German National Library
Team WissensSpuren and DNB
The German National Library (Deutsche Nationalbibliothek, DNB) is Germany’s central archival library. Since 1913, it has been collecting all media works in writing, image, and sound related to Germany or in the German language. Initially based in Leipzig, a sister collection was initiated in Frankfurt (Main) in 1947. The Leipzig location also houses the German Music Archive and the German Museum of Books and Writing. As a result, the German National Library functions not only as a library and archive, but also as a museum and a vibrant cultural hub for interactions.
History
The German National Library originated from several predecessor institutions: The German Library in Leipzig was founded in 1912, and the German Library in Frankfurt am Main was established in 1947. In 1970, the German Music Archive became a department of the Frankfurt-based German Library. Following the reunification of Germany in 1990, the German Library and the German Bücherei were merged into a single institution. Both locations in Leipzig and Frankfurt am Main remained operational. In 2006, the name “Deutsche Nationalbibliothek” was officially adopted, and its legal mandate was expanded to include digital media works.
The mission of the National Library is aimed at comprehensiveness. For all publications in Germany two copies of physical media works and one copy of online publications must be submitted to the library.
Education and Research
A central task of the library is the cataloging of media works, ensuring they can be found in the catalog. The formal cataloging includes details such as involved persons, title, publisher, and identifiers like ISBN or ISSN. The content cataloging focuses on the material’s subject, using keywords and classification numbers, which are assigned according to strict rules. A shared integrated authority file contains a comprehensive set of standardized and unique keywords related to cultural and scientific collections. This file is collaboratively maintained by the German National Library, all German-speaking library networks, the journal database, and other institutions.
To further strengthen the DNB’s role as a partner of the scientific community, the Scientific Service began operations in 2023. Its aim is to develop, initiate, and carry out academic collaborations, including teaching events and third-party funded research projects.
Outreach
In line with its mission as a science, education, and cultural institution, the National Library offers its visitors a diverse program of exhibitions, events, tours, and educational opportunities. Users worldwide can search through the collection of nearly 50 million media works using the online catalog, access freely available online publications, and view contents tables for many titles.