Imagine a beacon for the campus. That’s what the new Universit\u00e4tsbibliothek at TU Dortmund will be. Its precise geometry and clear form will mark it out.
The Universit\u00e4tsbibliothek Dortmund offers its users around 850,000 printed books. Journals and other media are also available. There are approximately 72,000 e-journals and 562,000 e-books as of 2023. Since August 2023, during the new construction period, it consists of the Emil-Figge-Bibliothek as a central point of contact on campus. It also has a temporary location on Sebrathweg and two affiliated branch libraries. These branches focus on literature on architecture, civil engineering and spatial planning. Around 800 study spaces are distributed across the individual locations. This includes a co-learning space.
Founded in 1965, the Universit\u00e4tsbibliothek Dortmund has a rich history. Hartwig Lohse was the first library director. He started with just four employees. The library was initially housed in a temporary pavilion. This was on the present-day Campus S\u00fcd. By 1966, it moved to a new building on August-Schmidt-Stra\u00dfe.
The 1970s saw the establishment of new branch libraries. These included Raumplanung in 1969. Mathematics, Physics and Chemical Engineering followed in 1970. Informatik, Statistik, Maschinenbau and Umweltschutz were added in 1972. Elektrotechnik in 1973, Bauwesen in 1974, and Chemie in 1976 completed the expansion. The Patentschriftenstelle was affiliated in 1969. In 1972, the Deutsche Gesellschaft f\u00fcr Eisenbahngeschichte gave its collection to the Universit\u00e4tsbibliothek as a permanent loan.
In 1976, the Zentralbibliothek moved to a new building on Vogelpothsweg 76. Valentin Wehefritz, the then library director, planned the new building.
The library offers literature on almost all subjects. There are key areas in technology, natural sciences, education, economics and social sciences. If books or journal articles are not available locally, they are procured via interlibrary loan and document delivery services.
The Universit\u00e4tsbibliothek Dortmund provides courses. These courses focus on scientific research and work. They also cover library use. The courses are tailored to the needs of library users. They provide guidance and assistance for scientific work.
The library primarily serves members of the Technische Universit\u00e4t Dortmund. It also offers its services to external users and businesses in the region. The library cooperates with faculties and institutions within the university. It also works with external libraries and research institutes. There has been close cooperation with the Universit\u00e4tsbibliothek Bochum and the Universit\u00e4tsbibliothek Duisburg-Essen since 2007. This is part of the Universit\u00e4tsallianz Ruhr (UA Ruhr).
The Universit\u00e4tsbibliothek also offers special services. The archive of the Technische Universit\u00e4t Dortmund has extensive documents. These relate to the history of the university founded in 1968 and its predecessor institutions. The library also has railway-related literature and timetables. This comes from the library of the Deutsche Gesellschaft f\u00fcr Eisenbahngeschichte.
The new building for the Universit\u00e4tsbibliothek at TU Dortmund will be completed by 2028/29. It will have a fa\u00e7ade with large windows. Light columns will be interspersed. The ground floor will serve circulation. It will provide seating areas and seminar rooms. There will also be simple workstations for short stints. An open cascading stairway will cut upwards through the public space. It will lead to the quieter study zones. Desks will face the transparent fa\u00e7ade. Students will benefit from daylight and the view. The book stacks will be protected within the core. Student services and administrative offices will be on the sixth and seventh floors. The outside space will have broad ramps with integrated steps. It will resemble an amphitheatre. It will be an inviting area for students to relax.