The library stocks literature on social, cultural and political issues in developing countries and key works on the Institute's research priorities, including essential textbooks. Since 1959 it has built up a collection of 70 000 monographs through purchases and numerous donations, and subscribes to 260 periodicals. Apart from works in English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, French and Russian, the library has an impressive collection of literature from the East, Southeast and South Asia and the Middle East in the respective local languages. A particularly valuable element is the stock of "grey literature" and official publications, most of it brought back from field trips by Institute members. The work of researchers from Third World countries is represented by a large number of publications and journals from and on the corresponding countries. The periodical and newspaper section contains a solid choice of reading on current affairs and developments in the Institute's fields of interest.

The library consists of four sections:

• reference library
• basic literature
• individual countries
• periodicals and newspapers

A thesaurus of approximately 2 800 key words facilitates access to the contents of books published since 1972 and the available literature on specific topics (online since March 2007). It is based on that of the InWent (Capacity Building International, Germany), which is revised and updated regularly by a commission. In addition the Institute introduces descriptors of its own relevant to the ABI's specialisations and new research topics. Since 1994, the the contents of articles from 30 selected journals in the basic literature section have been also catalogued.

Since 1993, the stocks of the library are available through On-line Catalogues of the University of Freiburg and the on-line services of the South West Germany Library Consortium (SWB).