The German Central Library for the Blind (german: Deutsches Zentrum für barrierefreies Lesen, earlier Deutsche Zentralbücherei für Blinde), abbreviated DZB, is a

public library A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil service, civil servants. There are ...

for the

visually impaired Visual impairment, also known as vision impairment, is a medical definition primarily measured based on an individual's better eye visual acuity; in the absence of treatment such as correctable eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment� ...

located in the city of

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Its collection of 72,300 titles is amongst the largest in the

German speaking countries The following is a list of the countries and territories where German is an official language (also known as the Germanosphere). It includes countries that have German as (one of) their nationwide official language(s), as well as dependent ter ...

. The institution consists of a lending library, a publishing house, and a research center for

barrier-free Universal design is the design of buildings, products or environments to make them accessible to people, regardless of age, disability or other factors. It addresses common barriers to participation by creating things that can be used by the ma ...

communication. It also has production facilities for

braille book Braille (Pronounced: ) is a tactile writing system used by people who are visually impaired, including people who are blind, deafblind or who have low vision. It can be read either on embossed paper or by using refreshable braille displa ...

s, audiobooks, and

braille music Braille music is a braille code that allows music to be notated using braille cells so music can be read by visually impaired musicians. The system was incepted by Louis Braille. Braille music uses the same six-position braille cell as literary ...

. The DZB publishes about 250 new titles annually.The DZB: About Us
. Leipzig: DZB, 2011. Retrieved 08-Aug-2012 Founded in 1894, the DZB is the oldest library for the blind in Germany.Dagmar Giersberg

Bonn: Goethe Institute, November 2006. Retrieved 08-Aug-2012

History

A private association, the Society for the Procurement of

Large-print Large-print (also large-type or large-font) refers to the formatting of a book or other text document in which the typeface (or font) are considerably larger than usual to accommodate people who have low vision. Frequently the medium is also increa ...

Books and Work Opportunities for the Blind (german: Verein zur Beschaffung von Hochdruckschriften und Arbeitsgelegenheit für Blinde zu Leipzig), was established in

in 1894 to provide blind persons with literature and employment."A Piece of History"
, Leipzig: DZB, 2011. Retrieved 08-Aug-2012 It was set up in a bookseller's house and grew into the first library for blind persons in the

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

. Soon afterward the society established its own publishing house and printing press. A

charitable foundation A foundation (also a charitable foundation) is a category of nonprofit organization or charitable trust that typically provides funding and support for other charitable organizations through grants, but may also engage directly in charitable act ...

, the ''Verein zur Förderung der Deutschen Zentralbücherei für Blinde'', was established in 1916 to support and promote the library. By this time over 5,000 braille volumes were available and it had 1,200 regular users."Geschichte der DZB"
Leipzig: DZB, 2011. Retrieved 08-Aug-2012 Following

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the number of users rose sharply and by 1926 the DZB had 3,500 users. The

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

forced the library into a rigid austerity, resulting in budget cuts and layoffs. In 1935 the DZB moved into the commercial publishing house ''Druckhaus Klepzig'' on the Täubchenweg in Leipzig. This building was later destroyed in an Allied bombing raid in December 1943 and over 30,000 of the library's books were lost. What little remained of the collection was set up at an alternative site at

Döbeln Döbeln ( hsb, Doblin) is a town in Saxony, Germany, part of the Mittelsachsen district, on both banks of the river Freiberger Mulde. History * 981: First written mention of Döbeln (Margravate of Meissen). * Around 1220: Döbeln is described ...

in 1944.

Bundesarchiv Bild 183-24637-2089, Leipzig, Zentralbücherei für Blinde

In the immediate aftermath of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

the DZB moved to new quarters on the Weißenfelser Straße with a collection of 1,802 books. Through a decision of the provincial government on 7 November 1946 the library was declared a public institution. By 1949 the library's collection had reached 10,000 volumes. In 1952 DZB came under the auspices of the

East German East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

Ministry of Education and in 1955 it was subject to the Ministry of Culture. In 1954 the library moved into the building still in use today in Gustav-Adolf-Straße (Gustavus Adolphus Street). Following

German reunification German reunification (german: link=no, Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) was the process of re-establishing Germany as a united and fully sovereign state, which took place between 2 May 1989 and 15 March 1991. The day of 3 October 1990 when the Ge ...

the DZB became an agency of the State Ministry of Science and Arts of the new

Free State of Saxony Free may refer to: Concept * Freedom, having the ability to do something, without having to obey anyone/anything * Freethought, a position that beliefs should be formed only on the basis of logic, reason, and empiricism * Emancipate, to procure ...

Collection

As of December 2011 the library holds some 72,300 titles. A research section holds books, periodicals and monographs on visual impairment. In addition, the DZB regularly publishes 18 different journals in Braille and in audio versions. The DZB's collection includes:''DZB in Zahlen und Fakten'', December 2011
DZB online
, retrieved 08-Aug-2012 *72,300 total items **21,900

Braille book Braille (Pronounced: ) is a tactile writing system used by people who are visually impaired, including people who are blind, deafblind or who have low vision. It can be read either on embossed paper or by using refreshable braille displa ...

s **19,000 DAISY audiobooks **6,100

Braille music Braille music is a braille code that allows music to be notated using braille cells so music can be read by visually impaired musicians. The system was incepted by Louis Braille. Braille music uses the same six-position braille cell as literary ...

books **5,000 Scientific books and monographs on visual impairment Each year the DZB produces about 250 new titles. It has a staff of 77 employees, 15 of whom are persons with disabilities. According to the DZB, "over 5,000 members use the library's different services."

Braille music facilities

The "DaCapo" project, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Health, began at the DZB in 2003 to produce specialty

sheet music Sheet music is a handwritten or printed form of musical notation that uses List of musical symbols, musical symbols to indicate the pitches, rhythms, or chord (music), chords of a song or instrumental Musical composition, musical piece. Like ...

for the blind. The goal is not only to make musical scores more widely available to the visually impaired, but also to improve career opportunities for blind musicians. The DZB's research center is also developing processes for the computer-assisted production of sheet music in Braille and as well as transmission services. The ''MakeBraille'' rendering service accepts digital

musical notation Music notation or musical notation is any system used to visually represent aurally perceived music played with instruments or sung by the human voice through the use of written, printed, or otherwise-produced symbols, including notation fo ...

files over the Internet in CapXML and MusicXML formats to produce sheet music in Braille format, available for private, non-commercial uses only.

References

External links

Official Website of the DZB

Homepage of the German Institute for the Blind
{{Authority control Organisations based in Leipzig Public libraries Libraries in Germany 1894 establishments in Germany Libraries established in 1894 Libraries for the blind Blindness organisations in Germany

History

Collection

Braille music facilities

See also

References

External links