16 May 2019 press release

Open Day on 26 May 2019

On Sunday 26 May 2019, the German National Library in Frankfurt am Main will welcome visitors to an open day on its premises in Adickesallee as part of the “One Day for Literature” initiative taking place throughout Hesse. From 10:00 to 17:00, there will be diverse opportunities for visitors to take a look behind the scenes in all parts of the German National Library, from the roof down to the underground stacks.

Every visitor can put together their own programme from the exhibitions and 68 guided tours and presentations lasting between 15 and 60 minutes. The topics covered include the history and tasks of the German National Library and German Music Archive, “Kunst am Bau” (“Art for Architecture”), the technical facilities, visits to the underground stacks, an introduction to the digitisation processes used, and the Library’s computer centre. The reading rooms and their services will also be presented. There will be an opportunity to meet the Director and gain an insight into the librarians’ work with printed and electronic publications. The German Exile Archive 1933–1945 will be presenting items from the permanent exhibition “Exile. Experience and Testimony” and the temporary exhibition “Oskar Maria Graf: Rebel, Global Citizen, Storyteller” and giving insights into its archival work. The text archive and library of the DFF – German Film Institute and Film Museum will be presented under the motto “Everything for Cineasts”.

For families with children aged between 6 and 10, there will be a tour of discovery with the title “Do you have my favourite book?”, while young people aged 11 and up can join the tour “Search and Discover” and children aged 7 and up can take part in the workshop “Bookbinding Step by Step”. The programme is rounded off by an exhibition featuring curiosities from the collection, readings on the topic “Where books live”, a quiz for getting to know various musical online resources, and information about the German National Library as an employer. Members of the Library’s circle of friends “Gesellschaft für das Buch” will tell you about their 30 years of dedication, the projects they have sponsored, their activities and the benefits of membership.

Open day at the German National Library in Frankfurt am Main

Sunday, 26 May from 10:00 to 17:00
Free tickets for every guided tour will be available on site from 10:00 onwards – as well as afternoon tickets from 13:00.
Free admission.

Background

For over a century now the German National Library has been collecting, documenting, archiving and making publicly available all written and sound recording publications issued in Germany, or in German, since 1913. It provides its comprehensive range of services at its twin sites in Leipzig and Frankfurt am Main, but also in digital form to a global circle of users. In addition, the German National Library also houses valuable and extensive special collections in the German Exile Archive 1933-1945 and the German Museum of Books and Writing. It showcases its valuable collections and promotes the culture of books, reading and music by regularly staging readings, exhibitions, lectures and concerts. It houses over 36 million media units and attracts roughly 220,000 visitors to its two sites in Leipzig and Frankfurt am Main with its collections and rich and varied programme of events.

Further information

Programme Open Day 2019 (only available in German)

Contacts