Heidelberg University Library Catalogue
Library management system and library catalogue
Since June 2026, Heidelberg University Library has been using the cloud-based library management system ‘WorldShare Management Services’ (WMS) and the ‘WorldCat Discovery’ library catalogue provided by the library services provider ‘OCLC’.
WMS manages the central library workflows, from media acquisition and cataloguing to lending and the administration of user accounts. WorldCat Discovery provides users with a modern library catalogue that allows them to search for printed and electronic resources and manage their library accounts.
Searching for literature and managing your library account
The library catalogue is the central point of access for literature searches and a wide range of other library services. Here you can
- search for books, e-books, journals and other media,
- check the availability of items,
- manage your library account,
- order or reserve items,
- renew loans,
- create watchlists, and save, share and cite titles.
The search interface is optimised for use on both desktop computers and mobile devices.
International data set
The search is based on several interconnected databases.
- Heidelberg Library Catalogue: around 6 million records from the libraries of Heidelberg University,
- WorldCat: more than 600 million bibliographic records covering library holdings worldwide.
- WorldCat Index: over 5 billion records of academic publications and electronic resources from international sources.
For subject-specific searches, we recommend the relevant subject-specific databases, which can be searched and accessed via the Database Information System (DBIS). To check the availability of library holdings, please also use the Karlsruhe Virtual Catalog, which enables a meta-search across a wide range of catalog systems.