The HKB Music Library is part of the BFH library and a member of the Swiss Library Service Platform SLSP/swisscovery. It is open to the public.
Mon–Fri
10am – 6pm
10 August – 4 September
Mon–Fri
10am – 3pm
In the concert series "Mittagskonzerte in der Musikbibliothek" students from the Department of Music will perform selected treasures from the holdings from the library's holdings. From classical to contemporary, the 30-minute concerts invite you to enjoy a lunchtime treat for the ears and mind.
HKB Music Library, Papiermühlestrasse 13j, Bern
The HKB Music Library has the largest collection of musical scores in the Canton of Bern. The collection is mainly oriented towards the needs of the Music Faculty, with an emphasis on performance and interpretation practices of the 19th and early 20th centuries: Urtext editions, contemporary music and guides to repertoire as well as research works.
The physical media are generally freely accessible and can be borrowed (prerequisite: swisscovery account – register here). They can be searched via swisscovery.bfh.ch.
CDs and DVDs can be borrowed but must be collected on site; postal delivery is not possible.
The electronic media or online resources are accessible to students and employees of the BFH in the BFH network, i.e. in the WLAN «bfh», or via VPN. For other visitors, they are available at the research stations in the library.
Unfortunately, at the moment we can not accept any more donations.
The collections of the BFH Library (books and ebooks, periodicals and ejournals, DVDs, etc.; except for the library of the Abegg Foundation) can be searched using swisscovery.bfh.ch.
You can find sheet music in swisscovery as well as in the HKB Sheet Music Catalogue.
The ForumMusikDiversität Schweiz (FMD) was established in 2012 by members of the FrauenMusikForum (FMF), which dates back to 1982 and the era of second-wave feminism. FMD is a competence centre for music, gender and diversity. Its stated purpose is to facilitate the transfer of knowledge in its subject areas. The centrepiece of the association – its collection of sheet music, books and CDs – has been deposited with the Music Library of Bern University of the Arts since 2007. In 2026, ownership of the collection was transferred to Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH).
The collection focuses on compositions by Swiss female composers, songs by female composers, Miriam Marbe and monographic concerts of the FMF (Mel Bonis, Bernese female composers, Dora Pejacevic, Louise Farrenc, Caroline Charrière, Iris Szeghy, Jacqueline Fontyn).
All media have been indexed in full at the BFH swisscovery. The accession system for the sheet music holdings is based on volume and instrumentation – searchable in swisscovery or the HKB catalogue of printed music. You can use their classmarks as search terms.
Some musical materials are reference works for consultation in the reading room only. They are not available for loan. You can order photocopies of printed works within the scope permitted by copyright law (cost: see fee table).
The collections of the FMD are protected by copyright law. If you wish to use reproductions of images or sheet music from the FMD collection for a publication, please contact the FMD at info@musicdiversity.ch. Cite the title, purpose and print run of the publication and the size of the image.
The FMD is grateful to the Bern Lottery Fund for its financial support and to the Mariann Steegmann Foundation for its long-standing generosity towards the collection work of the FMD.
The holdings of the former church music library of the Reformed Churches of Bern-Jura-Solothurn were transferred to HKB in 2002. The collection is growing continuously.
Its books and organ sheet music are fully indexed in BFH swisscovery. You can also search them in the HKB Sheet Music Catalogue. The sheet music can also be queried via the HKB sheet music catalogue.
To search the stock of the church music library only, enter the classmark ‘KMB’ when doing a keyword search.
Rare holdings (autographs, manuscripts, old prints from the 18th/19th century) are indexed in the card catalogue.
The estates of the Swiss composers Richard Sturzenegger (1905–1976), Adolf Reichel (1816–1896) and Hans Studer (1911–1984) are indexed in the database of RISM Switzerland (Répertoire International des Sources Musicales).
Estates and rarities are not available for loan. They can be consulted in the reading room. They are stored externally and must be ordered one week in advance.
In our short course you will learn ...
Information about swisscovery can be found at swisscovery.help
If you have any questions, please contact bibliothek@bfh.ch
Contact us if you would like to have a short course on a different date or in English.
