The library from A to Z / Tips for using the library

Information for external users
Valid from 1 August, 2022

A

Address
Hansaallee 41
60323 Frankfurt am Main
Fon: +49 (69) 789 78 0
Fax: +49 (69) 789 78 169

Postal address
Max-Planck-Institut für Rechtsgeschichte und Rechtstheorie
Postfach 50 07 01
60395 Frankfurt am Main
Application form
Users of the library are the researchers of the Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory as well as scholarship holders and guests of the institute.
Other persons may use the library upon request during the opening hours, if they can demonstrate a serious scientific interest, which can only be fulfilled by the special stock of the institute’s library. Furthermore, it has to be ensured that there is enough personnel and space within the library.
In addition to the application, students and doctoral candidates have to attach a letter of recommendation from their supervising professor, which states the research topic as well as the need to use the institute’s library. We recommend the early submission of the application form.

B

Baskets
To carry private items to your desk in the reading room baskets are available. These are opposite to the information and lending desk. Please return them to this place when you leave the library.
Bring your own books
As a library user you can also work with your own books. Please show these books, if the library staff asks you when you leave the library.
Book scanners
With our book scanners you can make digital copies from our books. They are located on the 1st and 2nd floor opposite the rear staircase. A USB stick is required to use the book scanners. The use of the book scanners is free of charge.

C

Collection of Dissertations
The Library holds a collection of around 100,000 legal dissertations, disputations and lesser academic treatises of the 16^th to 18^th centuries from the territory of the Holy Roman Empire. Another special collection includes about 25,000 legal dissertations from the first half of the 20^th century, which was originally compiled by the Library of the Supreme Court in Leipzig.
Computer workstations (see PCs)
Contact
Information and lending desk
Fon: +49 (69) 789 78 – 130
E-Mail: bibliothek@...
Copying (see Multifunction device)

D

Databases
From the Max-Planck-Society or the library licensed databases are shown in the Datenbank-Informationssystem (dbis). Their use in the rooms of the library is possible after logging into the guest network of the institute. You also find in dbis a variety of free access databases on the Internet.
Drinking and eating (see Eating and drinking in the reading room)

E

Eating and drinking in the reading room
Eating and drinking is not permitted in the reading room. The drinking of water is allowed when it is brought in transparent and sealable bottles.
Eduroam
Via Eduroam you have access to the WI-FI of your home institution.
Electronic journals
Access to all electronic journals licensed by the Max Planck Society or by the library of the institute can be found in the Electronic Journals Library. Their use is possible after logging into the guest network of the institute in the rooms of the library. Additionally EZB offers a multitude of free accessible electronic journals.
Electronic order (see Ordering of media)
Electronic protection of the media
All media are protected by a chip. Media from the reference collection may not be removed from the library rooms.
Email notification
The library informs you via email about the end of a loan period (e.g. at a reservation from another user) or the blocking of your library card. Therefore your email address in the application form is obligatory.
Extension of loan period
The loan period of borrowed media will be automatically extended. There are three renewals each for 15 days possible, if no other user made a reservation.

F

G

Guest network (see Windows account)

H

Holdings
The library possesses 510,000 printed items. The center of the library stock is an extensive collection of source material and secondary literature about the legal development in Europe, in Latin America and in the British Commonwealth, as well as literature on legal theory. Additionally we provide a wide range of non-legal literature of philosophy, theology and historiography as well as political, economic, social and intellectual history.

I

Information and lending desk
We are personally available during the opening hours at the information and lending desk.
Fon: +49 (69) 789 78 – 130
E-Mail: bibliothek@...
Institute publications
Institute publications can be found on the 2^nd floor on the gallery. They are divided into:
- LS MPI-S: Series (Studien zur europäischen Rechtsgeschichte, Studien zur Geschichte des Völkerrechts, Studien zur Polizey und Polizeywissenschaft and others)
- LS MPI-Z: Journals (Rechtsgeschichte – Legal history; Ius Commune; Rechtshistorisches Journal and others)
IT regulations
The IT regulations can be reviewed at the information and lending desk.

J

Journal lounge and current journal issues
In the journal lounge on the 1^st floor you will find all journal issues of the current volume.

