Dear Frank Scholze, in 2024, the DNB achieved a great goal: digitally published music can now be deliveredto the German National Library! How is music collected and how large is the collection already?

This is truly something completely new! The collection is automated via an interface in the so-called DDEX format (Digital Data Exchange). The music industry provides the data in this format. In addition to the actual audio files, it contains structured metadata and track information, which we import into our systems. This means that all the information that comes with CDs or records is included. We will archive this data for the long term and make it available for use in the reading rooms at our two locations in Leipzig and Frankfurt am Main. The collection is still rather small. We have made initial attempts with small, independent labels. However, at the end of 2024, we held talks with major labels such as Sony and Warner Universal and are now continuing in this direction.

The DNB not only collects and archives, but also implements many formats in the field of education and communication. What were the highlights here last year?

One highlight in 2024 was definitely our interactive eyewitness interviews “Frag nach!Just Ask!”, which we took on tour. This wasn't new in 2024, but schools are now incorporating the offer into their programmes and visiting the exhibition with classes. Interactive means that visitors can sit opposite the contemporary witnesses on life-size screens and actually talk to them. To this end, our team asked the two contemporary witnesses, Inge Auerbacher and Kurt Meyer, more than 900 questions. An artificial intelligence system then finds the appropriate answers to the questions asked from this material. These interactive interviews are supplemented in an exhibition by many other media, such as graphic novels that tell the story of the lives of the two children, Inge and Kurt. All the details are accurate, such as what food was served when the families celebrated Shabbat. In my opinion, this is an outstanding offering.
But of course we also organised a number of other events. The directors of our museums, Stephanie Jacobs and Sylvia Asmus, reveal more in an interview in this annual report.

Networking with academia was also a focus in 2024. What is the new HERMES project about and what exactly is the role of the DNB?

HERMES is about the future of education in the humanities: digital literacy and data literacy in methodology development.
In international parlance, this is called ‘digital humanities’. We at the DNB are taking part in two sub-projects: the transfer workshop and the research study programme. In the transfer workshop, aspiring humanities scholars learn more about what digital infrastructures are. And libraries, archives and museums (internationally: GLAM) learn more about how scientists will work in the future. Science and GLAM need dialogue. Because one thing is clear: if science is to search and query large collections of texts, this requires a digital infrastructure. A notebook is not enough.
And the research study programme is about promoting projects by students who want to use digital methods to research large collections of texts in our holdings. The students then carry out their research work in-house, using our infrastructure.

The DNB frequently cooperates with other institutions – not only within HERMES. Who else do you cooperate with and how important are such collaborations for the work of the DNB?

We cooperate with a large number of national and international institutions in order to optimally fulfil our tasks as Germany's central archive library. In addition to HERMES, there are numerous other collaborations, for example with European national libraries within networks such as the Conference of European National Librarians (CENL). We also cooperate with academic libraries and research institutes, for example through our collaboration with the Technical Information Library (TIB) and the Central Library for Economic Sciences (ZBW). And we cooperate with cultural and memory institutions such as the Federal Archives and the partner institutions of the German Digital Library (DDB). Last but not least, we also work with associations such as the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels (German Publishers and Booksellers Association), the German Library Association (dbv) and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). And these are just a few examples.
Such collaborations are essential for the DNB, as they enable the exchange of expertise, create synergies and contribute to the long-term preservation and visibility of cultural heritage. They also strengthen the DNB's innovative power.

At the end of 2024, the German National Library published its new Strategic Compass 2035. What significance does the Compass have for the DNB?

Our Strategic Compass 2035 describes where we want to be in the next ten years and how we want to get there. It defines our vision and our values, thus setting a framework for the development we want to pursue together. Accordingly, it is directed internally, i.e. at our employees. At the same time, it addresses external cooperation partners and society as a whole. This ensures that everyone is clear about what we want and how we act. The Compass formulates four central guidelines: putting users at the centre, automation and digitisation as drivers, strong external networking and creating meaningful value internally. Based on these guidelines, we have developed our strategic priorities – concrete goals for 2025 to 2027.

Are there any new topics that will be in focus in the coming years?

The guideline ‘Creating meaning internally’ has become more important than before, with a strong focus on new ways of working that address team development and collaboration. The focus on digital was already strong in the last Compass, but has perhaps become even stronger now. The keywords are metadata, automation and bringing digital and analogue publications together. Because at the end of the day, everything we collect must also be usable.
The new Compass also places greater emphasis on values. We are taking a clearer stance as a democratic institution that stands for the rule of law and against racism and anti-Semitism. That was not the case in the previous Compass.
But many topics are, of course, also dictated by our legal mandate: we collect everything that is published in Germany. And we make what we collect available to the general public, thus creating access, mediating and providing cultural education.

Promoting democracy is one of the strategic priorities for the coming years. How has the DNB worked to promote democracy, the rule of law and freedom of expression and to combat racism and anti-Semitism in 2024?

