Charter of the German National Library of Medicine (ZB MED)
of April 5, 2011
§ 1 Organisation
(1) The German National Library of Medicine (ZB MED) is an establishment of the German federal state (Land) of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) as defined in § 14 of the 'Act of Organisation of the Federal State of NRW' (Landesorganisationsgesetz). It carries the supplementary designation: “The Federal Republic of Germany’s central specialist library of medicine, health, and nutritional, environmental and agricultural science”.
(2) The ZB MED is subject to the disciplinary and technical supervision of the North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry responsible for institutions of higher education.
(3) The ZB MED is based in Cologne and also has a site in Bonn.
(4) At its main site in Cologne, the ZB MED works in collaboration with the Cologne University and City Library's Departmental Library of Medicine. The usage agreement with the Departmental Library of Medicine, Natural Sciences and Agriculture of Bonn University and State Library is based on contractual provisions made between the ZB MED and Bonn University.
(5) The ZB MED is jointly financed by the federal and state (Länder) governments on the basis of Article 91b of the German Basic Law and in accordance with the Administrative Agreement between the Federal and Länder Governments on the Establishment of a Joint Science Conference (GWK Agreement). The ZB MED is a member of the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Scientific Community (WGL).
(6) The ZB MED’s revenue and expenditures are accounted for in a separate section of the budget of the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
§ 2 Tasks and Responsibilities
(1) The ZB MED is the Federal Republic of Germany’s central specialist library of medicine, health, and nutritional, environmental and agricultural science. It is responsible for the national provisioning of information and literature in its subject areas, as well as the corresponding basic sciences and related subjects, for the purposes of research, teaching and practical application. Within this remit, it acquires and provides access to a broad range of literature and other information media, including highly specialist materials. It is the national archive library for its collections' subject areas and may adopt corresponding stocks from other libraries to supplement its collections.
(2) Its portfolio of services caters to specific target groups and includes the provision of analogue and digital media holdings as well as other central information services designed to establish and consolidate an information infrastructure in the relevant fields of knowledge.
(3) The ZB MED cooperates with institutions engaged in scientific research and information provision in its subject areas and carries out innovative applied research and development projects which serve to further enhance the services it offers.
§ 3 Board of Trustees
(1) The Board of Trustees consists of one representative of the German Federal Ministry of Health, one representative of the North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry responsible for institutions of higher education, and up to five additional members. The additional members of the Board of Trustees are appointed for a period of four years by the North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry responsible for institutions of higher education in agreement with the Federal Ministry of Health. Re-appointments are possible.
(2) The chairmanship of the Board of Trustees is held by the representative of the North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry responsible for institutions of higher education. The deputy chairmanship is held by the representative of the Federal Ministry of Health. The Chairman of the Advisory Committee/User Advisory Committee and the Director of the ZB MED participate in the meetings of the Board of Trustees in an advisory capacity. Management of the Board of Trustees is performed by the ZB MED.
(3) The Board of Trustees
a) elaborates recommendations on how to develop the ZB MED's strategy and programmes,
b) advises on and approves the ZB MED's programme budget, the associated schedule of operations and activities, and the suitability and appropriateness of the way in which funds are to be allocated,
c) monitors the fulfilment of performance targets and structural objectives, and
d) tracks how the various programmes are managed and oriented.
The Board of Trustees shall be consulted
a) in regard to major decisions of an organisational, personnel-related or financial nature, and
b) in regard to amendments to this Charter.
(4) The Board of Trustees shall meet at least twice a year.
(5) The Board of Trustees has a quorum when more than one half of its members are present. Decisions are taken by a majority vote of the members present. In case of a tie, the Chairman shall have the casting vote. The representatives of the Federal and Länder governments have the right to veto all key financial decisions.
(6) The members of the Board of Trustees as defined in the second sentence of paragraph 2 are entitled to be reimbursed for any necessary expenses they incur.
(7) The Board of Trustees is entitled to provide itself with its own rules of procedure, which shall govern the specific details. These rules of procedure must be approved by the North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry responsible for institutions of higher education and the German Federal Ministry of Health.
