Zentralbibliothek Zürich: Kantons-, Stadt- und Universitätsbibliothek

The Zentralbibliothek Zürich (ZB) is the cantonal, city and university library of Zurich. With over seven million documents and almost a million visitors per year, the Zentralbibliothek Zürich is one of the largest Swiss libraries. Our website presents different aspects of the ZB – from actual key figures, annual reports, a short history of the library and a quick look at its many collections.

As a university library the Zentralbibliothek Zürich collects scientific literature on all the subjects taught at the University of Zurich, with a special focus on the liberal arts and social sciences. As the Turicensia guardian it collects all publications published by Zurich-based publishing houses, all works of Zurich-based authors and all literature on Zurich itself. As city and cantonal library the ZB also offers a wide selection of popular literature – from travel guides and self-help books to biographies, crime thrillers, DVDs and sound recordings. The ZB's five Special Collections – Department of Prints and Drawings/ Photo Archive, Manuscripts Department, Map Department, Music Department and Rare Book Department – boast a wealth of historical and current archives, bequests, image and sound documents.