Library from A to Z
You can use the online acquisition suggestion form to suggest sheet music, books, e-books or audiovisual media for purchase for the library collection.
The scanner is available to everyone free of charge. Operating instructions and legal information on scannable content are available next to the device.
Please bring your own - Windows-formatted - USB stick to make scans.
If you have forgotten it, the library will provide you with a stick to transport the files on site (your own laptop). You also have the option of connecting your mobile device to the scanner and saving the scanned files directly to it.
Students should change their address via CampusWEB. All other users should contact the library desk in person or by e-mail.
The library is open to everyone for reference use.
Members and affiliates of the university as well as GFF members are permitted to borrow items. Guests may be granted borrowing authorization by the library management in justified exceptional cases.
All event recordings of the university from 1958 to 2023 (continuation planned) are archived in the library and can be found in the online catalog (OPAC). The concert recordings are available both physically (as USB sticks, CDs, tapes, etc.) and digitally. The latter are freely accessible via the "Online resource" link in the catalog record.
There is a photocopier in the library which can be used by all members of the university. To use the photocopier, you will need the login information for your HfMDK account. You must also have a credit balance on your uni-flow account. You can find instructions on how to do this on the website under Copying and printing.
Equipment for playing, editing and duplicating audiovisual media is available on the upper floor of the library: Blu-ray player, CD burner, CD player, CD recorder, DAT recorder, DVD player, VHS to DVD copier, minidisc recorder, music cassette deck, record player, tape recorder, tuner (radio), VHS video recorder.
There is also a computer on which CD/DVD-ROMs can be played that can only be used in the library in Präsenz.
Our digital services are available to university members free of charge via the library website. Some can also be used outside the university. The respective access options can be found on the website under Online services.
Fees are due for
- Overdue media (see also overdue fines)
- Loss of media (media replacement + €15 administration fee + bookbinding fee: €10/€30 depending on the type of binding)
- Replacement cards (€20 each)
The fees are based on the administrative cost regulations for the Ministry of Science and the Arts (VwKostO-MWK) and the usage regulations for the library of the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts
... is not permitted in the library. Exception: Water in closed containers is permitted at the workstations.
Guided tours of the library and introductions to its use, as well as research training, take place at the beginning of each semester and by appointment. The dates are announced via the university's social media channels and on the library's website.
Headphones can be borrowed from the library counter for use in the reading room.
The university library is not connected to the interlibrary loan system. Please contact the libraries of the Goethe University Frankfurt (Bockenheimer Warte or Campus Westend).
The lending collection consists of books, sheet music and audiovisual media. The reference collection consists of reference works, complete editions, reference copies and journals.
Media can be borrowed with a user card at the counter or via the self-checkout system. Anyone with a valid HfMDK library card is entitled to borrow items.
University members can borrow up to 50 items, guests up to 10 items. The duration of the loan is determined by the loan period .
For the university projects, sheet music is made available with a separate loan period. They can be borrowed from the library counter for the duration of the project. The borrowed sheet music must be returned to the library within one week of the end of the project.
The first issue of a library card is free of charge. You will receive your library card at the library counter after presenting your student ID or an official form of identification.
If you lose your library card, please contact the library desk immediately. A replacement card will be issued for a fee (20 €).
The regular loan period for books, sheet music, DVDs and CDs is 28 days. If there is no reservation or other block, loans can be renewed twice online, by telephone, by e-mail or on site in the library. For a third renewal, please contact the library staff.
Notes for university projects must be returned to the library no later than 1 week after the end of the project.
Lockers of various sizes are located in the anteroom of the library. You can obtain the keys to these lockers by depositing your student ID or identity card at the counter. The library accepts no liability for the loss of valuables.
Lost media and library cards must be reported to the library immediately.
- A replacement library card costs € 20.
- In the event of loss or damage to library property, the user is obliged to replace the affected media. In addition, a fee of € 15 will be charged in accordance with the administrative cost regulations. In addition, a flat-rate bookbinding or material fee may be charged according to expenditure (€ 10 / € 30 depending on the type of binding).
... will be handed in at the reception (Pforte) after the library closes.
The magazine contain all sheet music, individual yearbooks, older journals and audiovisual media. Please search the online catalog for the respective shelfmarks of the media and present them at the library desk. The staff will provide you with the requested media immediately.
The journal collection cannot be borrowed. Current volumes are freely accessible on the journal shelf, earlier volumes are bound on the shelf or in the stacks. You can find the exact location in the OPAC.
Reference works, complete editions, loose-leaf collections and periodicals cannot be borrowed. Exception: for teaching purposes and weekend loans. You can recognize the reference copies in the book collection by the yellow sign.
In the online catalog (OPAC) of the university library you can search the holdings and manage your user account. After entering your library card number and password, you can access your personal user account. Here you will find an overview of borrowed media, end of loan periods and the option to renew media.
Search here in OPAC.
Overdue fines will be charged for media whose loan period has expired. The first reminder will be sent by e-mail on the fourth calendar day after the due date, but not at weekends or on public holidays. This grace period does not apply to reserved media! Further reminders will be sent by e-mail after 14 days.
The overdue fines are per borrowed unit:
1st reminder: € 3.00
2nd reminder: € 3,00
3rd reminder: € 6,00
Please note: The fines for the individual reminders add up. Overdue fines must be paid immediately in cash at the counter when the overdue items are returned.
The library usually presets your date of birth (DDMMYYY) as the password for your user account. To protect against misuse, please change the password the first time you access your account.
If you have forgotten your password, please contact the library staff. The password can be reset to the default setting at any time.
Choir and orchestra material can be borrowed for university projects and examinations.
In the reading room you will find the book and journal holdings, complete and memorial editions as well as workstations for quiet work and research. A photocopier and a book scanner are available for copying and scanning work.
Registration takes place on site in the library. Students of the HfMDK need their valid student ID in order to receive a library card. Teaching staff and guests must present an identification document with their current address.
This free extra service from the library reminds you by email 7 days before the end of the loan period to return or renew your borrowed media. The notification will be sent automatically to your HfMDK email inbox. This service is not legally binding; the library does not guarantee the timely delivery or receipt of the email. Please check your HfMDK email inbox regularly.
It is possible to renew borrowed media
- before the loan period expires via your user account
- during opening hours at the library counter
- by e-mail to ausleihe.bibliothek@hfmdk-frankfurt.de
and - by telephone under the number +49(0)69 154 007-291
Extensions by telephone are only possible if the operating schedule permits. Extensions are free of charge - overdue fines are expensive!
An extension is not possible if
- there is a reservation
- there are outstanding debts
- the library card is invalid or the membership has expired
- the items are overdue
Media that are on loan can be reserved online. Once the media have been returned, you will receive an e-mail notification to your HfMDK e-mail address. Reserved media will be deposited in your name for one week at the counter on the reservation shelf and can be collected there on presentation of your library card.
Borrowed items can only be returned at the library counter during opening hours.
You can borrow media, view your account and renew items yourself at the self-checkout desk. Media can only be returned at the library counter.
Media that are marked as "Sonderstandort" (special location) in the online catalog are located in room B122 and are generally not available for loan. They can be issued on request and viewed in the reading room. Scanning or copying is possible.
The library tablet is issued on request at the counter for exclusive use in the reading room. The tablet gives you access to various apps with digital content for journals and textbooks.
You can access your user account in the online catalog after entering your library card number and password. Here you will find an overview of borrowed media, reservations, the end of loan periods and outstanding fees. You also have the option of renewing borrowed items via your account and changing your personal password.
Wi-Fi is available in the library for university members and affiliated staff. Further information and instructions can be found on the website under Wi-Fi.
