Berlin Central and Regional Library

Berlin Central and Regional Library
Zentral- und Landesbibliothek Berlin (ZLB)
Corporate design of ZLB
Map
LocationBerlin-Mitte
Berlin-Charlottenburg
Berlin-Kreuzberg, Germany
TypeCity and Regional library
Established1995
Collection
Size3.4 million
Legal depositYes, Berlin Senate and State
Access and use
Circulation4.24 million (2008)
Other information
DirectorHans Joachim Rieseberg
Websitewww.zlb.de

The Berlin Central and Regional Library (German: Zentral- und Landesbibliothek Berlin) or ZLB is the official library of the City and State of Berlin, Germany. It was established as a Foundation by two State laws, initially in 1995 and amended in 2005, combining the following institutions:

  • America Memorial Library (German: Amerika-Gedenkbibliothek), one of the largest public libraries in Berlin opened in 1954 and initially co-funded with a grant from the United States
  • Berlin City Library (German: Berliner Stadtbibliothek), the municipal library of the city founded in 1901
  • Berlin Senate Library (German: Senatsbibliothek Berlin), the official library of the Berlin Senate, founded on 22 December 1948.
  • Berlin General Catalog (German: Berliner Gesamtkatalog or BGK)

In 2011 the library system had more than 3.4 million electronic and printed media.

The Foundation is a legal deposit library for all publications appearing in Berlin. The ZLB also has significant historical and estate collections, and operates the Center for Berlin Studies in Ribbeck-House. The ZLB is a member of the Public Libraries in Berlin (VÖBB) and the Cooperative Library Network of Berlin-Brandenburg (KOBV). Partner libraries are the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris and the Rudomino All-Russian State Library for Foreign Literature in Moscow.[1]

  1. ^ Website of the ZLB Archived 2013-06-29 at the Wayback Machine in English, retrieved 01-Mar-2012