Swiss National Library
The Swiss National Library (German: Schweizerische Nationalbibliothek, French: Bibliothèque nationale suisse, Italian: Biblioteca nazionale svizzera, Romansh: Biblioteca naziunala svizra) is the national library of Switzerland. Part of the Federal Office of Culture, it is charged with collecting, cataloging and conserving information in all fields, disciplines, and media connected with Switzerland, as well as ensuring the widest possible accessibility and dissemination of such data.
Swiss National Library
Bern, Switzerland
1895
books, journals, newspapers, magazines, maps, official publications, posters, drawings and manuscripts
5.1M items
Helvetica: publications published in Switzerland or written by Swiss authors or concerning Switzerland
No, but agreements with publishers
Reading rooms: free.
Registration for lending: be Swiss resident or citizen over 18
78,000 (2007)
32.9M Swiss francs (2008, incl. internal federal costing; $31.8M, 2nd quarter 2008)
Ms. Marie-Christine Doffey (since 2005)
146 FTE
The Swiss National Library is intended to be open to all and, by the breadth and scope of its collection, aims to reflect the plurality and diversity of Swiss culture. It is a heritage site of national significance.[1]
History[edit]
On June 28, 1894, an Act of Council created the library with the responsibility of collecting "Helvetica": all publications relating to the Swiss and Switzerland.[2]: 352 In 1899, the library opened to the public in the Federal Archives building. In 1931, the library moved to a newly-constructed building on Hallwylstrasse.[3] The building was designed in the Modernist style of New Objectivity and is a listed historic monument.[4]
In 1991, a plan was made to construct underground stacks and modernize the building. The first underground stack opened in 1997 and holds books, literary archives, and special collections. The second underground stack opened in 2009 and holds newspapers and periodicals. The library expects it will have reserve storage capacity until 2038.[5] Between 1994 and 2001, the library building was renovated to modernize and extend it.[6]
In 2000, the Centre Dürrenmatt Neuchâtel, a museum of Friedrich Dürrenmatt's works, opened as a unit of the library in Neuchâtel.[7]