Swiss National Library

What Swiss National Library does

The Swiss National Library (Schweizerische Nationalbibliothek, NB) is the federally mandated central memory institution of Switzerland, headquartered at Hallwylstrasse 15, 3003 Bern, and operating under the Federal Department of Home Affairs. Founded in 1895 (formerly Schweizerische Landesbibliothek, renamed in 2005), the institution's statutory role is to collect Helvetica — texts, images, and sounds related to Switzerland — and to preserve and provide access to the country's collective cultural memory. Its collection portfolio includes the Graphische Sammlung (Graphic Collection), the Swiss Literature Archive, the Swiss National Phonothek (Swiss National Sound Archives), the Swiss Poster Collection, and since 2007 the holdings of the former Federal Archive for Monument Protection. Operationally, the library serves the general public, academic researchers, partner libraries, and international institutions through both physical access (reading rooms open Monday–Friday 9:00–18:00) and a portfolio of digital platforms including HelveticAll (unified discovery layer), Helveticat (main catalog), HelveticArchives (archival holdings database), e-Helvetica (digitized cultural heritage platform), and e-newspaperarchives.ch (digitized newspapers in partnership with cantonal libraries). It also operates the Swiss ISIL Center, maintaining the national address directory for memory institutions.

The technology stack combines proprietary platforms (e-Helvetica, HelveticArchives), hosted systems (Ex Libris for catalog infrastructure, hosted from Germany), Swiss-based hosting (Begasoft for e-Helvetica, Safe Swiss Cloud for e-newspaperarchives.ch, Supercomputing Systems for e-Helvetica Deposit), and federal shared services (BIT for web applications). The library distributes content and services through web platforms, social channels (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube), newsletters, exhibitions, and guided events, and coordinates extensively with the Swiss Library Service Platform (SLSP) and the swisscovery research portal serving over 500 Swiss academic libraries.

The business model is non-commercial: the NB is wholly funded by the Swiss federal government through budget allocations, and all collections, services, and digital access are provided free of charge. The customer base is diffuse and public-sector oriented — Swiss citizens and international researchers, partner libraries, cantonal and university libraries — with no revenue mechanics dependent on individual customer concentration.

Name

Swiss National Library

Legal name

Schweizerische Nationalbibliothek

Website

https://nb.admin.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1895

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Swiss National Library (Schweizerische Nationalbibliothek, NB) is Switzerland's federally mandated central memory institution, founded in 1895 and headquartered in Bern. It collects and provides free public access to Helvetica — Swiss texts, images, and sounds — through digital platforms and physical reading rooms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

National Library and Cultural Heritage Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (5192)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Special Libraries (Law, Medical, Corporate, Government) Operations (EDAEAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Archives, Special Collections & Preservation Operations (Rare Materials, Conservation) (EDAEAGAJ), Public Library Operations & Community Branch Management (EDAEAGAC)

Keywords

• National library services
• Cultural heritage preservation
• Digital archival access
• Bibliographic catalog services
• Historical collection management

Headquarters

HQ city

Bern

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Government Funding: Swiss National Library is a federal government institution funded by the Swiss Confederation. Operating costs are covered by federal budget allocations rather than commercial revenue generation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Swiss National Library (Schweizerische Nationalbibliothek) is Switzerland's central memory institution, collecting "Helvetica" — Swiss texts, images, and sounds — and providing free public access through physical collections, a network of digital catalogs and platforms (HelveticAll, e-Helvetica, Helveticat, HelveticArchives, e-newspaperarchives.ch), exhibitions, events, and research services. It operates under a Swiss federal legal deposit mandate and collaborates with cantonal, national, and international cultural institutions to preserve and provide access to the country's cultural heritage.

Product overview

The Swiss National Library operates as Switzerland's central memory institution, offering a portfolio of interconnected catalog and digital access platforms. The core offering consists of HelveticAll as the unified discovery layer providing integrated access to multiple catalogs; Helveticat as the main library catalog; HelveticArchives as the database for archive holdings; and e-Helvetica as the platform for digitized cultural heritage including materials from the Swiss National Phonothek. Specialized offerings include e-newspaperarchives.ch for digitized newspapers, the Swiss Poster Collective Catalog, and the Graphische Sammlung (Graphic Collection) encompassing visual works and the Federal Archive for Monument Preservation. These products function as complementary services within a single institutional platform, collectively enabling access to Helvetica—texts, images, and sounds of Switzerland—preserving and providing broad access to the country's cultural heritage.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• e-Helvetica: Digital platform providing access to digitized cultural heritage of Switzerland from the collections of the Swiss National Library and Swiss National Phonothek
• HelveticAll
• Helveticat
• HelveticArchives
• Graphische Sammlung
• e-newspaperarchives.ch
• Schweizerische Nationalphonothek

