The University Library of the Technical University of Munich is the academic information centre of the Technical University of Munich (TUM). The library comprises nine branch libraries, situated at the university's four locations in Munich, Garching, Weihenstephan and Straubing.
In Bavaria, we provide nationwide services in supplying literature and information to technological and scientific research facilities and companies. Our portfolio of products and services is also available to interested private individuals. We archive literature that has been published in Bavaria in the fields of applied natural sciences, technology (including information technology and architecture), agricultural and nutritional sciences and sport within the context of the Bavarian Legal Deposit Act. Furthermore, the University Library is also an official Standards Infopoint by the German Standards Institute (Deutsches Institut für Normung, DIN).
As a central service facility of the university, we are committed to TUM's Mission Statement and main areas of development: professionalism, constant renewal, innovation, striving for excellence and outstanding performance in the global knowledge process. The university's declared objective is to take a scientific approach to teaching, research, academic school education, training and further education. The mission and methodology behind this approach is adopted also by the Library, whose excellence represents an essential foundation for the efficient application of science in work and study at TUM.
The principles of the University Library's service and development profile are rooted in the Bavarian Higher Education Act, the Basic Priniciples of the University, the TUM's Mission Statement, the TUM's Library Policies including the Regulatory Statutes for the General Regulations ont the Use of Bavarian State Libraries (ABOB) and the Library’s Mission Statement.
The profile of the university library as a modern academic information centre at TUM is based on the following pillars:
1. The University Library as a centre of information
The university library guarantees the provision of literature and information to all members of the university for research, teaching and study purposes, in compliance with the Library Policies at TUM. Our services are founded on traditional tasks such as building up collections, purchasing, developing and providing literature and information together with the associated infrastructure. There is a particular focus on electronic media to accommodate the technical and scientific profile of the general user. We provide extensive collections of e-books, e-journals and subject-specific databases to both students and scientists.
2. The University Library as a centre for learning, teaching and working
Many students consider the library to be their preferred location for learning and communicating at the university. Library rooms with the latest equipment, reading rooms with computer workstations, Internet access, scanning facilities, and opening hours until midnight and at weekends meet the requirements of an integrated facility for learning and working. Our courier service is the logistical connection between all of our branch libraries and enables media to be borrowed and returned to any library free of charge, regardless of the campus. We offer a comprehensive immediate delivery service in the form of our online interlibrary lending service, the university's internal electronic article delivery service dokumenTUM and the digitisation-on-demand service. mediaTUM, the central media server at TUM, enables academics at the university to publish dissertations and postdoctoral theses electronically, while at the same creating and managing personalised collections of digital documents, photos and videos.
3. The University Library as a centre for conveying knowledge and information competence
In today's information-based society, skilled handling of information and media is a key qualification for success at university and at work. Since the formation of worldwide data networks that now form the basis of supplying information, librarians have adopted an important role as information professionals with regard to searching for high-quality sources of information. We support study courses, further education and life-long learning with comprehensive and extensive training options. We offer guided tours of the library, lectures as part of bachelor and master degree courses and workshops aimed at educating students and other university members in research strategies and information skills at a high level.
4. The University Library as a centre for customer focus and innovation
Our work centres around providing the best possible service to our customers. We use a quality management system certified in accordance with DIN EN ISO 9001 to achieve this aim. The introduction of modern management methods and the ongoing improvement of efficient planning and decision-making structures are integrated components of the Library's development. We take a flexible and efficient approach to the growing expectations relating to supplying academic literature and actively participate in developing innovative services and products.
5. The University Library as a contemporary employer
We support the process of ongoing training for all employees in the sense of life-long learning. We encourage the participation of staff in developing the University Library by way of a personnel development concept and the continuously improving internal communication channels. We organise internal training initiatives for our staff under special consideration of the further education programmes offered by TUM, the Bavarian Library Academy (Bibliotheksakademie Bayern) and the Bavarian School of Administration (Bayerische Verwaltungsschule).
6. The University Library as a cooperation partner
Networking with academic libraries at home and abroad within the context of partnerships and collaborations and being involved with various expert committees allows us to contribute not only to our own further development, but also to that of librarianship on a global level.