You can participate in the training, which takes place virtually via MS Teams, using the link above. Only your dial-in and registration data will be transmitted via MS Teams. Sound and image data will only be processed if you allow this in your settings (microphone, camera). The Bern University of Applied Sciences does not store any personal data that can be seen from the event; in particular, no recording is made. In addition, the BFH has chosen MS Teams, a program for which compliance with the standards required by data protection law is assured. The responsibility for the operation of the software lies with the provider. Details on the processing of personal data can be found in the provider's data protection information. By participating, you consent to the processing of your personal data.
The browser extension Lean Library leads you directly to electronic full-text content offered by your BFH library.
For best results, always activate the VPN.
Lean Library enables you to initiate a search on the swisscovery search platform from any website:
If you have any questions, contact us: bibliothek@bfh.ch
The Moodle course BFH Literature Search gives BFH students an introduction to researching scientific literature.
You can decide based on various criteria whether or not you should use a resource when preparing your research paper. The following checklist provides a basis for decision making:
Depending on the type of publication, you can choose the appropriate search tool:
Always look for the “search@BFH” button. It often leads directly to the text you are searching for.
Install LeanLibrary, a browser extension, to support your research.
Activate your BFH VPN, even when using Google or Google scholar, for ex., as this can in some cases lead directly to the full-text.
Journal articles can be found primarily in subject databases. Many databases contain only bibliographic references (index information about literature) and abstracts, but not the complete text of an article (full-text).
Look within the bibliographic reference entries for download links with labels such as "Full Text", "PDF", "Read", etc. Sometimes the DOI (digital object identifier), the Lean Library box or the “search@bfh.ch” directs to the full-text.
If none of these routes direct you to the full-text, try using the swisscovery search platform.
Search in swisscovery using the title of the journal instead of the title of the article. Use the "Advanced Search", go to the heading "Resource Type", select "Journals" and stay in the "BFH" search profile.
If the electronic version of the journal is available, you will be directed to the journal full-text by clicking on the “View Online” link and you can then find and download the article PDF. In some cases, you may need to enter an additional password (BFH internal).
If the journal is only available in print, you can copy or scan the article at the library where it is located.
If the BFH Library does not have the journal you need in its collections, broaden your search to include all of swisscovery. You can then visit the library that holds the journal and download the article you want there. Please note: You do not have remote access to online resources held by libraries at universities other than the BFH.
Some swisscovery member libraries allow you to order copies or scans for a fee. Alternatively, use the service Orders for Copies at the University of Bern Library.
You need a journal article, but the BFH library doesn't have a licence? Send us as many details as possible about the article and we will deliver it to you: bibliothek@bfh.ch
Improved search engines, ever larger databases and new portals with digital content – the internet offers countless musical treasures and answers to many questions about music. However, it is not always possible to filter the mass of information and quickly find the relevant results.
The German Music Information Centre (miz) provides the tutorial Research Tips that gives research tips and link-lists for online resources regarding music-related writings, digitised sheets and music manuscripts as well as streaming offers. In addition, indispensable print materials are still taken into account.
The many AI tools have a variety of different functions and therefore offer various possible ways of supporting an efficient search for literature.
Learn in 90 minutes how you can employ AI in the context of literature research.
The training course takes place via MS Teams. You can register via Moodle. You will receive an e-mail ahead of time, with instructions and the MS Teams link for participation.
None of our training dates fit your schedule? Or would you like to explore a topic from the training in more depth? In our Moodle course, you will find background information and assistance on literature research with AI.
Zotero is a reference management programme for collecting, managing and citing a wide variety of sources. With Zotero, you can import citations from swisscovery and subject databases, create and manage citation lists, and export them into text documents, for example in Word.
Discover in 90 minutes how to make optimum use of Zotero. The training course is provided online via MS Teams. Registration is via Moodle. Shortly before the course you will receive an e-mail with instructions and the MS Teams link for participation.
Monday, 24 August 2026. 4.30pm - 6pm (German)
None of our training dates fit your schedule? Or would you like to get started with literature management without a training course? In our Moodle course, you will find instructions (videos, etc.) and help, e.g. for migrating your literature collections from Citavi to Zotero.
Writing is not a question of talent. Writing is a question of practice. Especially when it comes to writing scientific texts.
In the Moodle course "Schreiben – écrire – writing" you can find instruction in the art of academic writing and helpful suggestions for getting started with the writing process.
The HKB Music Library is part of the BFH library.