Products and services

• HelveticAll

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BibliosuissecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss library association providing coordination and professional development for Swiss libraries.
• MemoriavcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompetence center for audiovisual cultural heritage in Switzerland. NB participates in preservation and access initiatives.
• Swiss Library Service Platform (SLSP)coreTechnology or IntegrationSLSP network provides shared infrastructure for over 500 Swiss academic libraries, with NB contributing through swisscovery portal.
• Swiss Conference of Cantonal Libraries (SKKB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordination of cantonal library services in Switzerland.
• Conference of European National Librarians (CENL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean network of national libraries for collaboration on standards and best practices.
• EuropeanacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean digital platform for cultural heritage providing access to digitized Swiss materials.
• Conference of Directors of National Libraries (CDNL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorldwide network of national library directors for international cooperation.
• IFLAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational Federation of Library Associations and Institutions - global library standards and advocacy.
• Reseau francophone numerique (RFN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrancophone digital library network for collaborative digitization initiatives.
• RISM-CH (Repertoire International des Sources Musicales)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational music sources database with Swiss national working group.
• Swiss Library Network for Education and ResearchcoreTechnology or IntegrationNetwork under swissuniversities for coordinated academic library services.
• Museen BernminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBern museums association for regional cultural collaboration.
• BegasoftcoreTechnology or IntegrationSwiss-based hosting provider for e-Helvetica platform and e-Helvetica Deposit services.
• OutermediacoreTechnology or IntegrationGerman company operating e-Helvetica platform infrastructure.
• Ex LibriscoreTechnology or IntegrationProvider of Helveticat catalog system, hosted from Germany.
• Supercomputing SystemscoreTechnology or IntegrationSwiss company operating e-Helvetica Deposit platform for publishers.
• Safe Swiss CloudcoreTechnology or IntegrationSwiss hosting provider for e-newspaperarchives.ch platform.
• Federal Office for Information Technology (BIT)coreTechnology or IntegrationFederal agency providing primary hosting services for NB web applications.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• British Library: UK national library operating legal deposit and major digital platforms (UK Web Archive, British Newspaper Archive). Closest English-language equivalent in mandate, collection breadth, and public-access governance model.
• Bibliothèque nationale de France: France's national library, operating under the French Ministry of Culture. Directly comparable as a federal national library with legal deposit, Gallica digital platform, and similar public/research mission. Identical institutional archetype to NB at similar scale.
• National Library of Sweden (Kungliga biblioteket): Sweden's national library operating Svenska dagstidningar and other digital heritage platforms. Comparable as a European small-country national library with strong digitization mandate and public cultural role.
• Österreichische Nationalbibliothek: Austrian national library with legal deposit mandate, very close to NB in scale, federal mandate structure, and German-language editorial scope. Particularly close peer given shared Habsburg-era cultural heritage and German-speaking library community.
• Deutsche Nationalbibliothek: Germany's national library with legal deposit mandate, maintaining Deutsche Nationalbibliografie and digital collections. Directly comparable on mandate, legal deposit, German-speaking neighbor dynamics, and integrated catalog services.
• Koninklijke Bibliotheek (KB): Netherlands national library operating legal deposit, the Delpher digital heritage platform, and extensive Wikimedia partnerships. Comparable as small European national library with strong digital transformation strategy.
• Schweizerische Nationalphonothek: Swiss national sound archive, institutionally affiliated with NB and integrated into HelveticAll. Functions as a sub-library of the NB for audiovisual content; directly comparable in mandate (legal deposit for sounds) and Swiss federal governance.

Others

• Europeana Foundation: EU-funded digital cultural heritage platform aggregating content from NB and other European national libraries. Comparable not as a competitor but as a distribution channel and partner; NB content flows into Europeana under existing partnership.
• SLSP (Swiss Library Service Platform): Consortium providing shared infrastructure to 500+ Swiss academic libraries and serving as technology platform for swisscovery. Functionally NB's technology backbone partner and the closest peer in pure operational terms, though structured as a cooperative, not a government library.

Broad incumbents

• Library of Congress: U.S. national library with the largest collection globally and the largest national-library digital platform (loc.gov). Larger scale but same archetype: federal legal deposit, digital preservation, interlibrary cooperation, and large-scale exhibition programming.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@swissnationallibrary
• Facebookfacebook.com/schweizerische.nationalbibliothek
• Instagraminstagram.com/swissnationallibrary
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/swiss-national-library

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Swiss National Library