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German resources and support

Your Subject Librarian

Your Subject Librarian

Damien McManus

Other Arts and Social Sciences Library staff can answer your more general library queries.

Recommend other items

German resources are available in these branch libraries

The majority of the German collections can be found in the Arts and Social Sciences Library.
Information about opening hours, borrowing limits, fines at the ASSL.
Some books on cultural theory are located in the Geographical Services Library.
Information about other branches.
See our Library collections and eResources pages for details of our more general printed and online resources.

How to find books, journals, and more

Books

Search the library's online catalogue to find printed books and e-books. If you cannot find books published before 1978 on the online catalogue, please consult the Card Catalogue Online.

Journals

Search our eJournals catalogue for access to online journals provided by the library. Printed journals can be found by using the library's online catalogue.

DVDs and videos

These can be found on the second floor of the Arts and Social Sciences Library. A viewing room is available. Please enquire about bookings at the attendants' desk on the ground floor.

Databases

Essential for research, the library subscribes to a wide range of databases for German See the 'Subject resources' tab on these subject pages for more information.

Microforms

The Arts and Social Sciences Library holds microfiche and microfilm collections covering a range of subjects. These, and microform readers, are located on the first floor of the Arts and Social Sciences Library.

Special Collections

Rare and valuable library collections can be found in our Special Collections Department.

Press cuttings archive of German politics
This substantial printed collection of newspaper cuttings continues to be collected by Geoffrey Pridham, Professor Emeritus at the Department of Politics. The archive is divided into subject areas, including individual governments, elections, political figures, news from the regions of Germany, political and social issues, and coverage of the GDR. Articles are collected from UK national newspapers and the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, and are filed according to subject matter. Please contact the Special Collections Department at the Arts and Social Sciences Library if you wish to use the collection.

Other materials

The library has collections of theses and past examination papers.

Access to other libraries

Access to other academic libraries is often possible via the SCONUL Access scheme. The British Library may issue Reader Passes to researchers, subject to restrictions.

Note: some of the documents on this webpage are in PDF format. In order to view a PDF you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader Get Acrobat Reader

Inter-Library Loans and ILL vouchers

The Inter-Library Loans (ILL) service can be used to obtain Items not held in print in the University's branch libraries or available online. There is a charge for this service, though it may be possible to obtain an Inter-library loan voucher to pay for this:

  • German departmental staff can obtain ILL vouchers from the School of Modern Languages Office.
  • Postgraduates should ask at the Graduate School of Arts and Humanities about the availability of vouchers.
  • Undergraduates should ask Hannah Blackman in the School of Modern Languages about the availability of vouchers.

Information for academic staff and researchers

  • Our Research support pages cover finding information, managing information, and exploiting your research, together with sources of further help and advice.
  • Each academic department in the university has its own library representative, whose duties are detailed in these guidelines. The Library Representative for German is Dr. Steffan Davies.
  • Book purchase recommendations and suggestions for new journals or databases can be made direct to me, though in the latter case it is best to also discuss the matter with Dr Davies.
  • I offer new academic staff an introduction to the library at which we discuss teaching and research requirements and training that I can give to students.

Databases

MetaLib: your resource gateway provides access to a vast range of online resources, including databases, search engines, subject gateways, and selected Internet resources.

Internet links

Quick reference tools

The following resources are available in the Arts and Social Sciences Library.

Dictionaries

Collins German dictionary, 7th ed. (2007)
Duden Deutsches Universalwörterbuch, 6th ed (2007)
Oxford language dictionaries online (online dictionary available via MetaLib)
Many other monolingual German dictionaries are available at PF3625; bilingual English-German dictionaries at PF3640.

Grammars

Deutsche Grammatik (2010)
Hammer's German grammar and usage, 4th ed (2002)
Many other grammars of German are available at PF3105-PF3112.

Literature

The Oxford companion to German literature, 3rd ed (1997)

Reviews and bibliographies

Review journals can be a very good way of keeping abreast of current developments in your areas of interest. See, for example, Modern language review and The year's work in modern language studies. Seminar and Zeitschrift für Germanistik contain reviews sections. These titles are available in the library via the online catalogue and eJournals catalogue.

Bibliography for research in German (PDF, 252 KB)

Information skills training for undergraduates

  • Library lectures and training are organised in consultation with the Department of German; students will be notified when training has been arranged for them. I am always happy to see students individually to discuss any specific needs.
  • A number of general 'Self-learning resources' are available below, including video tutorials, downloadable library guides, and web resources.
  • Find out about referencing in your written work and EndNote referencing software in 'Referencing help'.

Information skills training for postgraduates

  • Taught postgraduates are required to attend an introduction to library research as part of their Research Skills unit.
  • I aim to meet research postgraduates individually to discuss their requirements.
  • I am always happy to see students individually to discuss any specific needs.
  • Students taking the Diploma or MA in Translation can find detailed information about library resources in Blackboard.
  • A number of general 'Self-learning resources' are available below, including video tutorials, downloadable library guides, and web resources.
  • Find out about referencing in your written work and EndNote referencing software in 'Referencing help'.

Self-learning resources

  • Video tutorials - topics include the Library Catalogue, understanding references on reading lists, using the MetaLib resource gateway, off-campus access to eResources, etc.
  • Finding and using information pages - covering key aspects of information skills, including researching a topic, effective use of Google, evaluating your search results, avoiding plagiarism, etc. Also includes a Jargon-buster page.
  • Library guides - downloadable guides to each branch library, our main search tools, special library services, etc.
  • External resources for developing your information skills - including online tutorials and downloadable guides.
  • Find out about referencing in your written work and EndNote referencing software in 'Referencing help'.

Referencing guidance

Referencing

  • There is no single way of writing references. Two well-known styles are the Harvard system and the Modern Humanities Research Association (MHRA) system. You will need to use the style specified by your department or by the body or journal to which you are submitting your work. The Arts Faculty has produced a useful guide to citing academic work. If there are no guidelines specified, you should make sure that you write your references in a consistent way.
  • General referencing guidance
    includes Why reference? What is included in a reference? Referencing styles, How to reference, Links to useful sites on referencing, and brief details of EndNote and EndNote Web referencing software (see the EndNote referencing software section below for more details).

Journal title abbreviations

Probably the most troublesome are abbreviated journal titles as they can make finding a journal difficult.

To find journal title abbreviations you could try:

If you are unable to find a title or journal title abbreviation you are looking for please ask a member of the Library staff.

Writing for the subject, and how to avoid plagiarism

EndNote referencing software

EndNote is the University of Bristol's recommended bibliographical management software, which can be used to collect, store, organise and manage references, and to output them as reference lists or bibliographies. A particularly useful function is 'Cite While You Write', enabling you to format Word documents, producing bibliographies and adding references within the text.