Zentral- und Landesbibliothek Berlin

What Zentral- und Landesbibliothek Berlin does

Zentral- und Landesbibliothek Berlin (ZLB) is the statutory central and state library of Berlin, a non-profit public institution under the jurisdiction of the State of Berlin operating two landmark branches: the Amerika-Gedenkbibliothek (AGB) at Blücherplatz 1 in Kreuzberg and the Berliner Stadtbibliothek (BStB) at Breite Straße 30-36. Founded in 1995, it serves all Berlin residents and visitors with combined physical and digital lending of approximately 251-500 employees staffing collections, programming, and operations. Its portfolio extends beyond classical lending into specialized offerings including Artothek (original art lending), Cinemathek, Musikbibliothek with Phonothek/Vinyllabor, Berlin-Sammlungen cultural heritage archive, the Kinder- und Jugendbibliothek (KiJuBi), Digital-Zebra digital-literacy consulting, Medienwerkstatt media-production workshop, Fernleihe interlibrary loan, Provenienzforschung provenance research, and Kompetenzzentrum Bestandserhaltung conservation.

The technology backbone is the VÖBB (Verbund der Öffentlichen Bibliotheken Berlins), an integrated library management and digital lending platform providing unified access to e-books, e-audiobooks, e-papers, e-magazines, film and music streaming for holders of the €10/year library card. Supporting infrastructure includes the Digitale Landesbibliothek at digital.zlb.de for digitized collections, Pretix for event ticketing, Matomo for privacy-compliant analytics, YouTube/Vimeo for video distribution, and a website certified BIK-WCAG-konform for accessibility.

ZLB's revenue is dominated by Berlin state government funding (not publicly disclosed in dollar terms). User-paid revenues are marginal and consist of the €10/year library card, Freundeskreis der ZLB membership tiers of €60/year for individuals and €250/year for institutions, plus donations and annual book sale days. Distribution is omnichannel: walk-in at two physical branches, digital lending via VÖBB, self-serve event booking via Pretix, and content marketing through social (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Mastodon), the Berliner Resonanzen email newsletter, and curated Empfehlungen editorial content. Customer segments span the general public (primary), children and youth (KiJuBi, primary), schools and educators, professionals and researchers, and the multilingual community.

Name

Zentral- und Landesbibliothek Berlin

Legal name

Zentral- und Landesbibliothek Berlin

Website

https://zlb.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Zentral- und Landesbibliothek Berlin (ZLB) is the statutory central and state library of Berlin, operating the Amerika-Gedenkbibliothek and Berliner Stadtbibliothek branches to provide physical and digital lending, cultural programming, and heritage preservation to all Berlin residents and visitors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Library Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Libraries and Archives (519210), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (5192)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Library Operations & Community Branch Management (EDAEAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Library & Electronic Resources Operations (e-Resources, Repositories, Licensing) (EDAEAGAF), Interlibrary Loan (ILL) & Resource Sharing Operations (EDAEAGAK), Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF)

Keywords

• Public library services
• Media lending
• Digital library platform
• Cultural heritage preservation
• Community learning programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Annual Library Card Subscription: Annual membership fee granting access to physical and digital lending services, approximately €10 per year for standard membership
2. Freundeskreis Membership Fees: Annual membership fees from the Friends of ZLB association: €60/year for individuals, €250/year for institutions. Used to fund special projects and library initiatives.
3. Government Funding: Public institution funded primarily by Berlin state government as a central and state library
4. Donations and Book Sale Days: Donations collected by Freundeskreis; annual book sale days as significant fundraising events

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ZLB operates Berlin's central and state public library system across two main branches (Amerika-Gedenkbibliothek and Berliner Stadtbibliothek), providing free public access to physical and digital media lending, specialized collections (Berlin-Sammlungen cultural heritage, Artothek original art lending, Cinemathek film, Musikbibliothek/Phonothek music and vinyl), educational programs, cultural events, and digital literacy services. The annual library card (€10) grants members access to e-books, e-audios, streaming media, interlibrary loan, and on-site borrowing, with all facilities open to the public free of charge.

