Searching & Finding
TUM OPAC
Search. Order. Read online | 500+ million books, journals, and papers from TUM and other libraries in Bavaria
The TUM OPAC online catalog is our central, interdisciplinary research tool for academic materials of all kinds. It lists all 2.3 million media items held by the TUM University Library – including not only physical media but also e-books, e-journals, databases, and online papers. You can order items directly in the TUM OPAC, place holds, read media online, and view your library account.
How Do I Log In to the TUM OPAC?
To view your library account, order items, or place holds, you need to log in to the TUM OPAC.
… with TUM ID
- TUM students
- TUM staff
- TUM guests with a TUMonline account
… with library number
- External library users
- TUM alumni
Library Account
If you study, work, or have guest status at TUM, you automatically receive a library account. When borrowing items, please present your TUM StudentCard, PersonalCard, or GuestCard at the circulation desks.
External library users and TUM alumni can also use the University Library. For this, you need a library card, which you can apply for at one of our branch libraries.
I Forgot My Password. What Can I Do?
Active TUM Members
Log in with your TUM ID. If you have forgotten your password, please go to TUMonline and use the “Reset password” function.
External Library Users and TUM Alumni
Log in with your library number. If you have forgotten your password, please use the “Create new password” function in the TUM OPAC.
For questions or problems, please contact our First Level Hotline.
How Can I Order Library Items?
The TUM OPAC shows context-sensitive options indicating whether you can order an item, place a hold, or read online. You will find the corresponding buttons in the search results.
Order
Click the “Order” button and select your preferred pickup location. If you are not logged in, you will be prompted to do so.
Ordering is not possible …
- … within the same branch library: If an item is freely accessible in your preferred library, please take it directly from the shelf and borrow it on site.
- … if your library account is blocked: Possible reasons include receiving a fee-based media reclaim notice. Please return overdue items and settle any outstanding fees.
Place a Hold
If all copies of a title are checked out, you can reserve the item using the “Place a hold” button. You will be notified by email as soon as a copy is available for pickup.
Request Scans
Active TUM members can use our free scanning service dokumenTUM. Request scans of scientific papers or book chapters via the corresponding button in the “Availability” tab.
Order via Interlibrary Loan
If an item is not available at TUM, the TUM OPAC will display an interlibrary loan button. The item will then be provided by another academic library. At TUM, this service is free of charge for you.
Tip: If you are only interested in items available at TUM, filter your results by selecting “Library Holdings TUM”.
How Can I Access E-Media?
The TUM OPAC shows context-sensitive options indicating whether you can read an item online, order it, or place a hold. You will find the corresponding buttons in the search results.
Read Online
For e-books, e-journals, and other online resources, the TUM OPAC displays the “Read online” button. This allows active TUM members to access our e-media from anywhere, 24/7. Simply click the button and log in with your TUM ID.
For external library users and TUM alumni, remote access is not available due to licensing restrictions. Use e-media at the library computers in the branch libraries.
Why Do I Sometimes Have to Log In Again When Using “Read Online”?
Active TUM Members
When you log in to the TUM OPAC, you use TUM authentication service (Shibboleth Single Sign-On). If you select the stay logged-in option (“angemeldet bleiben”), you usually do not have to enter your TUM ID again as long as your browser remains open. However, depending on the login sequence, transmitted data, or publisher requirements, you may be prompted to re-enter your TUM ID.
External users and TUM alumni
For licensing reasons, remote access is not available to external library users or TUM alumni. Use our e-media at the library computers in the branch libraries.
Databases
For well-founded subject-specific research, we recommend subject portals. The TUM University Library provides access to more than 2,700 licensed databases and research portals. Our portfolio, including detailed access information, is listed in the Database Information System DBIS.
E-Journals
With more than 150,000 free and licensed e-journals, the TUM University Library offers you comprehensive access to current academic information. You can find our e-journals in the TUM OPAC or get an overview of our holdings in the Electronic Journals Library (Elektronischen Zeitschriftenbibliothek, EZB).
