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.

SSOAR collects electronic full texts from the domain of the Social Sciences and makes these texts available according to the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Scientific Knowledge.