Oh, there have been a whole range of activities. I can only list a few: Last May, we took part in the ‘Freedom of Speech Week’ organised by the German Publishers and Booksellers Association. In connection with this, there was a poster campaign called ‘Mehr als meine Meinung’ (More than my opinion) featuring personalities such as Sophie Passmann and Düzen Tekkal.
We also organised an exhibition at the German Museum of Books and Writing in Leipzig to mark the 75th anniversary of the Basic Law, which focused on democracy and the democratic constitution.
We took part in International Democracy Day on 15 September with our own event. And we regularly cover topics such as fundamental democratic values and attitudes against racism and discrimination on our blog. Of course, the ‘Frag nach! Just ask!’ campaign by the German Exile Archive, which I have already described, is also part of this series.
And that's how we'll continue in 2025. 

The topic of sustainability has also become increasingly important at the DNB in recent years. Since autumn 2023, there has even been a working group on sustainability. Have there been any new developments in this area in 2024?

As a national library, we see ourselves as a sustainable institution. This has many different aspects. In some respects, we also position ourselves against the mainstream: This may sound a little strange, but we are naturally interested in ensuring that the publications we collect are printed on permanent paper – and not on recycled paper or paper that is edible or biodegradable. This also has something to do with sustainability – in our immediate sphere of influence. On the other hand, we have achieved a great deal, especially in the areas of buildings and energy, and we still have a lot planned. For example, by switching to LED lighting, we will save a lot of energy. The working group ensures that we discuss these issues and that things get moving so that we can promote ecological, social and economic sustainability both within the organisation and beyond.

Building renovation is a good keyword: the DNB's collections are constantly growing, which means that the premises have to be expanded again and again. The DNB has launched an international architecture competition for this purpose. How did it go and when will construction start?

Construction of the new magazine building on Deutscher Platz is scheduled to begin at the end of 2026 and be completed by the end of 2030. That means we still have a few years to wait. But we really do have completely full magazines in Leipzig and are bursting at the seams. Our collection of physical media alone is growing by 2,000 publications every day. I still find that an impressive figure. Against this backdrop, we very much hope that the schedule can be adhered to. The competition began on 9 April 2024. A total of 20 firms took part. In the end, it won first prize. We are very happy about that.
The designs had to convince us both aesthetically and functionally. After all, it will be a very functional building that needs to fit in well with the overall ensemble. And the ensemble, with the original building and the last extension in 2012, is already architectural history! It will be a pure magazine building with a very compact, closed building envelope. This was very important to us because it ensures excellent climate stability, i.e. temperature and humidity remain as constant as possible.

Has anything else happened to the buildings over the last year?

We are still in the middle of it, but we have converted the media lending facilities at both locations, in Leipzig and Frankfurt, for 2024. In future, this will be a self-service system with so-called media boxes. You can imagine it a bit like a parcel station at the post office: users open the boxes themselves with their library card.
And there have been even more changes in Leipzig. We have completely renovated the main reading room for the humanities: we have thermally refurbished it. And we have renovated and restored the historic workstations there. The historic spaces are now also equipped with power sockets so that people can work there in a contemporary environment. Until now, the furnishings were still the original ones from 1916.

There have also been some personnel changes. Ms Theile took over as head of the User Services and Collection Management department in July. How has the entire user services area changed? Have user requirements changed?

We are delighted to welcome Ms. Theile to the DNB team. She brings with her extensive experience in the use of academic libraries and also has valuable expertise in construction projects. This is a special profile that we urgently need in Leipzig. Ms. Theile is therefore also responsible for the renovation of the reading rooms, which I mentioned earlier.
User requirements are constantly changing. Recently, unsurprisingly, they have become increasingly digital. We can see this in the orders at both locations. Physical orders have been declining steadily over the years. This is certainly due to the fact that many, if not all, publications are now available in electronic form: as eBooks, eJournals or ePapers. And these are much easier to view at the reading room desks than ordering the printed version. We are supporting this development by digitising our old holdings.
As far as the working atmosphere in the reading rooms is concerned, the majority of the space is still reserved for quiet work. There are also open workspaces for discussion and cooperation, but fewer than before. We hear time and again from users at both locations that they really appreciate the focused atmosphere. We conduct regular surveys on these topics. This forms the basis on which we further develop our services in the interests of our users.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is on the rise everywhere when it comes to handling large amounts of data. How does the DNB use AI, and have there been any new approaches in this area in 2024?

We have been using AI for years, primarily for cataloguing media. When a publication arrives at our offices, AI generates suitable keywords from metadata. These keywords are then added to the catalogue, where they can be searched and found. We are making great progress in this area. We have now replaced a commercial company's system with a modular, open-source-based system. We work closely with the Finnish National Library, but also with others. We will continue to pursue this path of automating cataloguing projects with AI support. However, it is very important to us not to automate everything. We rely much more on human quality control. This is called human-in-the-loop machine learning.

In addition to all the innovative projects, the classic preservation of the holdings is also central to the work of the German National Library. What has been achieved in the area of preservation over the past year?

Preservation is one of our core tasks. It ensures that the national cultural heritage remains accessible in the long term. Last year, we made important progress in this area – in preventive conservation and restoration, digitisation for collection preservation, optimisation of storage conditions, and through knowledge exchange and committee work, e.g. at the Coordination Office for the Preservation of Written Cultural Heritage (KEK). These measures help to preserve our collections for future generations.