The German version of this document is the only legally binding version. This English translation is for your convenience only.
§1 Legal Status
§2 Tasks
§3 The Organisation of the University Library
§4 Library Administration
§5 Branch Libraries
§6 University Librarian
§7 Library Department Heads
§8 Management of the Respective Library Locations
§9 Subject Librarians
§10 Library Liaison
§11 The Library Advisory Board
II. Budget
§12 Generalities
§13 The Main Library's Budget
§14 The Budgetary Control
§15 Remaining Unused Budget Funds and Carryover
§16 Closed Reference Collection
III. Acquisitions, Cataloguing & Technical Processing
§17 Generalities
§18 Acquisition
§19 Journal Binding
§20 Purchase Order under Exceptional Circumstances
§21 Descriptive Cataloguing and Subject Indexing
IV. Public Services
§22 Generalities
§23 Offered Services
§24 Shelving of Library Material
§25 Collection Maintenance
V. Final Clause
§26 Commencement of Library Policies
I. Generalities
§1 Legal Status
By law, the University Library is an institution of Technische Universität München, TUM (Article 32, Paragraph 5, BayHSchG).
The University Library encompasses and manages the entire collection of literature at the university. It provides the infrastructure for acquisition, administration and provision of library material.
§2 Tasks
The University Library serves all literature and information needs of the academic community for research, teaching and study. This is a service rendered to the university’s faculties and administration.
The tasks:
- meeting the information and literature needs in a timely and complete fashion
- acquiring of library material within the allotted budget according to §12, Library Policies
- online cataloguing of all acquired materials
- classifying and arranging of all material consistent with the TUM classification scheme
- providing access to a broad spectrum of databases of the TUM
- providing professional reference service and additional information competence training
In addition, the University Library facilitates professional information to the public for work-related inquiries and continuing education.
In Bavaria, the University Library of the TUM is mandated to be the deposit library for technical, science, agricultural and athletic subjects (No. 2, KMBek, Nov. 11th, 1986 – Sammlung der Pflichtstücke nach dem Gesetz über die Ablieferung von Pflichtstücken).
By fulfilling these tasks, the University Library contributes to the goal of further developing Bavaria as an outstanding center for technology excellence.
§3 The Organisation of the University Library
The University Library consists of the main library and its branch libraries at the 3 locations in Munich, Garching, Freising und Straubing.
§4 Library Administration
The University Library coordinates all aspects of business pertaining to the library. The main tasks are as follows:
- provision of literature and information for all subjects within the university
- building and maintenance of the loan collection
- building and maintenance of the textbook collection
- participation in journal consortia
- operation and management of all branch libraries of the TUM
- operation of the central library servers in order to provide electronic information in cooperation with the data processing centre of the university
- bookbinding for books and journals
- maintenance of the collection
§5 Branch Libraries
Material in all branch libraries is excluded from loans. However, material purchased by the main library will be placed in the branch libraries for loans according to the requirements and local situation.
§6 University Librarian
The University Librarian is responsible for the entire library system and staff.
§7 Library Department Heads
The heads of the central library departments are in charge of their areas of expertise with respect to the entire library system.
§8 Management of Respective Library Heads
In order to coordinate the daily duties on site, one person for each location may be appointed as coordination leader.
§9 Subject Librarians
Regarding any library related faculty concerns, the University Librarian is assisted by the subject librarians.
The subject librarian’s tasks:
- collection building and arrangement according to the TUM Classification Scheme in all branches and the main library
- subject indexing of literature and information material
- further development of the TUM Classification Scheme
- providing professional reference service and additional information competence training to users
- participating in library administration
§10 Library Liaison
In the role of Library Liaison each dean serves as the representative of their respective faculty. Unless he/she has appointed another staff member, the dean guarantees the collaboration between the University Library and the faculty.
The Library Liaison cooperates directly with the respective subject librarian to ensure purposeful literature and information provision.
§11 The Library Advisory Board
Each of the three main locations assigns one professor to the Library Advisory Board. Furthermore one academic staff member is assigned to the board. The University Librarian is a permanent advisory member of this board. University Management appoints all other members. The term of office is for a period of three years. Re-appointments are possible.
The student’s spokesperson has permission to participate in the Library Advisory Board meetings as a guest.
The tasks of the Library Advisory Board are as follows:
- serves as an adviser in matters of fundamental policy and organization of the Library
- develops proposals regarding the university’s budget policy
- decides how to implement the Regulatory Statutes (Ausführungsbestimmungen zur Allgemeinen Benützungsordnung der Bayerischen Staatlichen Bibliotheken, ABOB) for the Library of the TUM
II. Budget
§12 Generalities
The Bavarian State Ministry of Sciences, Research and the Arts allocates annual funds to the Library of Technische Universität München in order to accomplish the library’s mission.
