Berlin Central and Regional Library

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)

Berlin Central and Regional Library
Zentral- und Landesbibliothek Berlin (ZLB)
Corporate design of ZLB
Location	Berlin-Mitte Berlin-Charlottenburg Berlin-Kreuzberg, Germany
Type	City and Regional library
Established	1995
Collection
Size	3.4 million
Legal deposit	Yes, Berlin Senate and State
Access and use
Circulation	4.24 million (2008)
Other information
Director	Hans Joachim Rieseberg
Website	www.zlb.de

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]

Locations

• Berlin-Kreuzberg Blücherplatz 1 (America Memorial Library)
• Berlin-Mitte Breite Strasse 30–36 (Berlin City Library)
• Berlin-Charlottenburg (Berlin Senate Library)

There had been plans to combine the three institutions in a new building at the former Tempelhof Airport,^[2][3] but a 2014 referendum ended the Berlin Senate's plans to open parts of the airport's outfield for development.^[4] Debate about a centralised location continued, and in 2018, Blücherplatz was slated as the site for a new central library building. The existing America Memorial Library, which is listed as a historic monument, will have to remain part of the new ensemble. Construction is not expected to start before 2025.^[5][6]

See also

• Berlin State Library
• German National Library
• Kunstbibliothek Berlin
• List of libraries in Germany

References

1. Website of the ZLB Archived 2013-06-29 at the Wayback Machine in English, retrieved 01-Mar-2012
2. "Senator Müller stellte den Masterplan Tempelhofer Freiheit vor" [Senator Müller presented the „Masterplan Tempelhofer Freiheit“ (March 2013)]. www.stadtentwicklung.berlin.de (in German). Senatsverwaltung für Stadtentwicklung und Wohnen Berlin.
3. "Kulturmaschine oder Megastruktur? Zwei erste Preise bei Wettbewerb für Landesbibliothek in Berlin" [Culture machine or mega structure? Contest for Berlin Central and Regional Library with two first prizes]. www.baunetz.de (in German). 18 December 2013. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
4. "100 Prozent Freiheit – und jetzt?" [100 % freedom – what now?]. www.tagesspiegel.de (in German). 26 May 2013. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
5. "Die ZLB kommt an den Blücherplatz" [ZLB to be built on Blücherplatz]. www.tagesspiegel.de (in German). 19 June 2018. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
6. "Neubau der Zentral- und Landesbibliothek könnte 500 Millionen Euro kosten" [Construction of new Central and Regional Library could amount to 500 Mio. Euro]. www.tagesspiegel.de (in German). 17 January 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2021.

External links

• Official website (in German and English)
• Website der of the Berlin Senate Library
• VÖBB Online Catalog with the holdings of the ZLB
• E-Loan to the Berlin public libraries

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