General information

Organisation of the library

Reading rooms with books in open stocks are spread over five floors and divided into a general consultation area and ten departments. The shelf number is in most cases preceded by a capital letter which refers to the department in which the book is kept. In each department the books and periodicals are classified in a decimal system from 0 to 9 (schematic overview).

If the capital letter is absent or is replaced by P, the book must be requested. This can be done by completing a reference card and giving it to the administration (1st floor). The library staff will get the book as soon as possible and put it on the table (indicated by a yellow arrow) before the administration office.  The rare book collection (code P), the closed stocks and the administrative and technical areas are not open to the public.

At regular intervals recent years of periodicals are sent to be bound and are then unavailable for consultation. A list of such issues is located in the general consultation room near the administration office.

Use of the collections

The library (1,020,000 volumes) is organized as a non-lending library. Books may under no circumstances be removed from the premises. In the open stocks, the reader himself can take books from the shelves. Nevertheless, he may never return them to the shelf: they must be placed on a book trolley (available at each floor for this purpose).

Anyone who wishes to consult a book, has to fill in a 'reference card' completely. One finds them on every floor on the book trollies and next to the terminals. The reference card consists of two parts: the first part, on which one writes, and a carbon copy. The first sheet is to be put on the shelf in a red plastic holder in the place of the book; the carbon must be placed visibly in the book. Books without a reference card, or with one that is unsufficiently filled out, will be removed and returned to the shelf.

General reference works should be placed on the book trollies as soon as possible and must never be removed to another floor. Valuable books and works published before 1800 (130,000 volumes) can be consulted on request. They must be used in the general consultation room and be returned to the personnel before 5:00 p.m. each day. Photocopying such works is not permitted. The Archives Vatican II can be consulted in appointment with Prof. M. Lamberigts.

Dissertations by students of the Faculty of Theology may be consulted only ten years after the date of presentation, unless the reader has obtained written permission from the author or his/her promotor.

Microfilms, microcards, didactic and audio-visual material should be requested from the personnel.