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HdBA website - Library

Analogue and digital

Welcome to the library of the University of Applied Labour Studies!

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Opening hours

Mannheim

Monday to Thursday: 9.00 am – 6.00 pm
Friday: 9.00 am – 4.00 pm
Saturday and Sunday: closed

Schwerin

Monday to Sunday: 24/7

Opening hours:
Monday to Thursday: 08:00 – 16:00
Friday: 08:00 – 13:00

Key links

Databases

Our top databases

  • Application for Use (form not accessible)
  • Loans
    Registered library users can borrow library materials directly on site.
  • Loan period
    From 1 June 2025, standard loan periods of four weeks will apply to all user groups as part of a trial phase. Provided there are no reservations, the loan period can be extended multiple times independently via your library account.
  • Postal loans Are
    you currently off campus, e.g. due to a work placement, illness or your bachelor’s thesis? If so, you can have the items sent to you by post. Please contact us by email, providing all the necessary bibliographic details of the item you require and the address to which it should be sent.
  • Returns You can
    return borrowed items at the returns terminal during opening hours. Returning items by post is also possible.
  • Reservations
    If an item is currently on loan, you can reserve it via our catalogue. As soon as it is returned, you will be notified by email. The item will then be held for you on the collection shelf for 7 days.
  • (Individual) workstations with power sockets & free Wi-Fi
  • Group workspaces and rooms
  • Library café
  • Book scanner
  • Semester collections
    For seminars and other courses, the library provides semester collections, which are compiled according to the wishes of the respective lecturer. Semester collections are made available for the duration of the semester or trimester. These items cannot be borrowed and are marked accordingly in the library catalogue.
  • Reference management software Citavi
    The HdBA offers you access to the reference management software Citavi.
  • OLAF
    OLAF is the Orientation Centre for Literary Work and Research, or the HdBA’s Writing Skills Centre. Here you can receive personalised advice and attend workshops. Further information is available at OLAF

The library offers you a wide selection of electronic journals. You can find all licensed journals in the Electronic Journals Library (EZB).

  • Who has access? The following are

    authorised to access the library:
    • enrolled students,
    • participants in certificate programmes,
    • staff members of the university.
       

  • How to access

    Access is available both on campus and from home. Simply
    log in using your library card number and password.

  • EZB traffic light system: How to check availability

    In the EZB, a traffic light system shows which content you can access:

    • If the traffic light is green or yellow, you have access to all volumes of the journal available online.
    • If the traffic light is yellow-red, you only have access to certain volumes. You must check whether the article you are looking for was published within the available period.
    • If the traffic light is red, you do not currently have online access. However, it may be worth trying: many journals are now published in hybrid format, meaning that some articles are freely available to you even if the HdBA has not purchased a licence.


    By clicking on the respective journal title, you can view all details regarding the unlocked volumes.

  • Special access rules

    For some publishers, access is only possible on campus, with a personalised
    ID or a group ID. You can find an overview of all special access rules here.

The Digital Library of the University of Applied Labour Studies provides students with access to over 34,000 e-books from renowned specialist publishers (as of 24 February 2026).
All titles can be searched via the OPEN library catalogue and the Database Information System (DBIS) (list of licensed e-book platforms). 

  • Your benefits at a glance
     
    • Round-the-clock access to academic literature
    • Location-independent use – usually also outside the BA network thanks to IP authentication
    • Clear filtering options, e.g. by keywords or ‘Top Databases’
    • Traffic light system for quick identification of availability
       
  • Key e-book platforms
     
    • Nomos eLibrary
    • Springer Nature eBooks
    • Kohlhammer eLibrary
    • UTB e-Library

All platforms are perfectly tailored to studying at the HdBA and will help you with assignments, presentations or bachelor’s theses.

The Database Information System (DBIS) is available to assist you with targeted literature searches. It provides access to numerous databases—both those in the public domain and those requiring a licence—across all relevant subject areas. 

  • Why use DBIS?
     
    • Efficient searching using filters such as keywords or publication period
    • Traffic light system for quickly checking access options
    • Wide range of topics – ideal for all degree programmes at the HdBA
       
  • Recommended entry-level databases
     
    • wiso-net – Economics & Social Sciences
    • Statista – Data, statistics, market analyses
    • JSTOR – Academic articles & archive collections
      These databases are particularly well suited for initial literature searches during your studies. You can find further licensed databases available to the university here.

Access is via your personal library login and – with a few exceptions – is also possible from outside the BA network.

