News archive

The Bayerische Staatsbibliothek has been given a Burmese adorned manuscript from the 19th century as a present from a private holder. Palm leaves as writing material and the magnificent design indicate the Buddhist content of the manuscript.

"It is not sufficient for a library to be merely a feast for the eyes, it has to function, too." (Dr. Gustav Hofmann, Director General from 1948 to 1966): On 27 October 1966, the annex of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek was inaugurated. In the course of the years, the interior of the glass building has been adapted to current requirements again and again.

During the period from 2017 to 2021, the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek will be supported by the Carl Friedrich von Siemens Foundation with EUR 180,000 annually for the acquisition of printed books from the field of philosophy.

The Bayerische Staatsbibliothek has launched its new website on 17 October 2016. The website has been set up newly in its entirety, regarding both its design and the technical platform. The contents have been written newly or revised for the most part. The new website is intended to present all aspects of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek and, as a user-centred platform, to make all services available in a well-structured manner.

The wealth of holdings, services and further benefits offered by a universal and research library of world renown is enormous, and frequently not obvious at first glance. The Bayerische Staatsbibliothek has been present on Facebook, Twitter, etc. for years in order to spread information about its activities, services and innovations and to foster exchange with interested members of the public. Simultaneously to the launch of the new website, the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek has now also opened an Instagram account.

Manuscripts, printed works, handwritten drafts and letters: In the cultural portal bavarikon, over 300 digital copies from the holdings of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek have been published. The new bavarikon collection "Literatur in Bayern" ("literature in Bavaria") contains literary treasures from twelve centuries, which are related to Bavaria with regard to their origin, tradition and impact, and which have gone down in history.

With the support of the Literature Portal Bavaria, the Munich writer and winner of the Ingeborg-Bachmann Award Thomas Lang is writing on an interactive novel – live on the Internet at netzroman.thomaslang.net.

The one thousandth article of the Historisches Lexikon Bayerns (HLB, Historical Encyclopaedia of Bavaria) has been published. It addresses the purity law related to the brewing and serving of beer.

Dr. Bettina Wagner, the Head of the Division Manuscript Cataloguing Center and Incunabula Collection at the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, has been appointed Director of the State Library of Bamberg as of 1 October 2016. She is the successor of Prof. Dr. Werner Taegert, who had been in office since 2006.