E-Books
The TUM University Library has licensed more than 300,000 academic e‑books, including many textbooks and reference works. Just like printed books, e‑books can be found in the TUM OPAC. Active members of TUM can conveniently access our electronic resources via remote access – on campus, from home, or on the go.
Academic Theses
Dissertations, habilitation theses, and student theses are considered academic publications. All TUM dissertations are published either in print or electronically. They can be searched via the TUM OPAC and borrowed, or accessed in full text on the publication server mediaTUM. A selection of student and habilitation theses as well as dissertations from other universities is also available.
Standards
As an official standards information point, the TUM University Library provides access to a wide range of national and international standards and technical regulations, in particular all DIN standards. As the primary research tool, we provide the Nautos database.
Additional Catalogs & Research Tools
TUM Classification System
The University Library's collections have been classified by subject areas since the publication year 1982. For this purpose, we use our in-house TUM Classification System. It consists of 52 main groups, each with up to 999 classification codes.
You can use the classification system for your literature search in the following ways:
- Browse the shelves by subject area
- Enter the classification code in the advanced search of the TUM OPAC, e.g. PHY 270 (Ultrasound)
Gateway Bayern
The union catalog of the Bavarian Library Network (Bibliotheksverbundes Bayern, BVB) lists all media held by participating libraries, including all Bavarian university libraries, university of applied sciences libraries, regional state libraries, and the Bavarian State Library. Libraries of the Cooperative Library Network Berlin-Brandenburg (Kooperativen Bibliotheksverbundes Berlin-Brandenburg, KOBV) also contribute their bibliographic data to the Gateway Bayern portal.
Karlsruhe Virtual Catalog (KVK)
The meta search engine Karlsruhe Virtual Catalog (Karlsruher Virtueller Katalog, KVK) developed by the KIT Library enables parallel searching of more than 80 bibliographic databases. The integrated data sources include numerous catalogs of academic libraries and consortia in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, as well as national catalogs of other countries, booksellers’ directories, and cross-institutional databases such as BASE, DOAJ, and Europeana.
Journal Database (ZDB)
The Zeitschriftendatenbank (ZDB), the German union catalog of serials, is the central bibliographic database for ongoing collections such as journals, e-journals, magazines, and newspapers. It contains records from nearly all German and Austrian academic libraries. The journal database is managed by the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin (SBB) in cooperation with the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek (DNB), the German National Library.
WorldCat
WorldCat is a union catalog that records the holdings of tens of thousands of institutions, mainly libraries, in many countries that are or have been members of the OCLC cooperative.
Google Scholar
Google's web search engine offers a general search for academic literature, including both freely accessible documents and paid content. Google Scholar is the largest academic search engine worldwide but still covers only a small portion of scientific publications in the deep web. It does not provide a qualitative selection, meaning that documents not meeting scientific standards may also be listed.
Tip: In Scholar Preferences, you can integrate under "Library Links" our SFX-Service into Google Scholar.
Recommend a Purchase
You can recommend missing literature for acquisition by the University Library. Our subject librarians review each recommendation and decide whether to proceed with a purchase, taking into account available funds and the subject-specific acquisition profile.
Courses
Literature Research Key Skills
Reaching your goal with the right know-how – our courses are the perfect introduction to academic literature research, from TUM OPAC searching and targeted database selection to research strategy planning and AI-based tools.
- Literature Research Basics – Finding Relevant Books and Journals
- Literature Research Advanced – Finding Relevant Scientific Papers in Databases
- Literature Research Deep Dive – Optimizing Search Strategies for Research and Doctoral Studies
- AI for Literature Research Essentials – Optimizing Search Queries
- Support on Systematic Review
Systematic Review
We support you in conducting a systematic review by helping you systematically identify, critically appraise, and synthesize relevant literature for your research question. Benefit from our comprehensive access to scholarly information resources and from practical, hands-on guidance provided by our expert librarians.