SULB - The Central Library

University Library, as it was then known, was established in 1950 in Saarbrücken as the central library serving Saarland University.
From the outset, the library also acted as the de facto Saarland State Library – a status that was formally recognized in 1994 when the library was renamed ‘Saarland University and State Library’ (SULB). Together with the Medical Branch Library in Homburg/Saar, the SULB is the largest general-purpose library in Saarland.
The library is also open to members from the greater Saar-Lor-Lux region (Lorraine, Rhineland Palatinate, and, in particular, the university towns of Metz, Nancy and Luxembourg).
As thestate library of Saarland,the SULB is responsible for archiving and providing access to materials that concern the history and cultural heritage of Saarland. Since the introduction of the Saarland State Media Act in 2016, publishers in Saarland are required to submit copies of their print and electronic publications to the SULB (legal deposit obligation). The main library building also houses the Saarland-Lorraine-Luxembourg-Alsace Literary Archive, which was officially affiliated to the SULB in 1996, and the Philology Library(British/American studies, German studies, Romance studies and applied linguistics).
The Saarland University and State Library (SULB) holds around 1.7 million items, including 3642 currently subscribed print journals contained in the main library building in Saarbrücken and in the Medical Branch Library in Homburg. A number of important special collections are located in the Saarland-Lorraine-Luxembourg-Alsace Literary Archive. The library also provides access to the numerous works it has been gifted by institutional and private donors. Other major collections held at the SULB include the former national special collection in psychology (Sondersammelgebiet Psychologie), which the SULB curated on behalf of the German Research Foundation (DFG), the holdings of the Saarland University Philology Library and the extensive range of works covering the social, economic and cultural history of the Saar region.
The majority of items held in the SULB are available for borrowing. Special lending rules apply to the collections housed in the Philology Library.
Please refer to the User Rules and Regulations Benutzungsordnung.
The library also offers training courses and guided tours designed to meet specific user needs. Introductory and orientation programmes are also offered at the beginning of each semester.
The SULB operates a number of open access servers, such as Saarland University’s academic documents server and the Saarland archive server SaarDok. Saarland University’s publishing house universaar (Saarland University Press) is managed on behalf of the university by the Saarland University and State Library (SULB). Scholars and scientists at Saarland University can publish their academic work through universaar.is committed to the principle of open access publishing. All universaar publications can be accessed online free of charge. If requested by the author, a printed version will also be available for purchase. In addition to monographs and similar works (e.g. conference proceedings), universaar also publishes e-journals, which, if requested by the editors, can also be issued as an annual print edition. These services form an integral part of Saarland University’s open access model, which aims to ensure maximum visibility, dissemination and reception of the scholarly publications authored by members of the university. Books published under the universaar imprint are therefore not only available for purchase at a moderate price from commercial book sellers, they are also made permanently available as electronic documents on Saarland University’s universaar server. This form of hybrid publishing offers significant advantages to authors. They benefit from having their work made globally accessible via the internet without having to forgo the advantages of a reader-friendly printed version of their work. universaar provides advice and assistance to authors throughout the entire publishing process.

Opening hours

The main SULB building contains:

32 PCs + study desks for students working on their final-year thesis
7 book scanners
3 multi-function devices for printing, scanning, and copying
3 group work rooms, of which one is equipped with a smartboard
a parent and child study room
1 reader/printer for microfiches and microfilm materials
16 study carrels
the Fotostelle with its printing, copying and binding services
WiFi connectivity
Lockers

Please store bulky coats, jackets and bags in the lockers provided. Users may take drinks and small snacks with them into the reading rooms. Mobile phones are not permitted in the reading rooms.

Current literature covering all academic disciplines (except natural sciences and technology) is available in the textbook collection and in the closed stacks located in the main library building. The Philology Library, which comprises the sections British literary and cultural studies, North American literary and cultural studies, transcultural anglophone studies, German studies and applied linguistics, is housed in several reading rooms in the main library building.