Agency

The Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin - Preußischer Kulturbesitz

As the largest scientific universal library in Germany, the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz (Berlin State Library – Prussian Cultural Heritage) is a central supplier of national and international literature.

More than 11 million volumes of printed material alone have accumulated since the library was founded in 1661. The collection comprises over 2.2 million additional printed works and other, often unique, materials in the special collections – these include western and oriental manuscripts, music autographs, estates and deposits, personal collections, maps, and historic newspapers. The library’s collection also contains more than 10 million microforms and, in the picture library, over 12 million motifs. Furthermore, a constantly increasing number of databases and other electronic resources complement the collection. The quality of its collections and its diverse services characterise the special prestige of the library worldwide.

The Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin (SBB-PK) is part of the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz (SPK) (Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation), which is funded by all the Länder (Federal States) and the Federal Government. The library’s historic collections are closely related to the collections of other SPK institutions; they cover all specialist areas and are continually being expanded. For the modern collections, with emphasis on humanities and social sciences, scientifically relevant literature of various depths of content is acquired. The library continuously acquires and preserves literature from all periods, all countries, in all languages, as well as in every form. Moreover, the central task of the library is to index this literature and make it available.