Who may use the Hans Arnhold Center library?

The library in the Hans Arnhold Center was designed as a reference library for our fellowship program, focusing on the interests of English-speaking scholars. The following Patron Categories are entitled to borrow media from the holdings of the AAB: Fellows and Distinguished Visitors and their partners and family members; Management and Staff; External persons, partner libraries, and partner institutions of the AAB within scope of outgoing interlibrary loan. The American Academy in Berlin reserves the right to limit or to deny access to the external users.

Can I research in the house archive? How can I find out what is in the archive?

Please address all archive requests to library@americanacademy.de, and include a short project description.

May fellows borrow books for research, or should they ship their materials to the Academy?

The American Academy in Berlin offers a wide range of library services, so you do not have to ship your own materials to Berlin. The Academy also has special lending terms with partner libraries in Berlin, which means that you may hold onto your borrowed books and reference materials for the duration of your stay at the Academy. All books will be delivered to your personal bookshelf at the Hans Arnhold Center. You will be notified per email when your books are ready for pick up.

May fellows send along a full bibliography?

Yes, fellows may send along their full project bibliographies in advance, so that the Academy’s library service can obtain requested materials prior to the fellow’s arrival. For that, (1) please register in our local system Koha, and (2) order your bibliography using the request form “interlibrary loan requests” in your personal Koha account.

What are the liaison library services?

The HAC Library offers a wide range of the liaison librarian services: Full-time librarian availability for the research support of Academy projects Participation of the library staff in meetings with the fellows Literature reviews, overviews of the key academic texts and companions on the specific topics of the fellow’s research area Research support in finding relevant archives and collections in Berlin and Germany Support in organizing archive and library visits as well as accompanying the fellows, if necessary Participation in discipline-specific organizations and associations in order to develop new library services and to offer the fellows contacts to the subjects specialists in the Berlin library landscape Facilitating problem solving in relation to library services and access to the German research infrastructure

Can the library service assist fellows in locating and accessing relevant archives for their research?

Yes, the Academy assists in integrating Berlin’s rich academic landscape into your research. The capital of Germany not only has several large state and public archives, it also has numerous societies, foundations, and associations with their own private collections and specific archives. At the start of the residency, fellows will receive a list of archive overviews and contacts. To make an appointment to visit an archive, please email library@americanacademy.de to facilitate the appointment and visit. Should the fellow request assistance in getting to and navigating the archive, the Academy will arrange accompaniment from a library assistant or other staff member.

Does the library have access to online references and resources?

Unfortunately, the Academy does not have subscriptions for digital dictionaries or online reference resources. If fellows are unable to remotely access the online services of their home university, the Academy’s library service can help you to register at the Berlin state library after your arrival so you can access proprietary online resources that way. Registration and access to online resources are both free of charge.

Can library services borrow music scores for fellows?

Yes. If fellows wish to study music scores for their private practice, concert preparations, or other purposes, the library service can borrow sheet music from the public libraries in Berlin.

Library - American Academy in Berlin

The Hans Arnhold Center Library

The Hans Arnhold Center Library is a private reference library consisting primarily of materials written and donated by the members of the American Academy in Berlin board, fellows, Distinguished Visitors, lecturers, staff, and other guests. The library collection include over 9,000 holdings, focusing on the interests of English-speaking scholars in the humanities and political science. Key academic texts of our fellows, selected English translations of the classics and German Literature as well as the estate of the American journalist and public intellectual Melvin Lasky support the research made at the Academy. The further major subjects of the holdings are relations between the United States and Germany, German and US-American history, European politics, and local history.

If you are interested in our holdings prior to your arrival at the Academy, please use the search engine of our online catalog below:

Access the Library Catalog

Library Services

Library services provided at the Academy include:

Use of the library collection at the Hans Arnhold Center;
Inter-library loans from Berlin collections and Germany-wide;
Liaison librarian services
Literature reviews
Research support in finding relevant archives and collections in Berlin and Germany
Support in organizing archive visits and accompanying you, if necessary
Borrowing children’s books according to your / your child’s preferences
Borrowing music scores
Borrowing dictionaries, lexica, encyclopediae, and thesauri
Scanning service
Online references and digital dictionaries through the your personal registration at the Berlin State Library

Access policy:

For the use of the library services at the American Academy in Berlin please register in the local library system Koha. The library of the American Academy in Berlin is reference library designed exclusively for the Fellows, Distinguished Visitors, trustees, and staff of the American Academy in Berlin. The library participates in the public cooperative library network GBV. The archive of the American Academy in Berlin is open for academic or research inquiries from the public.

Duration of services:

Fellows and Distinguished Visitors may utilize the library services during their stay at the American Academy in Berlin. Library services expire with the end of the fellowship.

Acquisition policy:

The library collection has been created with generous support and donations of the members of the American Academy in Berlin board of trustees, fellows, Distinguished Visitors, lecturers, staff, and other guests. The library does not monitor the print publishing market. All patrons of the HAC Library may submit purchase suggestions to the Library Manager through their personal library account in the local library system Koha. No purchase suggestions are designated by external parties. The library pursues users’ demand-driven acquisitions for the research made at the Academy.

