Through a specialised collection collection profile and a comprehensive digital offering, ZB MED provides scientific information resources in medicine, health sciences and selected areas of the life sciences for researchers, students, healthcare professionals and members of the public with an interest in science.
Our aim is to ensure sustainable access to current medical and health sciences literature, regardless of users' location or institutional affiliation.
Collection profile: Focus on medicine and health sciences
ZB MED's collection profile focuses on the core disciplines of medicine and health sciences.
Our collection development particularly prioritises:
- Internal Medicine
- Surgery
- Oncology
- Neurology
- Prevention and Health Promotion
- Nursing Science
- Dentistry
- Evidence-Based Medicine
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
In addition, selected disciplines from the life sciences are included where they have a direct relevance to human medicine. These include:
- Molecular Biology
- Biomedicine
- Immunology
- Nutritional Sciences
- Neuroscience
- Medical Informatics
- Digital Health
Changes to the collection profile
With its stronger focus on medicine and health sciences, ZB MED is gradually realigning its collection development profile. Previously, the profile also covered subject areas such as environmental and agricultural sciences.
From summer 2026 onwards, the acquisition of monographs will increasingly focus on medicine, health sciences and selected neighbouring areas of the life sciences with a clear medical relevance. For continuing resources, including journals and serial publications, this revised focus will apply from January 2027.
Subjects of direct relevance to medical research and healthcare will continue to be comprehensively represented. Disciplines without a direct connection to medicine will, however, only be acquired selectively in the future.
Digital access to medical literature and nationwide library services
A key element of ZB MED's collection strategy is the expansion of remote digital access to scientific information resources. This enables users throughout Germany to access relevant specialist literature easily and independently of their location.
Materials that are not available electronically can be requested via interlibrary loan or document delivery services such as Subito. In this way, ZB MED combines digital and traditional library services to provide comprehensive information support for research, higher education, clinical practice and continuing professional development.
Find out more about ZB MED's Digital Library
A hybrid collection model for the medicine of tomorrow
ZB MED follows a hybrid collection model that combines digital access with the long-term preservation of print collections. Whenever possible, current specialist literature is acquired in electronic format. Printed works are purchased primarily when they form part of the core collection profile and no equivalent digital version is available.
By combining subject specialisation, high-quality indexing in accordance with international standards and nationwide remote access, ZB MED helps to ensure the long-term availability of reliable medical information and provides access to high-quality scientific literature wherever local library collections are limited.
Archival mandate and collection preservation
In addition to providing access to current literature, ZB MED fulfils an important archival mandate for the fields of medicine and health sciences. Historical collections are preserved permanently, and selected medical publications due for weeding are acquired.
Acquisition is based on subject-specific criteria. Particular consideration is given to works that fill existing gaps in the collection or whose long-term preservation is scientifically relevant as rare or the last known copies.
With this approach, ZB MED combines the preservation of scientific cultural heritage with a forward-looking digital information service for medicine and the health sciences.
