The University Library acquires, catalogues and provides access to literature and information sources for all academic disciplines represented at the University of Freiburg. In addition to an extensive print collection (approx. 5.3 million volumes campus-wide), it offers a comprehensive range of digital resources, including databases, electronic journals, e-books, and more. Both print and digital holdings are searchable via the Katalog plus.
The Historical Collections of the University Library include numerous valuable manuscripts, personal estates, incunabula, and prints from the 16th and 17th centuries. Many of these historical holdings have already been digitised and are accessible online.
The central building of the University Library offers innovative and user-oriented study spaces for the university’s researchers and students. It offers a wide range of workstations – from quiet reading rooms to collaborative learning lounges – and, in line with an open-space concept, specifically addresses the evolving requirements of the digital transformation. The University Library is one of the most heavily frequented institutions of its kind.
Distributed across the entire campus, the more than 50 specialist support the provision of subject-oriented information resources for all university members in the spirit of a functional single-tier library system.
The University Library strengthens research, teaching and study through both general and subject-specific training in information literacy, media literacy and data literacy. A unique offering is the student-run, cross-media editorial office uniCROSS, where students acquire foundational skills in journalistic editorial work.
The University Library positions itself as a customer-oriented service facility of the University of Freiburg. It is also open to all interested citizens of the region.
The University Library supports the University in implementing its Open Science policy. In close collaboration with researchers, the University Library develops and maintains infrastructures for digital publishing, research data management, and IT enabled scholarly work, ensuring their long term sustainability.
With the Open Access publication portal FreiDok plus, the University Library operates a robust platform for scholarly publications generated at the University of Freiburg. FreiDok plus enhances the visibility of research results and ensures permanent, open access to publications and research data in line with the principles of Open Science.
In addition, the University Library is involved in Digital Humanities projects by Freiburg scholars. The University Library provides comprehensive support and technical development – from grant applications and optical character recognition to the hosting of digital editions.
The University Library's Media Centre serves as a central hub for science communication and media production at the university. It assists researchers in preparing and disseminating scientific content professionally. It offers also the recording and live-streaming of events, the production of educational and informational films, and workshops on media literacy.
Through these activities, the University Library plays a pivotal role in knowledge and technology transfer and significantly enhances the cultural and scientific visibility of the university in the public sphere.
The Baden-Württemberg Consortium, whose administrative office is located at the University Library, is considered one of the largest library purchasing groups in the German-speaking region. It supplies nearly 60 member institutions with a comprehensive portfolio of databases, e-book packages, electronic journals, and related resources.
ReDI – Regional Database Information – serves as the technical operating unit of the Baden-Württemberg Consortium and is also based at the University Library.
The origins of the University Library date back to the founding of the Albert Ludwig University in 1457. In the 17th and 18th centuries, its development is closely linked to the activities of the Jesuit Order. During the late 18th and the 19th century, the dissolution of the Jesuit colleges (beginning in from 1773) and the secularisation of other religious institutions (1803/1806) resulted in the acquisition of large book collections. These accessions created new demands for storage. In 1903, a new building, designed by Carl Schäfer in the neo-Gothic style, was inaugurated and housed the University Library until 1978. Today, the building serves as one of the sites for the 59 specialist libraries across the campus. In 1978, the library moved to a newly constructed building, which underwent a complete renovation starting in 2008. Since July 2015, the University Library Freiburg has been housed in a building designed by the Basel-based firm Degelo Architekten.
