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Library network; research, online interlibrary loan and direct delivery

The Bavarian Library Network (BVB) is the regional association of libraries of different sizes and subject orientations in Bavaria. The central office is the regional service and competence center of the BVB.

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Bayerische Staatsbibliothek

Bayerische Staatsbibliothek

Street address

Ludwigstr. 16
80539 München

Postal address

80328 München

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Procedure details

The BVB is the regional association of around 200 predominantly academic libraries under state and church sponsorship as well as libraries of nationally important institutions in Bavaria. In a strategic alliance with the Kooperativer Bibliotheksverbund Berlin-Brandenburg (KOBV), the BVB operates the joint union catalog B3Kat, in which the titles of almost 20 university and college libraries from Berlin and Brandenburg as well as the Kunstbibliotheken-Fachverbund (kubikat) are also listed.

The BVB's "Gateway Bayern" portal, which is open to the public (see "Related links"), offers direct access to one of the largest bibliographic data pools in Germany using search engine technology:

  • Over 30 million title records and over 77 million holdings records from the union database B3Kat,
  • Index of German-language prints of the 16th century and
  • Around 62 million article references from more than 23,000 journals

[As of 01.07.2023]

The portal also allows users to search WorldCat, the world's largest online catalog database. It shows the holdings of over 10,000 libraries worldwide and supports links to the library systems of Bavarian universities and colleges for the use of local services.

As a web portal, Gateway Bavaria is permanently available. The full range of services can also be used on mobile devices.

The joint union catalog B3Kat is available as linked open data via the OpenData portal of the Free State of Bavaria for free re-use.

The research component is available to everyone. Depending on the type of owning library and its local conditions, the use of local collections is subject to certain conditions (minimum age, registration as a user, restriction of residence, worthiness of protection of the collection, etc.) and sometimes also to moderate protection fees (copying and postage costs, reproduction fees, pre-order fees, etc.). The libraries provide information about the terms of use on their websites.

Books and documents that users cannot find in their home library or other local libraries can be conveniently ordered - in the original or in the form of copies - from the online interlibrary loan service of the Bavarian Library Network. It is open to any registered user of the Bavarian State Library, a Bavarian university or college library or any other library participating in interlibrary loan. The books and documents are delivered to the library with which the user is registered.

subito - a fee-based service provided by German and Austrian libraries - guarantees the fast delivery of books and copies directly to the address specified by the customer within fixed deadlines at a reasonable price. The service is available to everyone after free registration on the subito homepage. It is not necessary to register with a library.

  • Verbundkatalog B3Kat - Open Data

    Die Veröffentlichung des gemeinsamen Verbundkatalogs B3Kat des Bibliotheksverbundes Bayern (BVB) und des Kooperativen Bibliotheksverbundes Berlin-Brandenburg (KOBV) erfolgt unter der Creative Commons License CC0 im Datenformat MARCXML mit den für Deutschland vereinbarten Konventionen.

  • Bibliographische Verbunddatenbank B3Kat als Linked Open Data
    Über den LinkedOpenData-Service des B3Kat haben Sie Zugriff auf die Beschreibungen zu über 28 Millionen Titeln aus ca. 200 wissenschaftlichen Bibliotheken in Bayern, Berlin und Brandenburg.
  • Gateway Bayern - Verbundkatalog des Bibliotheksverbunds Bayern

    Das Verbundportal Gateway Bayern ermöglicht die Suche im gemeinsamen Katalog aller bayerischen Verbundbibliotheken. Für die gefundenen Treffer werden mithilfe des Verlinkungsdienstes SFX kontextabhängig weiterführende Angebote gemacht: u.a. direkter Online-Zugang zu den nachgewiesenen Dokumenten im Volltext (sofern kostenfrei zugänglich oder durch die eigene Bibliothek lizenziert) bzw. Bestellung über Orts-, Fernleihe oder Dokumentlieferdienst. Eine Fernleihbestellung über Gateway Bayern ist nur für Benutzer nach Authentifizierung mit der an der Heimatbibliothek gültigen Nutzerkennung möglich.

  • Municipal library; application for a library card
    After registering, you will receive a library card or library card. You usually have to pay a fee to use a municipal library.
  • Municipal library; enactment of user regulations

    User regulations contain the rules for using a municipal library or bookshop (e.g. community library, municipal library, city library or municipal library). They can be issued by cities and municipalities that maintain them.

  • State library; research and lending
    The Bavarian State Library is the central state and archive library of the Free State of Bavaria. With 11 million volumes, 53,200 current journals and 147,000 manuscripts, it is one of the most important centers of knowledge in the world.
Status: 15.01.2025
Editorially responsible for prodecure description: Bayerische Staatsbibliothek
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