Holdings and Collections

The Wienbibliothek im Rathaus, the Vienna City Library, is one of the most important scholarly libraries with a special focus on Vienna. Its extensive holdings include not only unique Viennensia and Austriaca but also a large archival collection with the papers of many individuals. They cover the period from the late 18th century up to the immediate present and in the case of printed works date back to the late 15th century.

In addition to the Printed Works Collection with its roughly 550,000 volumes, there are more than 850 literary bequests with around 6 million individual autographs in the Manuscript Department, almost 100,000 items in the Music Department ranging from original scores to sheet music. The Vienna City Library also has the largest collection of posters in Austria as well as an extensive documentation in the form of newspaper clippings.

Most of the holdings can be accessed online and ordered via the Online-Catalogue or by e-mail.