In the opinion of Minister of State for Culture Wolfram Weimer (non-party), libraries in Germany should be open on Sundays and public holidays. This is an important step towards giving as many people as possible extended access to education and information - regardless of working hours and the realities of life, explained Weimer on the occasion of today's nationwide "Library Day".
"I am committed to ensuring that the legal basis for opening public libraries on Sundays and public holidays is created," said the Minister of State. He is convinced that libraries are of particular importance in the age of digitalization. With their wide range of media, they "support freedom of information as an important basis for democracy and diversity of opinion, against fake news and historical revisionism", said Weimar.
The German Library Association has long been calling for public libraries to be allowed to open on Sundays. However, this has not yet been possible in almost any federal state. In Berlin, a pilot project is currently offering extended opening hours at the Central Library of the Technical University and the University of the Arts. According to the institutions, this has been well received - on individual days, more than 6,000 visitors have been counted, according to the latest reports.
More than 53 million items in central library
The German National Library (DNB) plays a special role in this. As the central archive library, it collects all media works published in Germany since 1913. According to the information provided, more than 53 million books, newspapers, records and digital archive materials are available at its locations in Frankfurt am Main and Leipzig.
The Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM) says it supports the facility with around 57 million euros a year. This year, it will receive an additional 1.85 million euros for the further development of the digital infrastructure.
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