The core of the contemporary library is formed by ethnological and ethnographic works, as well as a large number of travel reports from the holdings of today's Natural History Museum. With more than 150,000 media items, it is one of the leading European specialist libraries in the field of cultural and social anthropology, especially thanks to its extensive inventory of historical works. The holdings include literature on the history of the collections and museums, current cultural and social anthropological topics, globalisation, museology, migration, restitution, and post-colonialism as well as exhibition and inventory catalogues of ethnological museums, lexicons, encyclopaedias, dictionaries, bibliographies, and historical maps.
The magazine catalogue currently lists more than 3,000 national and international journal titles. The valuable historical inventory of largely complete journal series is continuously supplemented by existing subscriptions, granting access to recent publications. Most publications can be taken out on loan. The reading and working area is equipped with a copier with a scan function.