The Central Library in Zurich

Zurich’s Central Library (ZB) is the city’s cantonal, municipal, and university library. With more than 5 million items, it is one of the largest libraries in Switzerland. As a university library it collects research literature on all the subjects taught at the University of Zurich, with an emphasis on the humanities and social sciences. As the guardian of the Turicensia, a special collection of Zurich-related media, it documents the entire production of the city’s publishers, all works by Zurich authors, and literature about Zurich. As a municipal and cantonal library, in addition, the ZB holds a broad range of popular literature—from travel guides and advice manuals, to biographies and crime novels, to DVDs and audio recordings. The ZB’s five special collections—graphic art, manuscripts, maps, music, and early prints—house rich historical and contemporary archive resources, literary estates, and visual and audio documents.

Further information about the Central Library can be found at www.zb.uzh.ch (in German).

The library’s book holdings from 1988 on can be searched via the Network of Libraries and Information Centers in Switzerland at www.nebis.ch. This catalog also includes the holdings of the University’s law faculty, English department, and Slavic languages department. 

Older titles, dated 1989 or earlier, can be searched via the Central Library’s alphabetical catalog, “AZK,” or the subject catalog, “SWK.”

Periodicals can be searched by subject area using the Central Library’s electronic journals library, “EZB.”

We have a library card for the Zurich Central Library, which our guests are welcome to use.

University of Zurich departmental libraries

The University of Zurich’s departmental libraries (IDS) have a catalog of their own. The information network of the University of Zurich brings together more than 100 specialized libraries from many faculties of the University, along with the libraries of the Zurich University of Teacher Education (PH Zurich), the libraries of the Canton of Zurich State Archive and the Zurich City Archive, and other libraries.