With more than 700.000 items, the BBF is today Europe's second largest library specialised in education. Like the Herzog-August-Bibliothek in Wolfenbüttel, it belongs to the association of German cultural research libraries fulfilling a national role.

The Library of the Max-Planck-Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity is a specialized library with a focus on religious studies, anthropology, political science and sociology. The library does not participate in interlibrary loans but serves as a reference library to provide literature and information, mainly to the members of the Institute.