.2024.

Issue

The media you have ordered will be reserved and made available in the museum reading room for 7 days. If you do not view the media before this deadline expires, they will be automatically returned to the stacks.

The 14-day lending period begins when you collect the media from the counter in the museum reading room. Provided the media have not been reserved, the lending period may be extended twice for 14 days at a time.

Special orders placed through the catalogue will not be displayed in your account.

Opening hours and contact

Monday to Sunday 10:00–18:00
dbsm-benutzung@dnb.de
Phone +49 341 2271-318

Sunday opening

The museum reading room is open on Sundays from 10:00 to 18:00 for users with valid library cards. Here you can use the media you ordered from the main collection and the holdings in our extensive reference library. You also have access to the electronic media in the German National Library's collection. The holdings in the German Museum of Books and Writing are not available for use.

Access via the entrance to the German Museum of Books and Writing.