The University Library
- the Central Library, which houses management and central functions and several specialized sections,
- four Departmental Libraries and
- approximately 30 Faculty Libraries, which function as decentralized reference libraries.
The collections of the Royal University established in 1477, which closed in 1798, were transferred to the City of Mainz in 1805 and have been held in their Municipal Library ever since.
The construction of the University Library began in 1946 when the University of Mainz reopened. In the initial post-war period, only decentralized libraries were created. The University Library / Central Library was established later and moved into its own new building in 1964. Its collections consist mainly of works from the past century.
During the last decade interdisciplinary departmental libraries have been established as constituent parts of the University Library and a diverse electronic collection has been created.
1. Central Library
The Central Library provides information and other services for the entire university. It ensures the provision of subject-specific information to undergraduate students and makes available interdisciplinary information tools, as well as key publications from other academic areas.The Central Library is the main lending library at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. It offers study facilities, maintains the university's main textbook collection and keeps central reference collections in the reading rooms. In addition, the Central Library provides services including advice for library users, user training and inter-library loans, and offers other electronic and conventional services.
In terms of organization, the following special sections/libraries are part of the Central Library:
- Specialized Collection for French Studies
- Specialized Library for Medicine (FBM)
- Specialized Library for Translation, Linguistics and Cultural Studies (Specialized Library TSK).
The U.S.Studies Library, which was once part of the Central Library, is now an organizational unit within the SB II Departmental Library.
2. Specialized Collection for French Studies
The "French Studies: Culture - Society - Regions" collection has been funded by the German Research Foundation since 1991. It features recent interdisciplinary and regionally specific literature, complemented by more general works.Adding this to the pre-existing library collection, the French Studies section now contains about 57,000 books and 480 current periodicals. Specialist services are provided to support the collection, including regularly updated information in print form and online.
3. Specialized Library for Medicine (FBM)
The specialized Library for Medicine is a division of the Central Library. It provides local access to a full range of library services for hospital staff, members of nearby clinical and theoretical institutes, as well as for students. In addition to the medical literature available on loan from the Central Library, the FBM has a comprehensive reference collection of medical books and journals, as well as a textbook collection for clinical medicine.4. Specialized Library for Translation, Linguistics and Cultural Studies (Specialized Library TSK)
The Specialized Library for Translation, Language and Culture has been a division of the Central Library since 2009. It offers students and lecturers from Faculty 06: Translation, Linguistics and Cultural Studies in Germersheim, local access to all library services. It includes a collection of about 200,000 monographs and 230 current print journals. In addition, it provides access to the University Library's collection of electronic journals, databases and e-books. The foci of the collection are Translation Studies (incorporating both Translation and Interpreting Studies) and aspects of Linguistics and Cultural Studies relevant to translation, as well as literature on the 12 languages and specialist subjects (Information Technology, Medicine, Law, Engineering, Economics) offered at the FTSK.5. U.S. Studies Library
The U.S. Studies Library is a special collection which was originally part of the Central Library but is now an organizational unit within the SB II Departmental Library. It is interdisciplinary in nature and collects literature and information on the United States of America with an emphasis on social science, history and culture.In addition to approximately 60,000 freely accessible books, the library also has a comprehensive, mostly electronic, range of journals and newspapers. There is also an in-house information service and a wide range of online services. During the term, tours of the library and training sessions on how to use the databases are offered.
6. Departmental Libraries
The aim of creating Departmental Libraries as interfaculty/interdepartmental library units is to ensure access to library services across the entire university using modern library technology. The Departmental Libraries have been created by combining parts of the Central Library's collection with the collections, documents, fixtures and library technology of the departments and departmental institutes concerned.At present, there are four Departmental Libraries:
- Departmental Library for Physics, Mathematics and Chemistry (PMC)
- Departmental Library SB II
- Departmental Library for Catholic Theology and Protestant Theology
- Departmental Library Philosophicum
7. Departmental Library for Physics, Mathematics and Chemistry (PMC)
The Departmental Library for Physics, Mathematics and Chemistry, established during the Winter Semester of 2000/2001, combines the collections of seven former scientific faculty libraries (17; 18.1; 18.2; 19.1-3; 19.4; 19.6 and 19.7) under one roof. In addition, the collection includes supplementary material from the Central Library. This consolidation of space and staff ensures improved services for library users.8. Departmental Library SB II
The Departmental Library SB II is the shared library for the departments of Education, Political Science, Journalism and Sociology, and includes the U.S. Studies Library. The library, which was established during the 2002/2003 Winter Semester, currently contains approximately 200,000 monographs, 328 current print journals and daily newspapers and provides access to CD ROM and online databases.9. Departmental Library for Catholic Theology and Protestant Theology
The Departmental Library for Catholic Theology and Protestant Theology combines the collections of the former departments of Catholic Theology and Protestant Theology, which have operated as one single faculty since the 2005 Summer Semester.The library currently has more than 222,000 monographs, arranged according to their respective subject classification system. All material is integrated within the online catalog and can be researched over the internet.
In addition to approximately 350 current journals in paper format, of which 260 are held in the journal display rack, the University Library subscribes to approximately 400, mostly English-language, e-journals on the subject of theology. This collection and access to the University Library's databases are also available to students.
10. Departmental Library Philosophicum
The Departmental Library Philosophicum is the combination of 15 faculty libraries from Faculty 05: Philosophy and Philology, and Faculty 07: History and Cultural Studies, across 20 different locations. It covers the following subjects:- General and Comparative Literature
- General and Comparative Linguistics
- Ancient History
- English / American Studies
- Book Studies
- Byzantine Studies
- German Studies
- Classical Archaeology
- Classical Philology
- Medieval and Modern History
- Eastern European History
- Philosophy
- Romance Studies
- Slavic Studies
- Theater Studies
Historical Cultural Sciences were added as the 21st location at the beginning of 2010.
Adopting a suggestion by departmental representatives, the Departmental Library Philosophicum is based on the idea of an "open library." This means that the Departmental Library is not a closed library area but instead integrates library facilities with lecturers' offices, administrative offices, business rooms, student council facilities and function rooms.
The library, which opened in this form in January 2008, currently has approximately 660,000 items and over 1,100 current print journals, which are all fully documented in the university's online catalog. Library users can access the University Library's electronic journals and databases via the campus network.
11. Faculty Libraries
The Faculty Libraries are decentralized reference libraries. They collect literature, including specialized research literature in their respective disciplines, and make it available for use. The literature can usually only be used within the library, i.e. items cannot normally be borrowed or can only be borrowed for a short period (weekend loan).Book collections held at the university's faculty libraries are also listed in the catalogs of the University Library (online catalog and alphabetical master catalog in card form). These collections have been fully indexed since approximately 1972.
You will find basic information on the individual libraries within the departments under the names of the institutes or departments (alphabetical list in German) or under the department numbers (numerical list in German).