Lost in a world of words? The Stadt- und Landesbibliothek Potsdam is your port of entry. This library is one of Brandenburg’s largest public libraries. It stands in Potsdam’s Bildungsforum with the Volkshochschule and the Wissenschaftsetage. The Stadt- und Landesbibliothek Potsdam holds over 600.000 media items. These are spread across a main library and two branch libraries. Since its 2013 reopening, the library offers barrier-free access. It also provides many ways to use the internet.
The Stadt- und Landesbibliothek Potsdam began as a public library in 1874. It was almost 50 years before the State Library. The State Library started as a scientific central library in Berlin in 1922. Parts of the Brandenburg State Library moved to Potsdam in 1939. This was to protect the books. Publishers had to deposit copies of everything they published. This made the library a collection point for Brandenburg material.
During the Potsdam bombing in 1945, the public library was destroyed. Only the music library survived. In 1954, it became the Stadt- und Bezirksbibliothek Potsdam. Freely accessible shelves were introduced in 1962. Two years later, all branches had them. The library started publishing bibliographies and catalogs in 1964.
After the Brandenburg University of Applied Sciences was founded in 1948, the Landesbibliothek became its library. It then became the Brandenburgische Landes- und Hochschulbibliothek. In 1949, it managed interlibrary loans in Brandenburg.
In 1968, East Germany recommended scientific public libraries in every district. On January 1 1969, the Wissenschaftliche Allgemeinbibliothek was founded. It combined the Stadt- und Bezirksbibliothek and the Landes- und Hochschulbibliothek. From 1970 to 1974, a new building was constructed. It opened on October 5 1974.
In 1979, the library began reclassifying its holdings. On November 2 1992, Potsdam and Brandenburg agreed to operate the Stadt- und Landesbibliothek Potsdam together. Electronic cataloging began in 1994. The online catalog was introduced a year later. The renovated building reopened in 2013.
The Stadt- und Landesbibliothek Potsdam has about 630.000 items. These include scholarly works, fiction, and children’s books. It also holds newspapers, magazines, and music. The Artothek includes originals and reproductions. The music library contains music literature, scores and recordings. It also has books about music history and theory.
The Brandenburgica collection contains publications about Brandenburg. It also includes works by people connected to the region. This collection began in 1922. Today, it includes about 55.000 items. The Stadt- und Landesbibliothek Potsdam also houses the oldest printed book in Brandenburg.
The Gottfried Benn collection is Germany’s second largest. Since 2013, the Walter Boehlich Nachlassbibliothek has been managed here. It contains over 12.000 books. The historical book collection contains works from the beginning of printing. It includes newspapers, magazines, atlases and encyclopedias.
Since 1999, the Brandenburg Bibliography has been available online. It indexes literature about Brandenburg. The Stadt- und Landesbibliothek Potsdam is a cultural hub. It welcomes around 1000 visitors daily. It gives everyone free access to literature and information. Every Sunday, the Stadt- und Landesbibliothek Potsdam opens its doors. It offers a diverse cultural program for all ages. This is made possible through a cooperation. You can borrow media. You can use the library’s computers. You can visit the free cultural program. What you cannot do on Sundays is printing documents. You can also not extend your library card.
The Stadt- und Landesbibliothek Potsdam connects the past with the present. It provides knowledge and culture for everyone.