The ABI library hosts one of the largest and best-sorted collections in Germany – with a particular focus on social, cultural and political developments in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.
Since the late 1950s, the collection has accumulated approximately 80.000 monographs and 400 periodicals; 100 journals are currently subscribed. It accommodates a wide range of analyses in European languages (English, Spanish, French, and German) and numerous monographs/reports in original languages. The writings of researchers from the Global South are well-represented in a wide assortment of publications from the corresponding countries. The library’s periodical and newspaper section contains a well-balanced selection of readings on social development and current affairs.
The library maintains an up-to-date database – with approximately 2800 thematic keywords based on a thesaurus, revised and updated regularly by a commission – that provides visitors with a time-efficient access to relevant titles (published after 1972). Moreover, additional filter functions allow researchers to find specific titles within ABI’s core research areas. Since 1994, the institute has also complied a systematic catalogue of journal article abstracts that cover relevant fields of study.
The ABI collection is accessible online through the electronic catalogues of the University of Freiburg, the Southwest German Library Consortium (SWB), and the Electronic Journal Library (EZB).