Welcome to the library of the Department of History! Here's a short introduction:
The library of the Department of History is located at Hirschgässlein 21 in Basel, close to the train station and Aeschenplatz. The premises are located on the first floor and on the second basement level (access via stairs or elevator).
There is a copier/scanner in the entrance area that requires a Unicard or a print card/guest copy card that can be acquired from the library office for a fee.
Seminar room 1 is located in the entrance area, where courses are held. Sources and documents on Swiss history with the shelf numbers SA and SB are also available there.
In the reading room there are quiet and bright workstations with electrical outlets and an online library catalog. There are also the newer volumes of the journals under the shelf numbers AG and SD.
At the back right of the reading room is the library room "Handbuch". There you will find reference works, introductions and encyclopedias arranged thematically under the shelf number HB. They can't be borrowed.
Connected to the reading room by a staircase is the room for "Modern and Recent History" with the shelf numbers AE and AEo.
AEo includes literature on the history of Eastern Europe and is organized geographically. Hidden behind the shelves of the shelf number AEo 6 are two toilets.
Next to the library office is the room "Swiss History" with the current shelf number SC. In the entrance area boards indicate the use and the structure of the library.
In the common room (to the right after the main entrance) there are three workstations with computers, tables, a sofa, kitchen and toilets. The common room is supervised by the student group of the history department.
Through the common room you can also get to the library room "History Middle Ages/Early Modern Times" with the shelf number AD.
The open stacks are located in the second basement. Mainly older volumes of journals, older holdings of Swiss history, modern and recent history and handbooks are archived there.
The library of the Department of History is a reference library with the possibility of overnight or weekend lending and currently contains about 60,000 titles on about 1500m running meters. The library contains mainly literature for teaching and research in the field of the Middle Ages, the Early Modern Period and Modern and Contemporary History. It also has a large collection on Swiss history as well as on Eastern European history and the history of Africa.
The library is available to the staff of the Department of History, enrolled students of the University of Basel and visiting scholars.
For a fee, we send copies of articles from journals or excerpts from works in our collection electronically or by mail. We reserve the right to refuse a copy request for conservation reasons. For fees, please consult the copy order section of the University Library of Basel and also observe the "Reproduction Policy of the UB Basel and the applicable provisions of copyright law (see box)".
We do not offer postal delivery (interlibrary loans) of works.
You can borrow the books on your own. The counters are located in front of the library office, in the AD room and in the open stacks on the 2nd basement floor.
First, search the library catalog for the shelf number: DG + _____
With the help of the library maps you can find the book and take it from the shelf.
Please fill out the borrowing slip completely and legibly. The white borrowing slips are for students, the green ones for employees. Separate the top sheet from the copies and place it in the "Ausleihe" box.
Put the first copy (it is blue in the case of the student borrowing slip) in a substitute, which you put on the shelf instead of the book.
The allowed lending period for students of one night, or one weekend, should not be exceeded. Overdue fines of CHF 2 per book per day will be charged for late returns.
When you return the book, put it in its rightful place and put the substitute together with the blue note in the return box. Thank you very much!
University of Basel
Library Department of History
Hirschgässlein 21
4051 Basel
Switzerland
Tel: +41 (0)61 207 46 68