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Foreword
The founding fathers of the German National Li-
brary gave the institution a clear set of tasks. Dur-
ing the course of its history this has been expand-
ed, altered to refect changing social and technical
realities, specifed in greater detail and formalised.
Today it is the 2006 Law regarding the German
National Library which defnes the Library‘s tasks.
Given Germany‘s varied and eventful history full of
major social upheavals, it is all the more remarka-
ble that the Library‘s mission has remained largely
unchanged. It has also remained a challenge be-
cause the processes and communication channels
with and through which information, knowledge,
art and culture are documented and disseminated
are also in a permanent state of fux. The German
National Library, for its part, must constantly
adapt its processes to ensure that it remains equal
to the task of collecting, documenting and preserv-
ing published or distributed works and of making
these accessible to users. Flexibility and creativity
are therefore further essential requirements for the
Library alongside consistency and sustainability.
The pace of change, however, has accelerated at an
unprecedented rate in the last ten years as a result
of advances in information technology. The only
appropriate response to such rapid developments is
to bundle the eforts and to adopt a strict timeta-
ble.
Which is why, 100 years after its founding, the
German National Library is now for the frst time
presenting a written record of its strategic priorities
and objectives as the main focuses of its work over
the next four years. By defning and reaching such
objectives, the Library is adapting to refect chang-
ing circumstances both now and in the foreseeable
future, in an efort to ensure that it continues
to fulfl its overall purpose, its mission, into the
future. A good example is the increased concentra-
tion on the routines deployed for online publica-
tions in order to accommodate the increasing role
of digital media in society more efectively. Of
course, the legal mandate of the German National
Library remains the guiding principle behind the
change process and always takes priority.
The medium-term strategic objectives are based
on a vision which outlines the role and function
of the German National Library in ten years. This
vision assumes a future in which the metadata,
services and extensive holdings of a national and
international network of partner institutions are ac-
cessible to everyone, everywhere, at all times. These
holdings are easy to fnd, can be used under clearly
defned conditions, can be accessed based on mul-
tilingual retrieval, and the services are reliable and
oriented towards the users‘ needs.
In order to reach its strategic objectives, the
German National Library is reliant upon the
commitment, creativity, enthusiasm and also the
courage of its employees. The strategy process will
be backed up by ongoing organisational develop-
ment aimed at achieving the strategic priorities
and other objectives based on target agreements.
Describing this process will be one of the tasks of
future annual reports. The overall aim here is to
make any successes and changes visible. The Ger-
man National Library will engage in dialogue with
cooperation partners, users and staf members in
defning and implementing all changes in the work
processes and services. It will consistently commu-
nicate its objectives and all necessary changes both
internally and externally as a dependable partner,
service provider and employer.
Preface
Publication of the Strategic Priorities for 2013 to 2016 represents the frst time
since its founding that the German National Library has set out in print its
objectives and priorities for the further development of the library over a defned
four-year period. Initiated on the basis of the 2011 employee survey and elaborat-
ed above all in internal meetings and events held at the library during 2012, the
Strategic Priorities are intended to serve primarily as a work document and as an
instrument for setting priorities - in selecting and carrying out projects, and in
allocating and redistributing resources, above all, stafng resources. The result is
a living document which forms the basis of an ongoing strategy process for deter-
mining the work of the library over the coming years. It is to be supported by an
organisation development process lasting several years which is designed to equip
the library for coping with the new challenges and tasks it faces. Even for the
ongoing planning and decisions of 2013, the frst year of the period in question,
the Strategic Priorities proved to be a highly successful instrument of guidance,
especially for the library staf.
The bodies of the German National Library – its administrative committee,
the advisory committee of the German Music Archive and the Administrative
Council – have discussed the Strategic Priorities proposed by the library inten-
sively. Following completion of the deliberations within the bodies, the German
National Library is now publishing its Strategic Priorities for the years 2013 to
2016 in order to provide its partners, users, the general public and the govern-
ment with reliable information on its plans and activities. It is hoping to re-
ceive feedback especially in the form of new suggestions, partnership ofers and
information about new developments which the library should take into consid-
eration. This is because, although the current Strategic Priorities provide a clear
framework up to 2016, it is obvious to all parties concerned that new develop-
ments will arise within this time period, especially those of a technical nature,
which require the objectives to be revised as a consequence. It will repeatedly be
necessary to incorporate individual objectives into the Strategic Priorities as part
of the ongoing objective assessment and revision process. The annual reports
will provide information on this and on the progress made in achieving the
objectives.
Dr. Elisabeth Niggemann
Director General
Dr. Günter Winands
Chairman of the Administrative Council