The University Management decides on the allocation of these funds, whereas the Library Advisory Board develops proposals. Following the budget allocation, the University Library presents a budgetary plan.
§13 The Main Library's Budget
In order to fulfil the main library’s task according to §4, funding must be allocated in advance. The University Librarian is responsible for the main library’s budget.
§14 The Budgetary Control
The University Library oversees the disbursement of the funds to each individual faculty. The Library also ensures prompt disclosure of these expenses.
§15 Remaining Unused Budget Funds and Carryover
Resources not spent on library material in the ongoing year may be transferred to the following year’s budget, subject to the provisions of “Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kunst”.
Requests from the faculties for the acquisition of literature which exceed the allocation of funds, will be taken into the consideration only if the funds needed are transferred to the University Library’s account in advance.
§16 Closed Reference Collection
Within the premises of university chairs and their institutes, closed reference collections may be established with faculty and third-party funds.
III. Acquisition, Cataloguing & Technical Processing
§17 Generalities
The University Library’s Acquisition & Cataloguing Department is responsible for acquisition and cataloguing according to §12, Library Policies.
All material is catalogued by national standards.
§18 Acquisition
The acquisition of non-loan literature for the branch libraries is based on “Ausführungsbestimmungen des Bayerischen Staatsministeriums für Unterricht und Kultus zum ‘Vollzug des Bayerischen Hochschulgesetzes vom 15. Mai 1975“.
For this each faculty appoints persons to submit purchase recommendations and develops acquisition policy guidelines.
The subject librarian assists the University Librarian in the purchase of literature for the main library.
The subject librarian’s tasks:
- ensures balanced and focused literature purchase within his/her subject fields
- decides whether to reorder existing copies of literature already in the collection
In case of disagreements between the faculty and the subject librarian regarding the purchase recommendations, the dean of the faculty must come to an agreement with the University Librarian.
§19 Journal Binding
All journals will be bound. The quality of the binding must withstand anticipated use. These expenditures must be in the budgetary plan.
§20 Purchase Orders under Exceptional Circumstances
The purchase of literature, defined in §12, without the University Library’s agreement is permitted under exceptional circumstances such as conferences or exceptionally favorable terms of purchase. These purchases will be paid by the University Library’s budget only if each original invoice and the items are given to the acquisition department directly after purchase.
§21 Descriptive Cataloguing and Subject Indexing
The Department for Acquisition & Cataloguing is responsible for the author/title access for all literature, whereas the subject librarians are responsible for subject indexing. Descriptive cataloguing and subject indexing are performed according to standardized rules.
All records of library materials are found in the Online Catalogue (OPAC).
The subject librarian proposes changes and further development of the classification scheme according to the guidelines laid down by the University Librarian. During such adjustments, the interests of the faculties must be taken into consideration.
IV. Public Services
§22 Generalities
University Library usage is in accordance with the “Allgemeinen Benützungsordnung der Bayerischen Staatlichen Bibliotheken (ABOB)” and the corresponding “Regulatory Statutes”. These regulatory statutes take into consideration the unique circumstances of the University Library of Technische Universität München.
§23 Offered Services
The University Library’s services include the following:
- the Online Public Access Catalogue
- access to reading room literature and loan of documents
- access to CD-ROM and online databases, electronic theses and other electronic publications within the university network
- inter-branch library loan and interlibrary loan
- sufficient space for reading and studying
- professional reference service and additional information competence training
The University Library’s services strive to provide the latest information technology.
Library users are regularly kept informed about the University Library’s services through information sessions, library tours and in-house publications.
§24 Shelving of Library Material
The shelving order of the library material in all branches follows mandatory uniform standards. Material purchased with University Library’s budget is either placed into the main library or the branch libraries, subject to lending regulations expanded in the “Ausführungsbestimmungen zur Allgemeinenen Benützungsordnung der Bayerischen Staatlichen Bibliotheken (ABOB)”.
Frequently accessed literature is placed in the open access area, whereas library material used less frequently, but still relevant is placed in the storage area of the main branch.
Highly specialized literature that is infrequently used for research will be given to regional storage libraries.
§25 Collection Maintenance
Collection maintenance follows the “Richtlinien für die Aussonderung, Archivierung sowie Bestandserhaltung von Bibliotheksgut in den Bayerischen Staatlichen Bibliotheken”.
After prior consultation with the Library Liaison, the subject librarian will decide which literature to withdraw from the non-loan collection.
Within the library budget, funds must be allocated for preservation of library material.
V. Final Clause
§26 Commencement of Library Polices
The Library Policies will come into effect the day after it is made public.
