25 years of the Office for Library Standards (AfS)
published 04.06.2025
Credit: AfS, CC By SA
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Office for Library Standards (AfS) at the DNB. The core task of the AfS was and is standardisation work. Other tasks are the further development of the Integrated Authority File (GND) and the documentation platform of the Committee for Library Standards.
Access to the German National Library's licensing service for out-of-commerce works (VW-LiS) will be restored on 1 July 2025. Tailored to the requirements associated with the (mass) digitisation of written cultural heritage, the licensing of out-of-commerce works facilitates the provision of legally watertight access to copyright-protected 20th century sources. From 1 July 2025, cultural heritage institutions will be able to register for a VW-LiS account at the German National Library and file applications for out-of-commerce books with VG WORT.
On 13 May 2025, Frank Scholze, Director General of the German National Library, was elected a board member of the German Digital Library (DDB). Ute Schwens, Director at the Frankfurt am Main location, becomes a deputy board member. The DDB connects German cultural and scientific institutions and makes Germany's cultural heritage accessible digitally, free of charge and at any time on a shared platform. A competence network of 18 cultural and knowledge institutions throughout Germany, including the DNB, is responsible for the development of the German Digital Library. Its content is incorporated into Europeana, the cultural memory of Europe.
In our Frankfurt service area, two sofas are now available - inviting you to read and relax. If you plan to work in this newly created space next to the new media boxes, there are also plenty of power and USB ports for charging your own electrical devices. Side tables provide enough space to put down the work utensils you have brought with you. The terrace accessible from corner, can be used for short breaks in the fresh air and with a view of the garden. There are also flexible seats there that can be set up individually as required.
HERMES research study programme
published 08.05.2025
As part of the HERMES research study programme, the German National Library funds up to four studies of its collections a year in order to strengthen data competence in the humanities and cultural sciences and better understand the demands made by researchers on its data holdings. Selected collections are made available for the studies. Two reports from the HERMES research study programme were recently published as part of our open access series “Reports from the German National Library’s DH research study programme”.
14 German libraries and archives have returned a total of 41 books that formerly belonged to the Austrian writer Raoul Fernand Jellinek-Mercedes (1888 Algiers-1939 Baden near Vienna) in a joint act of restitution coordinated by the German National Library. After the 'annexation' of Austria in March 1938, Jellinek-Mercedes was persecuted on account of his Jewish origins.
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