For centuries now, our knowledge of humanity and the world has been stored, handed down and expanded through books. Whenever anyone thinks of a library, they first think of printed books. You will now find over 17,7 million of these in our collection of over 49,7 million media works.

Since 1913, we have been collecting every book printed in Germany, as well as German-language books published abroad, translations of German works, and books about Germany: from anthologies to dictionaries, from novels and biographies through to school books and text books, and including academic and non-fiction books. Exhibition catalogues, picture books and books for children and young adults are as much a part of the collection as handbooks, cookery books, art books and travel guides. Sometimes books are published with accompanying CD-ROMs, kitchen spoons, merchandise or toys. We also preserve these objects in our collection.

In 2006, we also started collecting digital editions: audio books, e-books, books on demand, and all “media works” disseminated via public networks such as the internet – so-called online publications, of which we had around 14,9 million by the end of 2023.

We collect without any value judgement of the content, as we have no idea today what the researchers of tomorrow will be interested in. For example, comics were scorned by libraries when they first appeared. Yet today they form their own genre, one with its own field of research. We preserve our collections not only for use today, but also for future generations. This is why we ensure that they are always in good condition. This is the responsibility of the Collection Preservation department, which implements preventive measures for the books at risk and restores those that are already damaged.

The collections of the German Museum of Books and Writing represent a great treasure trove of literature and archive materials on books and writing. This department of the German National Library is regarded as the world’s oldest museum of book culture, while its scope and holdings also make it one of the most important.

Using the catalogue