1. MGH Library
  2. Using the Library
  3. MGH Library Policy

Use of the Library

Use of the library of the Monumenta Germaniae Historica is subject to the following library policy and the „General Regulations on the Use of Bavarian State Libraries“ (ABOB) issued on 18 August 1993 (German language only).

Use policy of the MGH library

Disclaimer: The following is a non-certified translation of the German original text intended to ease understanding for non German-speaking users. Only the German version is legally binding.

1. Preamble

The MGH library is a reference library of the Munich Institute providing information and literature for the purposes of research, study, and other forms of scholarly work and factual information.

2. Permission of use

1. Use of the MGH library is free of charge, but previously requires registration at bibliothek@mgh.de. To register yourself, please bring a valid piece of official identification with a photo. The decision to grant permission lies in the hands of the library administration. 

2. Users transgressing the library policy may lose their permission of use or, in serious cases, be banned from the premises. 

3. Through registration and use of the MGH library, users implicitly declare that they have read and understood the library policy.

3. General terms of use

1. The MGH library is a reference library. Library media may only be consulted in the MGH reading room; they cannot be borrowed and are not available for interlibrary loans. Exceptions to this rule may made for exhibition purposes. Such cases require the permission of the library administration.

2. Coats, jackets and bags may not be brought into the reading room. They may be left in the cloakroom at the entrance to the institute. The library accepts no responsibility for the loss, damage or theft of items left in the cloakroom. Users bringing books into the library must show them at the reception. You may be obliged to show the contents of your bags and backpacks, if asked by the library staff.

3. The library has the right to refuse access to valuable or easily damaged media for conservational purposes. Such items may not be photocopied or scanned. For books produced before 1920, prior consultation with library staff is always required.

4. Use of media in the reading room; use of the open-shelf stacks, ordering media from the special collections

  1. All media are to be treated with care and may only be consulted in the reading room. All forms of damage (eg. theft, defacement, destruction) will be punished with the loss of user permission. Users may be made liable for any damage they have caused.
  2. Users are requested to not disturb other people working in the reading room or the library staff. Smoking, eating, drinking and telephoning are forbidden in the reading room and in the library stacks.
  3. It is also forbidden to use the MGH library internet connection to copy, view or download illegal contents.
  4. Provided that no special restrictions apply (where applicable, see the supplementary conditions for use of the MGH library), users have open access to the media in the stacks and may remove them from the shelves.
  5. Microfilms and items in the rare books collections may not be directly accessed. To consult these, please file a request in advance.
  6. Use of the stacks is at the user’s own risk. The library assumes no responsibility for accidents occurring in the stacks, in the reading room, or in the institute as a whole.
  7. Users must insert a replacement marker when they remove a book from the shelves in the stacks. Replacement markers are available on all levels of the stacks. The replacement markers should be filled in with the following information: the shelfmark, author, book title and volume, name of the user, and the date of removal.
  8. Users are asked to not replace the media in the stacks after use. Media that are no longer required should be placed on the book return trolleys available in the reading room and will be brought back to the stacks by the library staff.

5. Copies and scans

  1. Scanner printers are available for use by registered users in the copy room. Copywrite regulations allow the scanning and copying of articles and separate passages from monographs for private, non-commercial and scholarly purposes. The reproduction fees for copies or scans are 0,10 €/DIN-A4 page and 0,20 € DIN-A3-page. You are asked to pay the fees in the secretary’s office on the same day.
  2. For conservation reasons, some media may not be copied or scanned. For books produced before 1920, prior consultation with library staff is always required.

6. Use of the library for non-scholarly purposes

Non-scholarly, commercial use of the institute and the library and its media requires the special permission of the administration of the institute and library.


Last update 10.01.23