Vision 2025: Austrian National Library Shifts to Digital-Only eBook Archiving Strategy

For some time now, the Austrian National Library has been working with the search engine giant Google to digitize its book collection. The goal is to bring 600,000 titles into the digital age, which will ultimately cost up to 60 million euros. Google will cover these costs. The digitization, taking place in Bavaria, is expected to be completed and accessible online by 2017.

However, according to the latest direction from the National Library, this is not the end of the drive for digitization. As outlined in the “Vision 2025,” the future will see more eBooks archived than traditional books. “We are the first cultural and knowledge institution to develop a vision for the future,” said the Director General.

This approach is only possible because a planned amendment to the media law aims to eliminate the requirement for physical collection of new publications. If a book is available in both print and digital formats, the printed book can be foregone.

Exactly what the digital storage will look like is still unclear. Cloud solutions are also being considered, which bring up new legal and security questions. The focus on digital is not just a response to current developments but also likely has practical reasons. The National Library is running out of space. Once the infrastructure for storing eBooks is in place, less physical space will be required.

In 2011, around 500,000 people visited the Austrian National Library and 9.3 million online inquiries were made. This ratio is expected to shift significantly with the realignment over the next 10-15 years.