Current news, promptly, whenever you want it

Our Telegram information channel OBIKA has since 2015 been another social media offering alongside our presence on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. Keep up to date straight from your smartphone, and you will hear promptly about everything to do with your library.

Telegram, with more than 200 million monthly active users, has become a very widely used messenger. It is being taken up more and more — most recently by the Baden-Württemberg state government and the Federal Ministry of Health, who now use Telegram to give information about the coronavirus crisis. News from Tagesschau is here too: t.me/ARD_tagesschau_Bot.

Because of the rebuilding after the fire of January 2018, the channel had to be discontinued in August 2019 for want of time and people. In April 2020 we brought it back temporarily until 2022 because of coronavirus.

→ the OBIKA channel

Frequently asked questions

How do I sign up?

Open telegram.me/obika in your smartphone's web browser. If the Telegram app is installed, our channel opens straight away. Then tap "Join" at the bottom.

Do I have to be a library reader?

No, you do not have to be a registered reader to use our OBIKA information channel.

What does this service cost me?

Nothing. It costs you nothing at all through us, and the Telegram app is free as well.

How do I unsubscribe again?

When you are in the OBIKA Telegram channel, tap the three dots at the top right, or the channel name, and choose „Leave channel" or "Leave".

Why don't you use WhatsApp?

Most of us use WhatsApp to keep in touch with friends, family, colleagues and so on. But there are also messengers that are safer and better. Back in 2015, after long thought and weighing up all the factors, we decided for various reasons to use Telegram — at first internally, and a few months later publicly for OBIKA. We have not regretted that decision to this day; quite the opposite.

Data protection notes

When you have signed up to our channel, all we see is the first name and surname you have given Telegram. Other subscribers cannot see your mobile number and cannot send you messages, since this is not a group but a channel list. We do not pass your mobile number on to third parties. It is used solely for the channel. You will get no advertising and no spam from us, and we will not ring you.

Telegram collects data in its own right in order to provide the channel service. For the purpose and extent of Telegram's data collection, its further processing and use of your data, and your rights and settings for protecting your privacy, please see Telegram's data protection notes.

The controller within the meaning of the GDPR for the Telegram messenger is Telegram Messenger LLP; the competent supervisory authority under the GDPR is the UK data protection authority. We point out that, in the course of using the broadcast, Telegram also stores user data in third countries outside the EU and exchanges it with the provider's other services. Owingen Library has no influence over this.

What to do if you have further questions or problems?

You are always welcome to get in touch. Outside opening hours you can reach us round the clock by email at info@owbib.de. We do our best to answer as quickly as we can, in the evenings and at weekends too.

If you notice a mistake or an inconsistency on our website, please let us know. Thank you!