A community hub Zentral- und Landesbibliothek Berlin (ZLB)
With a total of over 3.5 million individual media and currently 1.5 million visitors a year, the Berlin Central and Regional Library (ZLB) is Germany's largest public library.
On this page
©ZLB | diamond. gestaltung
The library has two branches: the America Memorial Library (AGB) in Berlin-Kreuzberg and the Berlin Public Library (BStB) in Berlin-Mitte.
Democracy in action
The ZLB makes it possible for everyone to access knowledge, education and culture for free. It is a community hub, and place for sharing. Here, the city shares its knowledge; here, we share media, technologies and spaces. Here, people meet for conversations and discussions; here, participation is actively demonstrated in the analogue as well as the digital world.
As the Berlin state library, we are also tasked with collecting everything that is published locally in print, and all data and audio recordings released in Berlin.
The ZLB is a foundation that is entirely publicly funded; its current general director is Dr. Jonas Fansa.
The ZLB's three pillars
Libraries, publicly funded stores of knowledge and information that are also accessible to the public, will also continue to bring major social benefits to the community in future; however, they will also change. Just like the ZLB, public libraries all over the world are working on new contents for modern librarianship. The three pillars of librarianship describe what we are doing, and why we are doing it.
©ZLB | Foto: MH
The ZLB: a store of information and knowledge
We share media and information technologies and actively support lifelong learning.
©ZLB | Foto: MH
The ZLB: a place to spend time and to work
We share our spaces for people to spend time in, to work and to promote personal and social development
©ZLB | Foto: Florian Willnauer
The ZLB: a community and discussion hub - a forum for the city's residents
We provide the people who live in Berlin with a platform for sharing their knowledge, their perspectives, their passions and their skills.
Overview of the ZLB
A place run by people for people. Our staff shape the Berlin Central & Regional Library's future and make it the store of knowledge and space for collaborations that it is.
The ZLB foundation and its tasks
The ZLB foundation is the federal state of Berlin's central public library and charged with fulfilling all of the functions of a state library.
It comprehensively collects all media from and about Berlin. and also contributes to the preservation of our local cultural heritage with its collection. It makes all of this accessible to the public.
The ZLB as a member of the Verbund der Öffentlichen Bibliotheken Berlins (VÖBB) Berlin public library association
"VÖBB Verbund der Öffentlichen Bibliotheken Berlins" in blue capital letters on a white background
The VÖBB consists of the twelve local district libraries and the ZLB. In the VÖBB catalogue, you can find the books, films, music and many other media available from Berlin's public libraries, and borrow them with a joint library card. The joint digital offer of the VÖBB libraries is also very extensive.
Governance
As Executive Board and Director General, Dr. Jonas Fansa leads the ZLB together with Dr. Inga Burgmann-Zamagni, Ralf Stockmann, and Nina Frank. The Executive Board manages the day-to-day operations and represents the foundation both in and out of court. In doing so, it is bound by the resolutions and instructions of the Foundation Council.
Dr. Jonas Fansa, Director General
©ZLB | Foto: Alexander Steffens
Dr. Inga Burgmann-Zamagni, Commercial Director
©ZLB | Foto: Alexander Steffens
Ralf Stockmann, Director of Digital Development and Network Affairs
©ZLB | Foto: Alexander Steffens
Nina Frank, Director of Operations
©ZLB | Foto: Alexander Steffens
Facts and figures about the ZLB
Establishment
The publicly funded ZLB foundation was legally established on 1 October 1995 on the basis of the respective law passed on 25 September 1995. The ZLB foundation consists of the two branches America Memorial Library (AGB) and Berlin Public Library (BStB). Both libraries became one organisational and structural unit on 1 February 1996. The entire previous catalogue of the state of Berlin and the Berlin Senate Library were also transferred to the foundation.
Remit
The ZLB foundation is the federal state of Berlin's central public library and charged with fulfilling all of the functions of a state library.
As a state and universal library, it contributes to the preservation of Berlin's cultural heritage with its collections, and makes it accessible to the public in coordination with archives and other libraries in Berlin. It practices a cultural diversity policy. In particular, it is charged with the user-oriented supply of literature and information for the tertiary education area outside of Berlin's universities and universities of applied science. Its role is that of a media and librarianship innovation centre for all of the city's districts.
In addition, the foundation performs central services for Berlin's libraries, ensures that library information is available to the Berlin government, and participates in library tasks at a national level.
Executive Chair
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Dr. Jonas Fansa
General Director
ZLB Foundation Board
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Senator Sarah Wedl-Wilson (Chair)
Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion -
Helge Rehders (Deputy Chair)
Head of Policy – Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion -
Heike Schmidt
Director, Berlin Public Library Spandau -
Stefan Rogge (Deputy)
Director, Berlin Public Library Berlin-Mitte -
Jürgen Christof
University Library Director TU Berlin -
Professor Dr. David Zellhöfer (Deputy)
Berlin School of Economics and Law -
Abraham Taherivand
Independent business owner/consultant -
Geraldine de Bastion (Deputy)
GF Konnektiv Kollektiv GmbH -
Dr. Hannelore Vogt
Director Cologne Public Library (retired) -
Susanne Metz (Deputy)
Director Leipzig Public Libraries -
Berit Johannsen
Director Schleswig-Holstein State Library Kiel -
Jana Wichmann (Deputy)
Head of Agility & Operations at zero360 GmbH -
Lothar Brendel
Chair of the ZLB Foundation Staff Council -
Bernhard Kuhlmann (Deputy)
ZLB Foundation Staff Council Representative
Here you find the organisational structure of the ZLB
©ZLB | Illustration: Jens Nordmann
Annual Report 2024
Take a look back with us at the year 2024
Our annual reports in a downloadable format
©ZLB | Foto: Vincent Mosch
Objectives
Our Freundeskreis (Friends Group) aims to promote and increase the public's awareness of the ZLB, and to ensure the ongoing encouragement of democracy and openness in today's knowledge society. This not only applies to the traditional books, but also to the promotion of new media. The main purposes of the Freundeskreis particularly include the collection of donations for the funding of projects, conservation, and participation in lectures, readings and events at the library.
Funding
The Freundeskreis is financed by the moderate membership fees, donations and, to a considerable degree, by the popular book sales days that are usually held once a year. On the books sales days, withdrawn books and other media are sold to supplement the Freundeskreis's funds with the proceeds. On these days, the Freundeskreis is supported by its own extremely committed members as well as the staff of both ZLB branches.
History of the ZLB
The ZLB foundation was established in 1995 as a result of the fusion of the Berlin Public Library (BStB) on Schlossplatz in former East Berlin with the America Memorial Library (AGB) on Hallesches Ufer in former West Berlin.