  • Quick access to peer-reviewed academic literature
  • Optimised for modern, digital learning
  • Easy to use OPEN, DBIS and publisher platforms
  • Maximum flexibility – on campus and on the go
  • What happens if I’ve forgotten my login details?
    Please contact the library team by email or in person. We’ll be happy to reset your password or help you log in.
  • What happens if I have lost my library card?
    Please contact the library team by email or in person. We will then issue you with a replacement card as soon as possible.
  • How does borrowing work? You can borrow items directly
    at the self-checkout using your library card.
  • Where can I find media recommendations?
    Media recommendations
  • How can I extend the loan periods?
    Log in to your library account. There you can extend the loan periods for the items you have borrowed, provided they have not been reserved.
  • How can I reserve a borrowed item?
    Search for the item in the catalogue and click on ‘Reserve’. Once the item has been returned, you will receive an automatic notification that it is ready for collection.
  • How do I return books?
    Items can be returned during opening hours at the return terminal or at the counter. Alternatively, items can also be returned by post.
  • Who can borrow what and for how long?
    The standard loan period is 4 weeks per item, but this can be extended independently and multiple times via your library account, provided there are no reservations.
  • I am not currently on campus – can I order items to be sent to my home or workplace?
    Please contact us by email, providing all the necessary bibliographic details of the item you require and the address to which it should be sent.
  • How do I find books in the library?
    Use our online catalogue; under ‘Copies/Locations’ you will see the library call number. You will find the item on the shelf under that call number.
    If you have any questions, the library team on site will be happy to help.
  • An item is marked as “not available for loan” – what can I do?
    These items are for use within the library only and cannot therefore be borrowed. If necessary, you can scan the sections you require.
  • The book is only available at the other campus – what should I do?
    Please contact us by email, providing all the necessary bibliographic details of the item you require. Please allow a few days for processing.
  • A title is missing from the collection – can I make a purchase suggestion?
    Yes! Please use our form for purchase suggestions (PDF not accessible). We will review your request and inform you of the outcome.
  • Where can I find study spaces in the library?
    In our library, you’ll find individual and group study spaces with power sockets and Wi-Fi, as well as study pods in the library café. No booking is required – just pop in!
  • How can I access e-books?
    The University Library has extensive e-book collections from various publishers. The e-books can be accessed via our library catalogue OPEN and the database information system DBIS.

In addition to its extensive collection, which is tailored to the university’s academic disciplines and course content, the library houses a historical collection:
the SEAD-BA Collection is based in Mannheim and preserves unique treasures relating to the German employment service. The collection fills a total of more than 500 metres of shelving. In addition, there are many digitised photographs and documents, around 1,100 of which are indexed in an internal finding aid.
As a student, you are of course welcome to make use of the collection.

If you simply wish to gather some historical data for a seminar paper or similar, a search in the library catalogue for relevant literature will usually help you succeed.

If you cannot find what you are looking for, or if the literature you have found leaves questions unanswered, please feel free to contact the library or Ms Brozio.

As part of a visiting scholarship, the HdBA at the Mannheim Campus, in collaboration with the Research Data Centre of the Federal Employment Agency at the Institute for Employment Research (IAB), provides access to microdata for non-commercial research in the fields of social security and labour market and occupational research.

Contact the FDZ
For enquiries regarding IAB research data or access options: IAB Research Data Centre
(requirements for data access during a visiting stay, services)

Contact the FDZ to arrange an appointment
To book an appointment for a guest visit to the BA University on the Mannheim campus, please use the Locaboo calendar.
Further information can be found here: Online booking calendar for guest visits
Further information on contact details, contact persons, etc. can be found here: Appointment booking

With a collection of around 60,000 items, the university library is the central point of contact for providing literature to students and staff at the university. It also supports local research and staff by managing licensed databases, e-books and e-journals and providing digital access. As a further service, it supplies staff at the Federal Employment Agency (BA) nationwide with specialist literature by post.

The library has premises on both campuses. Over the past two years, the library on the Mannheim campus has undergone a complete refurbishment. Following its reopening, it now boasts modern facilities based on the ‘library as a third place’ concept. In addition to a superbly curated collection, it offers individual study, work and relaxation spaces for the university’s students, lecturers and staff.

Team Leader: Dominic Funk, M.A. LIS

The HdBA recommends that its researchers publish their research findings in open access and release their publications under open licences. Through the HdBA’s Open Science Strategy, researchers and administrative staff commit themselves, amongst other things, to the principles of the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities. These include the responsible and transparent handling of project-related research data, as well as free access to results and publications at all stages of the research process.

New here? Information for your first term at the HdBA

  • Library tour
  • Course: Introduction to the Library
  • Course: Article Research
  • Course: Internet research
  • Course: Self-management during your studies

Online course: Introduction to the Library (link to ILIAS)

  • Personal consultation: Meet-a-Librarian