Brand new: the DNB now also collects digitally published music!

In 2024, the German National Library's collection has once again expanded to include a new format: music published as downloads or streams. Although we have been collecting and digitizing music on sound carriers for a long time, the fact that it is now possible to archive genuinely digitally published music is “really something very, very new and quite unique in this form and complexity,” emphasizes Frank Scholze, Director General of the DNB. The project was implemented by experts from the German Music Archive (DMA), IT and the department for online publications.

First was the foundation

The collection of digitally published music is so special because the infrastructure for the automatic delivery of music data had to be established first. For three years, the DNB worked on them together with pilot partners from the music industry. Since mid-2024, the time has come: labels and their service providers can deliver music data to the DNB via an interface. The deliveries contain not only the pure audio tracks, but also structured metadata in DDEX format, which is automatically fed into the DNB system.

From small labels to major record companies

The collection was launched in June 2024 with the Berlin label Morr Music. Morr Music, like Zebralution, the digital distributor for indie labels, has been involved in the development and testing of the data format and the import process since 2022. Since the end of 2024, DNB has also been in talks with Sony and Warner Music, two of the world's largest record labels. Both will be able to regularly transmit audio files to the DNB in the course of 2025. Other labels are set to follow.

Analogue collections go digital

The possibility of delivering digital music directly to the DNB is new. However, digital music has been available at the DNB for some time. Since 2017, we have been regularly digitizing analogue sound carriers such as CDs, vinyl and shellac records.

But not only the music collections, but also all other analogue collections are to be gradually digitized.

Over 14 million pages - digitization progress in 2024

With special funding from the Minister of State for Culture and the Media (BKM), the DNB has already been digitizing its holdings in Leipzig and Frankfurt for four years - from the very first meters of shelving. And great progress was made in 2024: Almost 94,000 works with over 5.7 million pages were digitized. In view of the size of our holdings, however, this is still a drop in the ocean - so there is still a lot to do.

For science and research: digitization on request

In addition to the systematic digitization of our holdings, we also regularly digitize individual works or corpora on request. Numerous dime novels, exile journals and works of fiction that are only available at the DNB were digitized in 2024 at the request of academics and researchers. This also included numerous estates and files of the American Guild for German Cultural Freedom from the German Exile Archive. And from the holdings of the German Museum of Books and Writing (DBSM), book trade circulars and part of the historical old holdings were digitized.

Digital tables of content for more effective literature searches

We scan entire works, but also specifically the tables of contents of books. This enriches the catalogue. Users can search them in full text, which makes literature research easier. As copyright-free texts, the tables of contents can also be used for text and data mining, making them a valuable source for the digital humanities. There are now around 4.9 million tables of contents available. These are accessed 17,000 times a day.

Use in the reading rooms - and worldwide!

The digital collections can be used in the reading rooms in Leipzig and Frankfurt. Once the copyright protection periods have expired, they can even be accessed worldwide. A DNB team clarifies the legal situation for the digitized works and releases publications for worldwide use wherever possible - another advantage of the digital over the analogue library world.

What happens now?

With the help of the special funds, it has already been possible to digitize many collections and gain valuable experience in mass business. It is therefore very regrettable that the budget situation does not allow to continue digitization on this scale in regular operations from 2025. Nevertheless, the digitization of our holdings will of course continue as far as possible, as demand shows: Digital collections are the future.

And archiving? - That too is going digital, with LogiPro!

In order to efficiently manage growing our digital collections - as well as the physical ones - our logistics are currently receiving a major update: the LogiPro project is picking up speed.

LogiPro is a digital logistics and warehouse management system. The project aims to change the German National Library's inventory management in a targeted manner - towards complete transparency and more efficient work steps. The DNB has been working closely with an external consultant on this since 2024. Preparations have been underway since the second quarter of 2023.

Logistics meets library perspective

Kick-off events were held from summer 2024 to record the current status of DNB workflows from a logistics perspective. Logistical and librarian perspectives were brought together to create a roadmap for the further course of the project. The aim was to communicate clearly and transparently about common ideas, interfaces and the exchange forms of passing on media. The aim is to create logistics suitable for everyday use in accordance with library standards.

Knowing where at all times: tracking & tracing

For example, tracking and tracing will be introduced for the physical holdings - a form of tracking objects that we have all come to appreciate in our private lives, for example when it comes to the delivery time of our parcels.