Product overview

Zentral- und Landesbibliothek Berlin (ZLB) is a public library system offering a unified platform of library services across two main locations: the Amerika-Gedenkbibliothek (AGB) and the Berliner Stadtbibliothek (BStB). The core offering centers on physical and digital media lending, complemented by specialized collections including the Artothek (art lending), Cinemathek (film), Musikbibliothek with Phonothek (music/vinyl), and Berlin-Sammlungen (Berlin heritage). Additional modules include the Kinder- und Jugendbibliothek (KiJuBi) for youth, the Digital-Zebra consulting service, Medienwerkstatt for media production, and VÖBB Digital for e-books and streaming. Professional services encompass Fernleihe (interlibrary loan), Provenienzforschung, and the Kompetenzzentrum Bestandserhaltung for collection preservation. The portfolio also features extensive programming through events, learning services, foreign language collections, and accessibility resources like QueerFenster and Lesen ohne Barrieren.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Library Card (Bibliotheksausweis)

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PretixcoreTechnology or IntegrationPretix provides the ticketing software for ZLB's event booking system (reservierung.zlb.de). This enables online registration and ticketing for workshops, courses, and library events. Pretix is GDPR compliant, hosted in Germany, and provides WCAG accessibility features.
• Netzwerk Stimmenhören e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation partner for the Schreiberei (creative writing workshop) program for crisis-experienced people. The network provides expertise and support for trauma-informed writing workshops held at the library.
• Justice Mvemba / deSta Dekoloniale StadtführungminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJustice Mvemba, founder of deSta, conducts decolonial city tours in partnership with ZLB's Berlin Collections. The tours explore colonial history in Berlin and conclude with visits to the library's historical collections.
• Open Flow Yoga (Sabine Klein)minorOthersSabine Klein, yoga instructor from Open Flow Yoga, leads weekly PAUSE | Yoga sessions at the Amerika-Gedenkbibliothek as part of the library's wellness programming.
• Shared Reading (The Reader Organisation)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerZLB hosts Shared Reading sessions based on the international Shared Reading model developed by The Reader Organisation. Literature is read aloud with group discussion in an open atmosphere.
• Bierbaums Stuhlmassage / Ruhe und KlarheitminorOthersBierbaums Stuhlmassage provides chair massage services at the library on Sundays, partnered with wellness studio Ruhe und Klarheit.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Deutsche Nationalbibliothek: Germany's national library with locations in Leipzig and Frankfurt, operating as a federal archival and bibliographic institution. Comparable as a publicly-funded library entity with national mandate, large collections, and digital services.
• Stadtbibliothek München: Munich's municipal public library system with multiple branches serving a major German city. Directly comparable as a large German municipal public library with digital lending, events, and community programming.
• Hamburger Öffentliche Bücherhallen (HÖB): Hamburg's public library system with multiple branches across the city. Comparable as a major German metropolitan public library providing lending, digital services, and cultural programming at similar scale.
• Stadtbibliothek Köln: Cologne's public library serving another major German metropolitan area. Comparable as a publicly funded municipal library with digital lending, multilingual offerings, and community programming.
• Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin: Berlin's other major state library under Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz, operating as a research and special collections library serving the same city. Directly comparable as a public library institution with overlapping digital and physical service mandates.

Broad incumbents

• New York Public Library: A large urban public library system serving New York City with extensive branches, research collections, and digital lending. Comparable as a flagship municipal library, though operating at a larger scale and with private fundraising capacity.
• British Library: The UK's national research library with extensive collections and digital services. Comparable as a publicly funded national library providing archive, lending, and digital services with cultural-heritage mandates.
• Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF): France's national library with extensive collections and Gallica digital platform. Comparable as a major European public library institution combining physical archive stewardship and large-scale digital access.

Others

• Onleihe Verbundhessen: Digital lending consortium for Hessian public libraries. Comparable as a regional German digital-lending platform infrastructure, illustrating how libraries scale digital services through networked consortia similar to VÖBB.
• OverDrive / Libby: Digital lending platform provider that powers e-book and audiobook lending for many public libraries globally. Comparable as the underlying technology and content-distribution infrastructure for digital library lending services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/zentralundlandesbibliothekberlin
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zentral-und-landesbibliothek-berlin
• Instagraminstagram.com/zlb_berlin

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

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 Zentral- und Landesbibliothek Berlin