L

Laptop protection (see Notebook protection)
Legacy archive
The library owns the (partial) estates of: Georg Brunner, Sten Gagnér, Wilhelm G. Grewe, Guido Kisch, Hermann Krause, Victor Leontovitsch, Gerhard Oestreich, Karl Josef Partsch, Karl Rothenbücher, Emil Seckel, Klaus Westen, Claus Dietrich Wieland, Walter Wilhelm. Books and periodicals from estate libraries are listed in the library catalogue. Archival materials such as working papers, manuscripts and correspondence are indexed in an internal database; indices can be consulted on request.
Library account (see User account)
Library card (see User card)
Library catalog
You can find printed books and journals, microforms (Microfilm, Microfiches) and CD-ROM in our library catalog. Further information to the catalog can be found here.
Library regulations
You can find the library regulations here
Loan (see Reading room loan)
Loan period
The loan period for reading room lending for all media is initially one day. It will be automatically extended the next day for 15 opening days. After this there are two further automatic renewals each for 15 opening days. All media have therefore to be returned after 46 opening days, even if no other user made a reservation. If there is a reservation of another user you will be asked by e-mail to return the media immediately. Media with an expired loan will be removed from the library staff and will erase it from your account.
Lockers
In the lobby of the institute lockers are available. Before entering the reading room please leave your outerwear, umbrella and bag in the locker. To use the lockers a user card of the library is necessary. To carry private items to your desk in the reading room baskets are available.
Loss of user card
In order to get a substitute please pay the fee of 10 Euros at the reception desk. You will get a voucher which is necessary to get the substitutional user card at the information and lending desk.

M

Microfilm/Microfiche
The holdings of microfilms can be found under the shelfmark MF and MsF. The microfiches have the shelfmark Msfiche, Mfiche and SMF. A reader with scanning option is available in the ground floor (room B 06).
Mobile (see Phone/Phone calls)
MPI publications (see Institute publications)
Multifunction device
To make (digital) copies, please prefer to use our book scanners. If you need to make paper copies or print out documents, please contact the information and lending desk. There you can borrow a copy card to use the multifunctional machine on the ground floor (room B 06).

N

New acquisitions
The list of the new acquisitions of the preceding six weeks can be found on the start page of the library catalog
Notebook protection
If you use a private notebook, we recommend a notebook protection, which can be purchased at the Campus Shop.
Number of reading room loans, orders, reservations
The number of media to be used in the reading room may not exceed 25, the number of orders and reservations each with ten.

O

On loan until December 31, 9999
Media lent from researchers from the institute have an unlimited loan period until December 31, 9999. Is a reservation on one of those media the loan period will reduced that the media is available during a few days. As soon as it returned, the user will get a message via email.
Online journals (see Electronic Journals)
OPAC (see Library catalog)
Opening hours
Monday – Thursday 9:00 a.m – 6:00 p.m
Friday 9:00 a.m – 4:00 p.m.
Ordering of media
You can order new media at anytime from the OPAC with your personal library account. The ordered media will be picked up from the stacks by our staff members at the following times and is usually ready to be collected from the lending desk or book boxes (for institute members) within one hour:
Monday – Thursday 9:00 am, 11:30 am, 2:00 pm
Friday 9:00 am, 11:30 am

P

Passwords
Library account: For using your library account you need a password. The initial password will be handed over to you along with your user card. The password must be changed during the first login. The new password must contain minimum 8 and maximum 12 characters; it must contain at least one number, one uppercase and one lowercase letter.
Windows account:
You need a further password to login at the desks on the ground floor of the reading room or to use the Wi-Fi. Here, too, you get the intial password along with your user card. Please use one of the PCs in the reading room for your first log-in and change your password. The new password must contain minimum 8 and maximum 12 characters; it must contain at least one number, one uppercase and one lowercase letter.
Please note that the library user accounts and Windows accounts are independent systems; a synchronization of passwords does not take place.
PCs
The desks on the ground floor of the reading room are equipped with PCs, where you can log on the guest network of the institute using your Windows account credentials. They are mainly intended for using our online catalog as well as the electronic resources.
Desks on the first and second floor are reserved for members of the institute.
Period for claiming ordered media
Ordered media are kept for five opening days at the information and lending desk. After five days they will be returned to the stacks.
Phone/Phone calls
Making calls is not permitted in the reading room. The mobile phone should be muted.
Pickup of newly ordered media
Please pick up your ordered media during the opening hours at the information and lending desk.
Printing (see Multifunction device)
Private photograph equipment
The use of personal reproduction equipment (eg. camera, mobile phone, hand-held scanner, tablet) is not permitted. Please use our book scanner.
Providing of media (see Ordering of media)