§ 4 The Advisory Committee
(1) An Advisory Committee is established for the ZB MED. Its members are appointed for a period of four years by the North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry responsible for institutions of higher education subject to agreement by the Federal Ministry of Health, specifically:
a) one member of the Rectorate of the University of Cologne,
b) the Director of Cologne University and City Library,
c) the Head of the "Scientific Library Services and Information Systems" Group ("Wissenschaftliche Literaturversorgungs- und Informationssysteme") of the office of the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft),
d) the Director of the German Institute of Medical Documentation and Information (Deutsches Institut für medizinische Dokumentation und Information),
e) the Director of the German Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food (Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung),
f) a member selected by the medical faculty of the University of Cologne from the university teaching staff for a period of four years,
g) one member from the field of medical associations or from a medical society,
h) one member from the field of medical university research from outside the University of Cologne,
i) one member from the field of medical research or practice from outside the university,
j) one member from the field of environmental, nutrition-related, or agriculture-related research or practice,
k) the head of a research library of national importance,
l) the head of a research library with a medical focus or with a focus on nutritional, environmental or agricultural science – this could also be a departmental or branch library – and
m) up to three further members from abroad, unless foreign individuals have already been appointed as members under points (h) through (l).
The members cited in points (a) to (e) of the second sentence may send a deputy in their place. Re-appointments are possible on only one occasion for members cited in points (f) to (m) of the second sentence. The members shall be reimbursed for any necessary expenses incurred in connection with this work.
(2) The following persons shall participate in the Advisory Committee's meetings in an advisory role:
a) the Chairman of the Board of Trustees,
b) one representative of the German Federal Ministry of Health,
c) the Head Librarian of the ZB MED, and
d) the Director of Bonn University and City Library. Invited guests may participate in the meetings, though without any right to vote.
(3) The Advisory Committee
a) advises the ZB MED on all important matters, including with regard to its collaboration with Cologne University and City Library and Bonn University and City Library,
b) presents recommendations on the development and organisation of the ZB MED,
c) provides advice on the Annual Report drawn up by the Director in collaboration with the heads of the relevant departments,
d) can deploy working groups to support the ZB MED / Director in carrying out their tasks,
e) conducts an interim evaluation (audit) and presents the results to the German Federal Ministry of Health and the responsible Ministry of North Rhine-Westphalia at least every three years,
f) scrutinises the draft of the programme budget for the coming year and checks and delivers an opinion on whether the previous year's programme goals were achieved,
g) monitors the quality of the ZB MED's work in the fields of library systems and research, and
h) acts in an advisory capacity in appointing the position of the Director.
(4) The Advisory Committee selects a Chairman and Deputy Chairman from among its ranks. The Advisory Committee shall meet at least once a year. Management of the Advisory Committee is performed by the ZB MED.
The Advisory Committee is entitled to provide itself with its own rules of procedure, which shall govern the specific details. These rules of procedure must be approved by the responsible Ministry of North Rhine-Westphalia and the German Federal Ministry of Health.
§ 5 The Director
(1) The ZB MED is run by a Director. This person is appointed and dismissed by the North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry responsible for institutions of higher education in consultation with the Board of Trustees and after consulting the Advisory Committee.
(2) The Director
a) represents the Federal state (Land) in both judicial and extrajudicial contexts in matters that concern the ZB MED,
b) is the superior of the employees of the ZB MED,
c) is the responsible agent for the ZB MED's budget and is entrusted with allocating the budget funds and managing administrative affairs,
d) is responsible for drawing up the programme budget, updating the medium-term programme plan and implementing the annual schedule of work and activities.
(1) (3) Within the scope of the applicable provisions, the North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry responsible for institutions of higher education can delegate responsibility for personnel matters to the ZB MED.
§ 6 Other provisions
(2) In essential matters, in which Cologne University and City Library's interests are affected, decisions shall be agreed jointly by the Director of the ZB MED and the Director of Cologne University and City Library. Should these two parties fail to agree on a decision, the matter shall, in the first place, be referred to the Board of Trustees of the ZB MED. Once the Board of Trustees has become involved, the ZB MED has the option of submitting the matter to the North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry responsible for institutions of higher education.
(3) Those parties who are entitled to use the ZB MED are stipulated in Library Regulations which are enacted by the Director of the ZB MED in consultation with the North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry responsible for institutions of higher education. Commercial utilisation of the library, its stocks or services to procure information for third parties entails a special use, which requires the authorisation of the Director of the ZB MED.
(4) Any amendments to this Charter shall be made by the North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry responsible for institutions of higher education subject to the agreement of the Federal Ministry of Health.
§ 7 Effective date
This Charter came into effect on April 15, 2011. Simultaneously, the Charter of the German National Library of Medicine of December 1, 2003 (Ministerial Gazette North Rhine-Westphalia, 2004, p. 112) was rescinded.
Düsseldorf, April 5, 2011
The Ministry of Innovation, Science, Research and Technology of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia
Svenja Schulze
