Zentral- und Landesbibliothek Berlin (ZLB)

The Zentral- und Landesbibliothek Berlin (ZLB) is the largest public library in Germany, with an extensive collection of over 3.5 million media and approximately 1.5 million visits annually.

The ZLB consists of two main locations: the Amerika-Gedenkbibliothek (AGB) in Berlin-Kreuzberg and the Berliner Stadtbibliothek (BStB) in Berlin-Mitte. The AGB features the humanities, the "fine" arts, fiction, films, music, and the art library, as well as the children's and youth library with a learning center. The BStB, on the other hand, includes the fields of natural sciences, medicine, economics, as well as the Senatsbibliothek Berlin with municipal sciences and the field of law. Additionally, the ZLB offers extensive historical collections and Berlin studies with its own reading rooms[2][5].

The ZLB has the mission to provide all people with free access to knowledge, education, and culture. It serves as a place of encounter and sharing, where the city shares its knowledge, media, technologies, and space. The library actively embodies participation in both the analog and digital worlds and is a central meeting place for exchange and discourse[5].

The ZLB offers comprehensive digital services, including the borrowing of e-books, e-audios, e-papers, e-magazines, and streaming of films and music. These services are accessible through the network of public libraries in Berlin (VÖBB) and allow users to access a variety of digital media from home[4].

The ZLB was established in 1995 through the merger of the Berliner Stadtbibliothek and the Amerika-Gedenkbibliothek. As the state library of Berlin, it is tasked with collecting all printed works, data, and sound carriers published in Berlin. It has significant historical collections, including writings about and from Berlin, historical newspapers and magazines, as well as manuscripts from the autograph collection[1][3].

The ZLB is a driver of innovation in the field of library work. It is particularly committed to digitalization and crowdsourcing, such as the digitization of Berlin's telephone and address books. These initiatives have been recognized with the "Future Shaper in Libraries 2013" award and the title of "Library of the Year 2019" by the German Library Association[1][3].

The ZLB is continuously working on improving and expanding its services. Currently, the ZLB plans to consolidate its locations in a central location on Friedrichstraße to enable an even better and more comfortable experience for visitors. This project aims to strengthen Friedrichstraße as a cultural and educational hotspot[5].

The ZLB is a public law foundation, led by Volker Heller, and is under the control of a foundation board appointed by the Senate Department for Culture and Europe. Through its diverse offerings and innovative approach, the ZLB positions itself as a central place of education and culture in Berlin.

• 1 - https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zentral-_und_Landesbibliothek_Berlin
• 2 - https://www.kubinaut.de/de/projektmachende/profile/institutionen-finden/zentral-und-landesbibliothek-berlin-2/
• 3 - https://www.intranda.com/portfolio-item/zlb/
• 4 - https://www.zlb.de
• 5 - https://www.zlb.de/ueber-uns/