R

Reading room desk
For external users a small number of reading room desks is available. The reading room desk must be cleared when leaving the library, even when you leave only temporarily, if you will be away for more than one hour. Please return all media at the information and lending desk. The borrowed media can also be stored at the information and lending desk until the loan period exceeded.
Reading room loan
All borrowed media may only be used in the reading room. It is not allowed to take them out of the institute.
Reference area
Attached to the reading room is a reference area with reference books and the almost complete journal holdings of the library. The current journal issues are in the lounge, 1^st floor, the publications from the institute are in the Gallery, 2^nd floor available for viewing. The books of the reference area must be reset by the user.
Reference library
The library is a reference library, borrowing outside the institute is not possible.
Registration (see Application form)
Research (see Library catalog)
Reserved workplaces
All workspaces on the 1^st and 2^nd floor and some workplaces on the groundfloor are reserved for researchers of the institute. The free workplaces on the groundfloor are available for use for external users.
Reservation
At any time you can reserve media borrowed by another user via your user account. As soon as the reserved medium is returned to the lending desk you will receive a notification by e-mail and can pick it up at the lending desk. If you don’t need a reserved medium anymore you can cancel the reservation via your user account.
Restroom
The ladies room can be found on the ground floor, 1^st floor and 2^nd floor. The toilet on the 1^st floor is barrier-free. The men’s room can be found in the 1^st and 2^nd floor. All toilets are near the back stairs. A further barrier-free toilet is outside the library, behind the reception.
Returning media
All borrowed media can be returned definitely to the information and lending desk during the opening hours of the library. Media you still need can be stored at the information and lending desk during the opening hours. Please return media you took from the shelves in the reading room to the shelves from which you took them.
Rules of the house
Receipt and attention of the Rules of the house (short version) must be confirmed when you get your user card. A complete copy can be seen at the reception or the information and lending desk.

S

Scanning (see Book scanners)
Security alarm (see Electronic protection of the media)
Smartphone (see Phone/Phone calls)
Smoking
Within the whole building smoking is absolutely prohibited. In the roofed main entrance area (entrance ramp) of the institute smoking is permitted.
Stacks
The library’s collection is mainly located in stacks with closed access. For this reason, all books that are not available from the reading room collection must be ordered via our online catalogue.

U

USB stick (see Book scanners)
User account
With your user card you get a user account of the library. You can log in with your user number (Kennung) and password (Kennwort). After log in you can change the language to English. Your library account shows all the media you have borrowed together with the return periods and your current orders and reservations.
User card
With your user card you can order books from the library of the MPI, make reading room loans and reservations. In addition to the user account we give you a Windows account for the guest network of the institute. With this Windows account you can use the thin clients in the reading room and in the lobby to use the licensed electronic resources. This card is also needed to use the lockers. The validity of the library card is six months. It is possible to extend the user card once informally, for longer periods a new application must be submitted. If you lose your library card you have to pay a fee.
User number
Your user number is printed on your library card.

V

Visitor list
There is a visitor list at the information and lending desk. Please sign in at the beginning and at the end of each visit with your user number, date and time.

W

Wi-Fi (see Windows account)
Windows account
To use the PCs on the ground floor desk or connect with our Wi-Fi guest network, you need a Windows account, which is created and will be handed over to you along with your user account credentials. The user number is the same as your library user account. Please consider our institutional regulations for the use of IT infrastructure.
Windows user name
The Windows user name is the identical to the number of your library user account. You will get the password for the windows account at the same time as your library card. You need it to connect with the guest network.