Books
Books are the most important aid in studying. It doesn’t matter whether you want to understand a subject better or look at it from a different angle: You can usually find the information you’re looking for in books.
Many professors provide literature references for their lectures. This does not mean that you have to read every one of these books, and certainly not that you have to be the proud owner of all of them! There are already too many books gathering dust on the shelves unread, and a book recommended in the lecture does not necessarily have to meet student requirements. It is best to buy a book only if
- you are completely fascinated by it,
- there is no script available, or
- you want to work with the book (e.g. write notes into it).
It’s best to borrow the book from the library first and see if it’s suitable for you.
Your student ID (“FAU Card”) is also your library card!
Technical and Scientific Branch Library (TNZB)
The library you will spend the moste time with is the Technical and Scientific Branch Library in the Central Building near the lecture halls. Here you will find printed material (books, current newspapers / magazines, encyclopaedias, dissertations, …) on all technical and natural science subjects, most of which can also be borrowed. You can use the UBE-OPAC (Erlangen University Library Online Public Access Catalogue) both from the computers in the entrance area (you can log in with your library card at the TNZB counter) and from home www.opac.uni-erlangen.de to search for books, reserve books that have already been lent, order books from other branch libraries, renew books that have been lent… For this and for the other search options, there are library tours at the beginning of the semester. Registration lists are available at the counter.
If you don’t have too much money, you should return or renew borrowed books in good time (the latter cannot be done as often as you like, especially if the book has already been pre-ordered by someone else). The overdue fines for overdrawing are steep: 7.50 € for the first reminder, the following ones are even more expensive. If you have neither the opportunity to renew via the internet nor to visit the library in person, you can always call the TNZB desk: +49 9131 85-27468).
To study, you can sit down at one of the many tables. In the basement, you can talk to each other, which is ideal for working or studying in a group. There are also PC workstations here that you can use with your RRZE login. If you don’t want to be disturbed, you should take a chair on the ground or upper floors. The TNZB is open Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 24:00 and Saturday to Sunday from 10:00 to 22:00. In August it closes daily at 22:00.
City centre
The most important sources of information in the city centre are the university library www.ub.uni-erlangen.de at Schuhstraße 1a and the municipal library at Schlossplatz. In addition, there are a number of institute-owned libraries that may be of interest for the minor subject. A list of locations can be found on the web: www.opac.uni-erlangen.de/standort.
Electronic databases
Access to electronic databases and journals is becoming increasingly important. On the university library website you will find numerous links that provide information on topics that are not available in printed form in the library.