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]
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]
