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Libraries

The 87 libraries of the Goethe-Institut are public places. They offer an inspiring atmosphere for exchange and encounter. Around 660,000 analogue and digital media convey an up-to-date image of Germany and promote active engagement with language, culture and society.

Goethe-Institut Belgrad - Library Photo: Danilo Andjus

About our work

In many different projects, we work together with partners from civil society, especially from the library, media and information sector. The topics range from artificial intelligence to reading promotion, from environmental protection to cultural heritage.

The libraries are also open spaces for experimentation. They connect Germany and the world through inspiration and innovation.

Panel talk ‘Democracy 2.0: Libraries and participation’. As part of the Day of Libraries 2024

Insights into the Library Work

  • South Korea

    Shaping AI: Ethics, Power, Responsibility

    AI development shapes everyday life, education, and culture—but power, access, and risks remain unevenly distributed. The project “Shaping AI: Ethics, Power, Responsibility” examines the ethical, social, and political dimensions of AI in Korea and shows how fairness, transparency, and digital sovereignty can be strengthened in the Korean AI ecosystem.

    Key Visual Shaping AI: Ethics, Power, Responsibility © Jooyoung Oh © Jooyoung Oh

  • Egypt

    Kreativraum

    At the Goethe-Institut in Cairo, there is, in addition to the library, a creative space that serves as a makerspace where visitors are invited to try out new technologies, acquire practical knowledge on digital topics, and let their creativity run free.

  • Brasil

    Data Detox AI

    Das Aufkommen neuer virtueller Assistenten und Inhaltsgeneratoren hat dazu geführt, dass künstliche Intelligenz (KI) schnell Teil fast aller Aspekte unseres Lebens geworden ist. Wenn wir die Möglichkeiten der KI erkunden, ist es wichtig, sowohl ihre Vorteile als auch ihre Risiken zu berücksichtigen.

  • Sub-Saharan Africa

    Games Connect Africa

    Games Connect Africa is a regional initiative which seeks to build a strong, interconnected, and sustainable gaming ecosystem across the African continent, empowering local talent and fostering collaboration at every level.

    Games Connect Africa - a lady sitting in front of a computer at an event with bystanders in the background. © Thabang Taukobong © Thabang Taukobong

  • France

    The Europe Challenge 2025/26

    Ein Zusammentreffen zwischen verschiedenen Generationen, Kulturen und Sprachen. Ziel ist es, Verbindungen zu stärken, neue Perspektiven zu eröffnen und gemeinsam Ideen für ein offenes, solidarisches Miteinander zu entwickeln.
     

Voices about our libraries worldwide

Our libraries are places of encounter, exchange and learning. Here, visitors tell us what the libraries of the Goethe-Institut mean to them.
"an important opportunity to look beyond my own horizons"
Germany
Birgit Weyhe (illustrator): 
“For me, the Goethe-Institut’s libraries offer an important opportunity to look beyond my own horizons and to give my thinking a different direction for a change. By reading novels and comics, we learn to develop empathy for the different characters in these books. Only when we are able to put ourselves in other people’s shoes can we tolerate differences. And that is precisely what democracy is all about.”

 
"places of anticipation"
Germany
Harald Jähner (author):
"For me, the Goethe-Institut’s libraries are places of anticipation. In every book, a surprise awaits me, a promise, an urgent message, a message. Most remain unread, unnoticed, and wait.  I look forward to reuniting with books I know in the foreign cities I visit, just as I do with old friends whom I unexpectedly meet again. I am glad that you can wait here and be read.”

 

Streamingtipps

We have compiled a fantastic selection of German films and series for you to enjoy that are currently available in the media libraries of the public broadcasters and on various streaming services in Germany.

Streamingtipps Seite © Goethe-Institut / Tobias Schrank © Goethe-Institut / Tobias Schrank

Digital library

The Onleihe is Goethe-Institut’s digital library (eLibrary). About 20,000 German language eBooks, audio books, movies, materials for German language learners, magazines and newspapers are available for downloading from the Onleihe.

A woman listens to digital media from the Onleihe service and runs past people waiting at the bus stop in the rain. Illustration: Maria Tran Larsen © Goethe-Institut Illustration: Maria Tran Larsen © Goethe-Institut

Reading made easy

For learners of German from language levels B2 and C1 (of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages), we recommend the following works of contemporary German-language literature in theOnleihe, our free digital library.

Male figure reading on the beach Illustration: Maria Tran Larsen © Goethe-Institut Illustration: Maria Tran Larsen © Goethe-Institut

Cooperation partners