Catalogues and Databases
Whether printed literature, digital texts, or extensive databases — we support you in finding the right information.
Search in Göttingen Holdings
Your central search entry point for literature research are the catalogues of the SUB Göttingen: GöDiscovery and GUK (Göttingen University Catalogue). The Göttingen General Catalogue also contains the holdings of other non-university libraries in Göttingen.
In addition to the holdings from the GUK , you can also use GöDiscovery to search for articles from printed journals, e-journals and e-books that are accessible in full text . If your search is not successful or if you do not want to limit yourself to Göttingen holdings, you can use the settings to expand the search area.
Furthermore you can use GöDiscovery to search for, order or reserve media and to manage your library account. For many media, you can specify in which divisional library your reserved media will be made available.
Also it is possibly for you to narrow down and sort the GöDiscovery hit list using a filter by type (printed, electronic, etc.) or format (article, image, book, journal, etc.). Saved titles can be exported directly to reference management programs such as Zotero or EndNote.
The GUK contains the holdings of the SUB Göttingen from the Central Library and the Divisional Libraries as well as the Institute and Departmental Libraries of the University of Göttingen. Here you will find
- Printed books
- E-books
- E-journals
- Journals
- Databases
- Digital copies
- and much more.
Articles from books and journals are not usually included in the GUK. GöDiscovery is suitable for this search.
About the GUK you can research, order or reserve media as well as manage your library account. For many media, you can specify in which divisional library your reserved media will be made available.
You can limit your search to specific areas such as persons, keywords or title keywords. The search results can be filtered and saved using a hit analysis. You can then export saved references directly to reference management programs such as Citavi or EndNote.
On search tips, you will find helpful instructions on searching our catalogues and managing literature.
The Göttingen campus and the region are characterized by a diverse library landscape: These include the libraries of several Max Planck Institutes, the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities and the Göttingen City Library. About the Göttingen General Catalogue you can search the holdings of all these institutions together with those of the University Library.
Please note: Access to the media on site is only possible in the respective owning institution and is subject to the opening hours and rules of use applicable there. To use electronic media such as e-books or e-journals, authentication via the respective institution is required, e.g. with a library card.
Both GUK and Gödiscovery contain extensive help and instructions. You can find them here:
Search in Supra-Regional Cataloges
If you cannot find a work in our catalogues, we recommend searching in national and international library catalogues.
More than 80 million titles from over 1,100 libraries in Germany can be searched in the GVK. You have access to interlibrary loans via this catalogue.
The KVK indexes electronic and print media from German and international libraries. You can search numerous national and international library and book trade catalogues at the same time. Many of these titles can be ordered to Göttingen via interlibrary loan.
The ZDB contains numerous printed and electronic journals and newspapers. In addition to information on the title, you will also find details of the German and Austrian libraries in which the respective publication is available.
Digital Media
The SUB Göttingen offers access to over 1.9 million digital resources. You can find these via the GUK, GöDiscovery, the Electronic Journals Library (EZB) and the Database Information System (DBIS). Some Open Access publications are also listed there and are freely accessible to all.
Please note the information on access in the respective catalogue entry as well as the individual terms of use of the providers.
The e-books can be searched and accessed directly from the Göttingen University Catalogue (GUK) or from GöDiscovery. The Internet address (URL) can be found in the full display of the corresponding data record. As a rule, you will find two internet addresses in the "Link" field:
- Full text, campus access: Link only works from the campus network
- Full text, external access: Link works worldwide from any computer. For access from outside the campus network, you must either activate eduVPN or manually select the SUB Göttingen as your institution.
Legal Conditions of Use
When purchasing or licensing e-books, the University of Göttingen undertakes to comply with the terms of use specified by the provider. These may include restrictive regulations, such as
- Reproductions (e.g. copies, downloads) are only permitted of individual chapters or pages and only for personal academic use.
- Systematic downloading (complete e-books or large parts) is not permitted.
- It is not permitted to pass on e-book content to third parties.
- You may save and print out individual pages or chapters for personal use and for research purposes.
For this reason, some of the e-books are protected by digital rights management (DRM) by the providers, so that you can only print or save a certain number of pages. Also, some e-books cannot be used simultaneously by an unlimited number of users.
In the event of non-compliance, the providers of the e-books reserve the right to block access to their e-books campus-wide.
E-journals licensed by the SUB Göttingen can also be searched via GöDiscovery or the Göttingen University Catalogue. Please follow the "EZB" link next to the journal title to access the full texts in the Electronic Journals Library. You may be shown different licenses with different licensed volumes. As a rule, access from outside the campus network is possible, for which eduVPN must be activated or authentication via your library account is required.
Legal Conditions of Use
When purchasing or licensing e-journals, the University of Göttingen undertakes to comply with the individual terms of use specified by the provider. You can find these on the corresponding page of the EZB for the respective products.
Databases
If you want to find literature on a subject-specific question as completely as possible, subject-specific databases are particularly helpful. The Database Information System (DBIS) is the primary entry point for your search for subject databases.
- Free databases are marked in green.
- Licensed databases are marked yellow.
If you are in the Georg-August-University campus network, the default setting is to search the databases licensed here. For access from outside the campus network, you must either activate eduVPN or manually select the SUB Göttingen as the institution.
Helpful video instructions for searching in DBIS can be found in the media center of the University Library Regensburg. If you have any questions about DBIS at the SUB Göttingen, please contact: dbis@sub.uni-goettingen.de
Information and contact details for subject-specific databases, repositories and document servers can be found on the subject pages
Historical and Special Collections
Are you looking for information on the library's historical holdings or special collections? In the Collections - Search Special Collections section you can find out more about finding tools, databases and catalogues for our collections.
For some special collections, e. g. microforms, university publications before 1909, music materials, school programs and rectory speeches, there are separate finding aids outside the electronic catalogues. Please contact us if you have any questions!
Do you need help with your literature search?
Our centralized search access points offer quick and easy access to the most important sources of information. In most cases, this will take you directly to the materials you need. You will also find suitable search options for your subject area on the subject pages.
If you require assistance with your search or need special finding aids, we will be happy to help you!