Research activities – mission statement

The holdings of the Austrian National Library (ANL) represent a broad historical, geographical, cultural, and political context. The research based on those holdings constitutes an important contribution to Austrian and European intellectual and cultural history.

By documenting its objects in the most scholarly way the ANL supports and initiates manifold research projects and its rich holdings are constantly the subject of scientific research. The scholarly work carried out at the ANL is linked to the national and international research landscape through cooperation with other academic institutions and close collaboration with scholars. An inter-library course in the area of library and information studies provides library research at a university level.

As the biggest library in Austria and one of the most important universal libraries in Europe the ANL has an outstanding role as a „memory institution“ of intellectual culture. That is achieved on the one hand by the systematic collection of printed and electronic media, on the other by continuous expansion of the manifold and in many cases unique holdings in the specialised Departments. Beside papyri, music items and manuscripts there are photographs, graphics, posters, maps and globes, but also drawings and paintings. Research activities at the ANL are concentrated not only on the library and archival treatment of these items, but also on their scholarly processing for both the scientific community and for the public.

These items, which are unique from the viewpoint of history and of physical qualities, offer research perspectives particularly in the areas of scholarly editing, the history of media and culture as well as in basic research in the field of the Digital Library.

Of crucial importance is the presentation of research work done at the ANL to the public in the form of publications, databases, and exhibitions. All research results are available to the public, with special emphasis on digital forms of knowledge transfer.

The ANL places its holdings and its infrastructure at the disposal of researchers with no limitations as long as there are no legal or conservatorial objections. It strives to provide literature relevant to researchers in accord with other libraries.