Zeitschriftendatenbank
Central bibliographical database in Germany and Austria
The Zeitschriftendatenbank, or ZDB (translated as: German Union Catalogue of Serials), is the central bibliographical database for title and ownership records of ongoing collections in Germany and Austria, for example, from trade journals, magazines and newspapers. The ZDB holds records of almost all German scientific libraries and many other public libraries and is freely available on the Internet. The journal database is managed by the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin (SBB) in cooperation with the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek (DNB), the German National Library, which is responsible for the technical system support and further development.
Overview
The basic requirement for the inclusion of a title in the journal database is that it belongs to the genre of the continuous collective works like periodicals, serials or series issued in several parts (booklets, volumes) and which are not limited in the duration of publication (such as lexica). The spectrum includes not only printed evidence (print media), but also titles from electronic journals and microforms.
The database records which periodicals are available in the individual participating libraries and allows searching for magazine titles. The so-called inventory data record provides information about which volumes are available in which library. In contrast, the ZDB does not list any article title.
Due to its range of titles and inventory records, the ZDB is the backbone of the interlibrary loan system in Germany for the aforementioned types of literature. In addition to the holdings of German libraries, it also lists those from Austria and (to a limited extent) other European countries.
The public source identifies “Zeitschriftendatenbank” as central bibliographical database in Germany and Austria. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Zeitschriftendatenbank, Central and bibliographical.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Zeitschriftendatenbank”, the useful work is to connect “central bibliographical database in Germany and Austria” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Nov 9, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q186844. VIAF identifies the subject as 213141461. 1 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Zeitschriftendatenbank”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Zeitschriftendatenbank primary sources, Zeitschriftendatenbank archive and Zeitschriftendatenbank research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Zeitschriftendatenbank”?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Zeitschriftendatenbank” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.