The German National Library in Leipzig (Deutsche Nationalbibliothek) is a researcher’s dream. It is one of two national library facilities in Germany. The second facility is located in Frankfurt/Main. Together, they form the largest reference library in the world and function as central archive and national bibliographic center for the Federal Republic of Germany. Each publication, published in Germany, must provide the German National Library with two copies. At the end of 2015 the two facilities held a combined total of 30.8 million media units.

German National Library Leipzig main entrance. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2014. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Responsibilities of the two national libraries

Each of the two facilities focuses on specific areas of responsibility. The Leipzig facility’s mandate is to collect and permanently archive all German and German-language publications starting in 1913, foreign publications about Germany, translations of German works, and the works of German-speaking emigrants published abroad between 1933 and 1945.

The Frankfurt/Main facility is responsible for post-1945 literature and the development of information and communication technology, including development and management of the central database. It handles the production, marketing and distribution of national bibliographic services and houses the German Exile Archive (Deutsches Exilarchiv) 1933-1945.

A third facility, the German Music Archive (Deutsches Musikarchiv), established in Berlin in 1970, archives all music-related materials (both printed and recorded) and was integrated in the German National Library Leipzig following the construction of a new extension in 2010.

History of the German National Library

The Germany National Library was preceded by two institutions: the Deutsche Buecherei founded in 1912 in Leipzig and the Deutsche Bibliothek established in 1947 in Frankfurt/Main. As part of the German reunification both institutions were brought together to form Die Deutsche Bibliothek, which was renamed Deutsche Nationalbibliothek in 2006.

The German National Library building in Leipzig

The main building of the German National Library Leipzig was built between 1914 and 1916. The King of Saxony, Friedrich August III, provided the funds for its construction. The library’s impressive 525-foot long facade faces the “Deutscher Platz” (German Plaza). The main reading room is a timeless beauty. The enormous Meissen Porcelain vase on display in the first floor lobby is priceless. The painting depicts the Association of Book Traders building (Buchhaendlerboerse) of Leipzig.

Enormous Meissen porcelain vase on exhibit in the first floor lobby of the German National Library Leipzig. The vase was donated by Richard Linnemann. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2014. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Use of the German National Library

The German National Library is open to the public. Online catalog use and email inquiries are free. Patrons must be at least eighteen years of age and in possession of a current library card in order to use the facility. Library cards may be obtained for a small fee upon submitting a valid identification.

The German National library Leipzig has eight subject-specific reading rooms:

•  The Humanities Reading Room
• The Science Reading Room
• The Technology Reading Room
• The Shoah Reading Room (Collection of exile literature)
• The Multimedia/periodicals Reading Room
•  The Maps Reading Room
• The Music Reading Room
• The Museums Reading Room

Some 60,000 publications are available for direct use in the reading rooms. In addition, users have access to the bio-bibliographic reference library and to special collections. In the multimedia/periodicals reading room, in addition to current issues of about 1,800 journals from all subject areas, issues of selected titles from the last two years are available for consultation.

This library is well worth a visit. Individual and group tours are available. Reservations may be required.

For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic and current events, people, places and food.

Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.