With over seven million media and almost a million visitors a year, the Zentralbibliothek Zürich – Zurich’s central library – is one of the largest libraries in Switzerland. The ZB has been a public-law foundation since 1914 and currently receives 80% of its funding from the Canton and 20% from the City of Zurich. The legal basis for the ZB is the foundation agreement between the Canton of Zurich and City of Zurich dating from 1910, the articles of association and the library ordinance. We provide a wide range of services for people living in the city and canton of Zurich. Our training courses and guided tours offer wide-ranging insights into our holdings and assistance in searching for and finding our media. They are accompanied by exhibitions in the Treasury and Turicensia section, readings and numerous other events. The ZB’s extensive cultural history collections preserve Zurich’s cultural heritage from the Middle Ages to the present day and make it available to researchers and the public at large. The library also collects and catalogues as much current material as possible about Zurich and from Zurich-based authors and publishers.
