Library of the BGBM

The purpose of the Library of the Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum, founded in 1815,  is, to collect the botanical literature on a worldwide basis as complete as possible and to make it accessible to the users. The library thus holds a wide range of literature on plants from all over the world, in all printed languages and from five centuries, among them precious and very rare books.

The extension of the library's holdings is also funded by the German Research Council (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG).

The library welcomes everyone who is interested to read about botanical topics, such as, e.g. plant identification, medicinal and other useful plants, plants and people, nature conservation, vegetation.

The library is a reference library, which means that literature can be consulted (and in most cases also copied) in the library but that loans are not permitted.

Collections

• General collections: Plant science, phytotaxonomy (all groups, including fungi), plant geography (including vegetation science and plant ecology), applied botany (plants used by man, ornamental plants, ethnobotany), nature and species conservation, nomenclature, history of botany.

• Special collections: Linnaeana, publications on botanic gardens and other botanical institutions, microfiche editions of herbaria, plant images, history and technique of botanical illustration, portraits and handwritings of botanists, biographical material, travel accounts, seed lists, vegetation maps.
  
  

 

Holdings in numbers (December 2007):

1. total number of  volumes:  190 422
2. number of current serial titles: 1333 
3. seed lists of botanical gardens: c. 900
4. other print materials (reprints, etc.): 141 799
5. micro materials: 4170 titles (c. 58 066 items)
6. CD-ROM, DVD & video cassettes: 316

Special collections

• Separates
  The collection of  141 634 separate (at the end of 2005) is filed in the conventional catalogues (card indexes) up to the acquisition year 2000 and is catalogued in the OPAC of the Freie Universität since.
  
  
• Image collections
  The core consists of a collection of c. 15.000 slides of plants and a collection of portraits of botanists, both electronically catalogued. In addition, collections of modern and historical images of the Berlin Botanic Garden and Museum, historical photographs of travels, etc., are held.
  
  
• Herbaria on microfiche
  The library holds all historical herbaria documented on microfiche.
  
  
• Biographical collection
  Contains biographical materials, portraits and specimens of hardwritings, all listed in a card index.
  
  
• Maps
  Vegetation maps, topographical and geological maps, all listed in a card index.
  
  
• Seed lists of botanical gardens
  Treated like journals and completely catalogued in the German Serials Database (search for "Index Seminum" + place). 
  
  
• Library of F. A. Stafleu
  Kept separately; separate catalogue available.
  
  
• Library of the Botanischer Verein Berlin-Brandenburg
  
  
• Library of the Volksbundes für Naturschutz e.V.

 

 

Enquiries

 All major bibliographies are kept in the reading room. 

For the period 1955 - c.1981 a card index supplements the Kew Record of Taxonomic Literature. 

Internet connection is provided for WWW inquiries. 

The staff is prepared to provide help in further enquiries.

The Library of the BGBM is founding member of the
European Botanical and Horticultural Libraries Group (EBHL).

Starting page Library

© Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin-Dahlem, Freie Universität Berlin
Page editor, Date (this page): 06. March 2008
http://www.bgbm.org/bgbm/library/ABOUT-EN.HTM