Libraries

The 93 libraries of the Goethe-Institut are public places. They offer an inspiring atmosphere for exchange and encounter. Around 800,000 analogue and digital media convey an up-to-date image of Germany and promote active engagement with language, culture and society.

Goethe-Institut Athens - Library Poto: Thalia Galanopoulou

Inform. Research. Discover.

Inform. Research. Discover.

The Onleihe is the free digital library (eLibrary) of the Goethe-Institut. About 20,000 German language eBooks, audio books, movies, materials for German language learners, magazines and newspapers are available for downloading from the Onleihe. 

With our Open Access search you can find freely accessible scientific online publications in various languages. You have access to about 3 million licence-free publications from the General Index of All German Academic Libraries.

Our literature blog “Cherrypicker” presents selected novels and non-fiction, graphic novels and stories, audio books and literature for children and teenagers. Discover new recommendations, remarkable texts, images and opinions.

Voices about our libraries worldwide

Our libraries are places of encounter, exchange and learning. Here, users tell us what the libraries of the Goethe-Institut mean to them.

As a composer and pianist, the library of the Goethe-Institut in Ankara was a place that enabled me to borrow records and listen to music every day in my early childhood, and the library was of inestimable importance to me. In the library I read the writings of German composers and listened to their works, even though my command of the German language was inadequate. I also gave my first concerts at the Goethe-Institut.

Goethe-Institut has given me a great learning experience. The newly renovated library offers a conducive environment for personal as well as group study and has a variety of both physical and digital media that I can access in preparation for my B1 international exams.

The helpful librarian gives guidance and advise on which materials to use. The BibToGo app has made the material lending process very convenient and efficient: one can borrow online materials, track the due dates of their borrowed materials as well as renew them without having to go in physically.

 

The gaming zone is very well equipped: there are several video game consoles: PlayStation and Switch. There are even virtual worlds, which is incredible for a library. There are plenty of headsets for anyone interested. The equipment is very good and has technical facilities that cater for a wide range of interests and enable a high level of immersion in the virtual worlds.
The variety of video games that the gaming zone offers is very impressive. There are games that can be played alone. There are also complex group games that can be played with partners. There are also traditional board games to help you improve your German, combined with pleasant socialising with friends.
You can do it all: have fun and have a good time as well as concentrate on learning.

 

I visit the library quite often, around 4-5 days a week, to enhance my German language skills by working on grammar books and reading magazines. The library offers a great ambiance, a wide range of reading materials, student PCs, and famous German games, which I find valuable. Not only German, but also books in other languages and novels are available. I'm aware of some of the events organized by the library, such as "Spielzeit" and other literature workshops. I would and wholeheartedly recommend the library to others as well.

 

I have spent several enchanting evenings in the Goethe-Institut Paris library, hosting literary events with German-language authors and translators and presenting recently translated titles.

It's always a pleasure to return to this beautiful, airy space, to find an attentive audience and, above all, to meet again the great team at the library who, among other things, take care of organising high-quality literary events.

 

Insights into the Library Work

About our work

In many different projects, we work together with partners from civil society, especially from the library, media and information sector. The topics range from artificial intelligence to reading promotion, from environmental protection to cultural heritage.

The libraries are also open spaces for experimentation. They connect Germany and the world through inspiration and innovation.

Cooperation partners

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