Library

Information center

We provide specialist information and enable access to art and knowledge. As an academic music library, we support you in your studies, teaching and research. To this end, we offer you a diverse collection of specialist media and sheet music, which is geared towards the profile of the university and which we are continuously developing.

We also license an extensive range of databases and e-media (e-scores, e-books, e-journals). If sheet music is only available on a rental basis, we procure the performance material directly from the publisher.

Learning site

We provide a pleasant working environment in our premises and take care of the appropriate technical equipment. We strengthen your media and information literacy skills through guided tours, training courses and workshops. In the writing workshop, you will learn basic methods of scientific work and receive helpful tips for your writing project.

We will be happy to advise you on all aspects of media, music information, research, literature selection and academic writing. Let us know how we can support you!

We have qualified staff trained in the fields library- and information management, musicology and book trade working in the library. The library has 3,4 established posts at its disposal. These are spread across 6 specialists, 3 marginally employed persons, 1 working student and 11 honoraries. In addition, we offer, if possible, 1 study-related internship position (HdM).

We look forward to getting in touch with you!

The library offers a wide range of media. The majority of our analog holdings are freely accessible. Performance material, journal volumes and older prints are kept in separate storage rooms. Order these here. Discover our digital inventory here.

Our key figures:
Total stock on 31.12.2024:
Analog media: 140.000 media units (print, AV) in freehand and storage
Electronic media: 320.000 (e-books, e-scores, e-journals, digital AV-media)

To help you find the right media quickly, these are sorted according to various criteria:

• Books and DVDs are organized according to subject areas
• We organize sheet music by instrumentation
• CDs and LPs we set up numerically

We continue to develop our inventory in line with the university's range of courses – so you will always find the latest literature with us.

We maintain personal and content-related special collections:

Significant bequests or premature bequests from individuals with a close connection to the HMDK, which you can find in the catalog under the „Literature lists“ tab:

• Collection Siegfried Barchet (bequest of the Stuttgart cellist and composer)
• Bequest Prof. Hermann Keller (former director of the university)
• Premature bequest Prof. Jon Laukvik (organ and historical keyboard instruments)
• Bequest Prof. Herbert Liedecke (organ and sacred music)
• Premature bequest Prof. Dr. Ludger Lohmann (organ and sacred music)
• Premature bequest Prof. Dr. John Palmer (auditory education, new music)
• Collection Kurt Rehfeld (wind orchestra, in progress)

These special collections are also linked in the catalogue:

• Jazz / Blues / Rag / Spiritual / related fields
• Music for Advent, Christmas and Epiphany
• Sheet music by Anglo-American composers
• Sheet music by French composers
• Sheet music and books from the collection “Jewish Composers / Judaism in general / Exile (World Wars, National Socialism)“

The library offers plenty of space with bright, friendly workstations for concentrated reading, writing and learning.
You will find the following technical equipment here:

• 4 C workstations for catalogue- / internet-research on level 8
• 5 CD listening stations (dual use) on level 9
• 5 media carrels (3 PC, 2 media-racks) on level 9
• 1 PC with the music notation software „Sibelius“ on level 9
• 1 high-quality overhead scanner
• 1 digital piano
• 2 charging stations for smartphones, earbuds etc.
• 2 mobile chargers for smartphones, tablets, laptops etc.

It’s also cozy here: For your break in between, sofas, armchairs and dining tables are available in our “Snack-Eckle” or “Snäckle” for short.