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German Historical Institute Library
17 Bloomsbury Square
London WC1A 2NJ

Tel. +44-(0)20-7309 2019 / 7309 2022
FAX +44-(0)20-7309 2069 / 7309 2072
Email: library(GHI)ghil.ac.uk

Opening Hours

Mon, Tue, Wed and Fri:	10am - 5pm
Thursday:	10am - 8pm

The library opening hours may change or the library may be closed during events at the Institute. See noticeboard for details.

Readers' tickets, for which a passport photo and proof of address are required, are available at reception free of charge.

Guided tours of the Library will be available before each seminar at 4 p.m.

Library Staff

Head Librarian:	Dr Michael Schaich
Librarians:	Jolanta Gambus, Anna Maria Klauk, Dr Christiane Swinbank
Library Assistant:	Jana Schumann

The Institute has a research library which is devoted primarily to German history from the Middle Ages to the present. Its holdings concentrate on modern German history (in German as well as in other languages), with special emphasis on the 19th and 20th centuries, in particular Germany between 1933 and 1945, the development of the two German states after 1945/49 and German unification after 1989. Particular attention has been paid to building up the reference section (e.g. guides to archives), the collection of works on the theory and methodology of history and Festschriften. The library also acquires English translations of German holdings, where available.

The library began to acquire books on a large scale in the late 1970s. At present, it holds approximately 72,000 books, which are listed in a computerised catalogue. The library subscribes to c.200 periodicals, including all the important German regional historical journals, and provides access to a number of databases and important microform collections. Current journals, and a selection of German and English newspapers and magazines are displayed in the Common Room.

Acquisitions of the most important works on German history are as comprehensive as possible. The intention is to cover the whole spectrum of German historiography, thereby providing a reliable base for research on German history from the medieval period to the present day. Acquisition policy responds to current needs and invites suggestions made by readers. New books can be made available to readers very quickly, and all books and journals are easily accessible on open shelves. The library can be used by everyone without restriction. As a rule, books cannot be taken out on loan. However, there are facilities for photocopying, and a reader-printer is available for microfilm and microfiche.

The library is used by undergraduate and graduate students as well as teachers and researchers, mainly from London universities and colleges, but also from further afield. In addition, the library handles a large number of inquiries from both historians and journalists, many of them relating to archives and other opportunities for research in Germany.

Cataloguing has been done on computer since 1985 and there are three terminals in the reading rooms giving online access to the database, which also offers subject searches for the acquisitions of the last 15 years. The computerised catalogue includes the complete holdings of the library.