Our rooms for reading, working and well-being
In its seven reading rooms, the Library at Heldenplatz offers you 425 seats for reading – a further 147 seats are available for you to use in our comfortable communication lounge and in the client areas outside the reading rooms.
We offer you free wireless Internet access in all reading rooms and in the entire client area. You can find Internet workstations in the client area at Heldenplatz, directly after the entrance on the right and on the lower floor.
All of our reading rooms are air-conditioned to ensure a pleasant working environment. Every reading room is equipped with a reference area, where you can find reference material sorted according to subject groups. The collection of reference materials primarily consists of encyclopaedia, general reference books, manuals, bibliographies, specialised lexica, specialised dictionaries and language dictionaries, which you can also research via our » catalogue.
Our largest reading room has 149 seats for you to use spread over two floors. The reference area contains around 13,000 volumes.
Site key: NEU L
The Austriaca Reading Room offers you 67 seats for reading over two floors. The reference area focuses on the subject of “Austria” and comprises around 2,400 volumes.
Site key: Neu AUT
The Magazines Reading Room is situated above the Main Reading Room and is connected to this by a staircase and a lift. In addition to 48 reading places, you can find the latest unbound newspapers and magazines. These are mainly newspapers from the past weeks and magazines from the current year. The most frequently used newspapers and magazines are freely available for use in the reading room, sorted by subject groups (subject groups 1 to 40). Newspapers and magazines not freely available in the reading room can be ordered via the catalogue.
The Large Formats Reading Room has 64 reading places.
A modern training centre for all interested parties is being built in the library basement on Heldenplatz. At the same time, the entire public area in the basement is being completely renovated. From 1 September 2021 until probably September 2022, the basement will be closed due to the construction work. Library operations will continue uninterrupted.
Please note the following changes during the construction period:
- Large-format works will be issued at the book issue desk on the ground floor.
- Microforms can be used in the research zone on the ground floor, as can PCs and printouts from the web archive.
- The large format scanner is located in the copy corner.
We look forward to welcoming you to the new training centre in 2022 with a varied programme!
The Special Reading Room is only accessible for training courses, offering space for 20 people.
Here you have the opportunity to use microfilms and microfiches at 13 workstations, as well as to produce scans and prints of the respective media. Microforms are to be ordered in advance via the catalogue, just like all other media.
Site key: Neu Mik
The Ludwig Wittgenstein Research Reading Room offers a working environment tailored specifically to the needs of scientists, hence access to it is restricted. The room has 64 reading places over two floors. Approximately 4,000 volumes can be found in the reference area. Site key: Neu For
Access authorisation LS 7
The research reading room is only accessible to clients with a valid ANL researcher annual card.
ANL researcher annual card
You may purchase an ANL researcher annual card, valid for one year, for a fee of EUR 30.00 (including 10% VAT). » Applications may be made online at berechtigungen(at)onb.ac.at or in person at the service desk.
Criteria for the granting of a researcher annual card:
- Completed degree (diploma, master) or a similar scientific qualification.
- Proof of current scientific activity:
- writing a dissertation/habilitation treatise, or
- the specific intention to make a scientific publication, or
- scientific research activity to prepare a publication (proof by means of scientific publications made in the past three years), or
- work on a subsidised research project.
Supporting documents
Please provide the following supporting documents with every application:
- Official photo ID (e.g. passport, student’s ID, employee ID).
- Proof of current professional scientific activity (including the writing of dissertations or habilitation treatises) or a publication project (confirmation by an institute, employer or publisher, or list of publications of the applicant).
We ask for your understanding that reading places may only be used in accordance with available capacity. Holding an ANL researcher annual card does not carry the right to have a reading place in the research reading room.
Application forms
» Application for a researcher annual card
» Application for renewal of the researcher annual card
Infrastructure
You may start print jobs from all computers situated in the research areas on the ground floor and on the basement floor. These incur a » fee. The printouts can be obtained from the book issue desk of the Large Formats Reading Room on the lower ground floor (LS4). Please note that only the computers on the basement floor allow for data to be transferred to flash drives.
» Photocopiers and scanners are available for you to use in the client areas. Moreover, in the communications lounge you can also find vending machines for hot and cold drinks and for snacks, as well as a drinking fountain. In addition, you also have access to the restaurant » Bistro ReFresh via the client area or the Burggarten.
The holdings of the Library at Heldenplatz are largely located in non-accessible storage areas and must be ordered via the » online catalogue. It takes around two hours for every reading room to obtain the ordered materials. We keep the ordered materials ready for you at two book issue points.
Workstations for people with sight impairments
We have two separate workstations that meet the special needs of blind and visually impaired people. The workstations are situated in the Library at Heldenplatz, on the lower ground floor, near the Microform services, Reading Room 6. No reservation is needed to use them.
Features
- Desktop PC with: large font keyboard, 22" flat-screen monitor, headset, the possibility to print with the Facultas Card, Internet connection, Microsoft Office, enlargement software with voice output function
- A screen reader to display and enlarge documents on a monitor
- A3 book scanner with automatic OCR text recognition and text-to-speech function (including headset).
Contact
The staff at the service desk or in the Microform Reading Room are on hand to provide assistance. If you require help to prepare for your visit, please contact the » Reader Services department.