Reader privileges:

All internal readers may request materials for in-house consultation, order books from public libraries, and submit acquisition proposals to the library manager. The library pursues users’ demand-driven acquisitions.

Circulation:

Materials do not circulate outside of the American Academy in Berlin and may be ordered in the local library system Koha. Books borrowed from external libraries may not be delivered or taken beyond the fellowship stay or work at the American Academy in Berlin and must be returned on time.

The American Academy in Berlin is an independent, nonprofit institute for advanced study in the arts, humanities, social sciences, law, journalism, and public policy. Its primary mission is to strengthen the cultural and intellectual ties between the United States and Germany. Each year, following a rigorous selection process, the Academy awards roughly two dozen semester-long fellowships to individuals who demonstrate excellence in their respective fields.

The Academy welcomes applications from a broad range of disciplines in the humanities, social sciences, law, journalism, and various areas of public policy. We also generally encourage projects that address pressing issues of the day, such as democracy, security, technology and society (especially AI), energy (including climate), and global order. Dedicated fellowships are also available to support projects in Jewish studies, German studies, and public health and biotechnology. While project proposals need not focus on topics related to Germany, candidates should explain how a residency in Berlin would enhance their work.

The Academy invites visual artists and composers via separate, nomination-based competitions. We do not accept project proposals in mathematics or the natural sciences.

Berlin Prize Fellows receive monthly stipends of $5000, roundtrip airfare, accommodation at or near the Hans Arnhold Center, partial board, and access to in-house library services and professional networking opportunities. Fellows present their work to audiences in and around Berlin via lectures, readings, public discussions, performances, and film screenings. They should also be willing to engage with relevant German institutions, organizations, and the media. These activities are integral to the Academy’s mission of fostering transatlantic dialogue.

All candidates will receive notification of the competition outcome via email in late March 2027. The Academy will announce the 2027-28 Berlin Prize recipients in May 2027.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who may use the Hans Arnhold Center library?
The library in the Hans Arnhold Center was designed as a reference library for our fellowship program, focusing on the interests of English-speaking scholars. The following Patron Categories are entitled to borrow media from the holdings of the AAB: Fellows and Distinguished Visitors and their partners and family members; Management and Staff; External persons, partner libraries, and partner institutions of the AAB within scope of outgoing interlibrary loan. The American Academy in Berlin reserves the right to limit or to deny access to the external users.
Can I research in the house archive? How can I find out what is in the archive?
Please address all archive requests to library@americanacademy.de, and include a short project description.
May fellows borrow books for research, or should they ship their materials to the Academy?
The American Academy in Berlin offers a wide range of library services, so you do not have to ship your own materials to Berlin. The Academy also has special lending terms with partner libraries in Berlin, which means that you may hold onto your borrowed books and reference materials for the duration of your stay at the Academy.

All books will be delivered to your personal bookshelf at the Hans Arnhold Center. You will be notified per email when your books are ready for pick up.
May fellows send along a full bibliography?

Yes, fellows may send along their full project bibliographies in advance, so that the Academy’s library service can obtain requested materials prior to the fellow’s arrival. For that, (1) please register in our local system Koha, and (2) order your bibliography using the request form “interlibrary loan requests” in your personal Koha account.
What are the liaison library services?
The HAC Library offers a wide range of the liaison librarian services:

Full-time librarian availability for the research support of Academy projects

Participation of the library staff in meetings with the fellows

Literature reviews, overviews of the key academic texts and companions on the specific topics of the fellow’s research area

Research support in finding relevant archives and collections in Berlin and Germany

Support in organizing archive and library visits as well as accompanying the fellows, if necessary

Participation in discipline-specific organizations and associations in order to develop new library services and to offer the fellows contacts to the subjects specialists in the Berlin library landscape

Facilitating problem solving in relation to library services and access to the German research infrastructure
Can the library service assist fellows in locating and accessing relevant archives for their research?
Yes, the Academy assists in integrating Berlin’s rich academic landscape into your research. The capital of Germany not only has several large state and public archives, it also has numerous societies, foundations, and associations with their own private collections and specific archives. At the start of the residency, fellows will receive a list of archive overviews and contacts. To make an appointment to visit an archive, please email library@americanacademy.de to facilitate the appointment and visit. Should the fellow request assistance in getting to and navigating the archive, the Academy will arrange accompaniment from a library assistant or other staff member.
Does the library have access to online references and resources?
Unfortunately, the Academy does not have subscriptions for digital dictionaries or online reference resources. If fellows are unable to remotely access the online services of their home university, the Academy’s library service can help you to register at the Berlin state library after your arrival so you can access proprietary online resources that way. Registration and access to online resources are both free of charge.
Can library services borrow music scores for fellows?
Yes. If fellows wish to study music scores for their private practice, concert preparations, or other purposes, the library service can borrow sheet music from the public libraries in Berlin.