Romance Studies
Opening hours
The Romance Studies Library is part of the Unitobler Libraries
Services
The Romance Studies Library is primarily intended for members of the university, students and other experts in the specialist area covered. Other interested persons are requested to register beforehand.
For general information about infrastructure, borrowing and returning, courier, information and research assistance please visit the website of the Unitobler Libraries.
Infrastructure
- study places: 85 long-term workplaces (of which 15 are individual carrels attributed by the library staff)
- 2 online catalog terminals
- 1 terminal for internal databases
- 2 self-lending terminals
- 32 cabinets (attributed by the library staff)
- 1 photocopier (copy cards can be purchased from library staff, no uniprint device)
Interlibrary loans
There is an interlibrary loan service for staff of the institutes of Romance languages and literatures and for advanced students of Romance Studies. Students wishing to obtain interlibrary loans via the Romance Studies Library should have their requests confirmed by the lecturers, form available from the library staff). Other customers use the interlibrary loan service of the University Library Bern.
Library introductions
Brief introductions to the Romance Studies Library are offered at the beginning of the fall semester (one for French, one for Italian and one for Spanish students). Dates are announced at the beginning of the semester and posted on the noticeboards (third and fourth floors).
The subject librarian for Romance studies offers one-hour tutorials on how to use the catalog (fall semester) and on how to search databases (spring semester). Dates are communicated during the lectures at the beginning of the semester and posted on the noticeboards (third and fourth floors).
Please register for individual guided tours and tutorial at other times with the library staff.

Collection
Collection priorities:
- the sub-library of the two departments of the Institute of French Language and Literature focuses on works of and about French literature, French linguistics and French history.
- works on Spanish literature as well as South American and Catalan literature and Spanish philology can be found in the sub-library of the Institute of Spanish Language and Literatures (literature department).
- the sub-library of the Institute of Italian Language and Literature (literature department) contains both books about Italian literature as well as general works about the culture of the language area as in other sub-libraries.
- the sub-library of the former Institute of Romance Studies and the Karl Jaberg Library that was founded from a donation by the scholar who worked in Bern until 1945 offer an overview of the Romance languages and their dialects as well as Old French and Vulgar Latin literature.
The six sub-libraries are each identifiable by their own classification.
Faculty Library | Shelfmark Prefix in the Online Catalog | Shelf Label |
---|---|---|
Romance philology | RO | light blue |
Jaberg Library | JAB | dark blue |
French linguistics | LAF | yellow |
French literature | LIF | green |
Spanish literature | ESP | red |
Italian literature | IT | pink |
* The shelfmark prefix is NOT visible on the book shelfmark.
* Spanish and Italian linguistics form part of the Romance Philology sub-library.
You can submit acquisition suggestions via electronic form.
Further information
Contacts
Head

- Name / Titel
- Andrea Müller
- Funktion
- Co-Leitung Bibliothek Unitobler, Leitung Bibliothek Romanistik
- andrea.mueller@unibe.ch
- Phone
- +41 31 684 80 34
Librarians

- Name / Titel
- Denise Chefsailles
- denise.chefsailles@unibe.ch
- Phone
- +41 31 684 80 01
- Phone2
- +41 31 684 93 51

- Name / Titel
- Esther Soldati
- esther.soldati@unibe.ch
- Phone
- +41 31 684 80 34
- Phone2
- +41 31 684 34 16
Subject librarians

- Name / Titel
- Arturo Ruiz
- Funktion
- Subject librarian Romance studies
- arturo.ruiz@unibe.ch
- Phone
- +41 31 684 80 01
- Phone2
- +41 31 684 34 16

- Name / Titel
- Nieves Fernandez
- Funktion
- Subject librarian romance studies, general science, film studies
- nieves.fernandez@unibe.ch
- Phone
- +41 31 684 94 30
- Phone2
- +41 31 684 47 01