Library collection
The collection of the Library Am Guisanplatz BiG includes specialist literature that employees of the Federal Administration and the Armed Forces need in their daily work. It also houses various special collections consisting of atlases, maps, plans, official publications, photographs, postcards and autographs.
The Library Am Guisanplatz BiG holds over 650,000 books and almost 8,000 newspaper titles in both analogue and digital form. The Alexandria search portal contains over a million registered titles and more than 1.3 million copies, many of which can be accessed by the public. The BiG also houses a variety of special collections.
Acquisition profile
The BiG holds specialist literature from a range of academic disciplines. The collection consists of books, magazines and e-media. The acquisition profile is based on the needs of the employees of the Federal Administration and the Armed Forces. The focus is therefore on the following areas:
- Business economics
- History
- Society and culture
- Health
- Computer science
- Information
- Domestic and foreign security
- Communication
- Koreana
- Migration
- Public administration
- Politics
- Police and the courts
- Law
- Restoration and conservation
- Social Security
- Technology and Infrastructure
- Economics
- Science and Education.
Because of its origins as the former Swiss Federal Military Library (EMB), the BiG’s older holdings are primarily titles on military history.
For example, the BiG has a unique collection of official military publications. These include directories of federal and cantonal officers, official collections of military decrees and regulations, holdings of the Swiss Army (1913–1948) and collected rulings by the Swiss military courts.
Contact Information and Documentation
CH - 3003 Bern