Premises

From the time of its establishment, the Library of the German Bundestag was always housed in temporary premises in Bonn which had not been designed with library functions in mind. With its move to Berlin in spring 2004, the Library is now housed with the Specialized Research Services in a building which, for the first time, meets its specific requirements. After a long period in which the Library was required to divide its functions between various buildings, it is now reunited under one roof and can offer a full range of services to the user.

The area of the Library which is accessible to users is located in the rotunda – sited by architect Stephan Braunfels in a prominent position within the architectural ensemble – of the Marie Elisabeth Lüders Building. The galleried reading room has a stock of around 20,000 volumes as well as more than 50 places for readers. On the floor below, there is a periodicals reading room with more than 1,400 individual titles. On the entrance level of the rotunda, there are the loans and returns desks and a central information desk as the first point of contact for users. More detailed advice is provided to users on the floor below; the research area, with spaces for more than 20 users, all equipped with PCs and with Intranet / Internet access, and the catalogue of persons and subject catalogue are also located here.

The Library has modern and well-equipped bookstacks on the lower storeys of the building. Reading rooms for special collections, such as official publications, loose-leaf items and maps, are grouped around the rotunda on the hallway level. The Library management and various other services are also accommodated here.

The Library runs a small bookbinding workshop. The bindery preparation unit is also housed here.