About the library

Opening hours: Mo - Fr 9 am - 4 pm

The library of the Hannah Arendt Institute is a special library devoted to contemporary history.

As part of the research infrastructure, the library is open to all employees and serves as the point of contact for all demands concerning the research literature needed for publications and projects. As a reference library, it is also accessible for scientists, students, and the public for free use during its opening hours.
The open-access collections currently comprise around 53,800 volumes. A wide range of journals, newspapers and databases can also be accessed.

The library’s areas of collection largely correspond to the Institute’s areas of research:

                 History of National Socialism
                 History of the Soviet Occupation Zone/GDR
                 History of the German Reunification Process after 1989
                 Extremism Research
                 Dictatorship Research
                 Comparative Research into Transformations
                 Special collection: Theoretical foundations of Totalitarianism Research

                 Additionally, the library has a large variety of Hannah Arendt's writings in
                 German and English available.
The rooms offer a number of quiet working spaces with WLAN access. Copying machines and a book scanner are also on hand. For any questions, the library staff will assist you with help and advice.
Besides the local catalogue system, the media are also indexed in the national catalogue K10Plus. Journal titles may be viewed under the 'Journals' tab.

Information for visitors:

Between 10 am and 2 pm, the door will be open. Outside of those times (9-10 am and 2-4 pm), please use the doorbell.
Persons with visual impairments can work at the library using a screen reader.
The library is not accessible without barriers. Due to the nature of the collections, visitors must be at least 18 years of age.

Information regarding the life and works of Hannah Arendt may be found here: