Mission Statement / Annual Report
Holdings, Mission and Organisation (Extract)
The Abbey Library of St Gall is one of the most important historic libraries in the world and one of the oldest still in existence today. Its origins go back to Gallus, who brought the first books to St Gallen around 612.
Having evolved historically, the book collection is unique in its unity, completeness and quality. It illustrates the development of European culture and documents the cultural achievements of the Abbey of St Gall from the 7th century to its demise in 1805.
The library with its famous Baroque Hall is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful in the world. As a whole, it forms the cultural and tourist centre of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Abbey District of St Gall (1983) and is its main attraction.
The Abbey Library has twice been listed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register, in 2017 with its historical book collection up to 1805, and in 2009 with the St Gall Nibelung manuscript (Cod. Sang. 857) as one of the principal versions of The Song of the Nibelungs.
The unity of a book collection, a building and an intangible heritage constitutes the Abbey Library. Since its beginnings in the early Middle Ages, it has been a library and academic institution with supraregional appeal, and since the middle of the 20th century has been one of the most visited historical museums in Switzerland.
The library is an institution of the Catholic Administration of the canton of St Gallen, the principal heir to the cultural treasure of the Abbey of St Gall. The Swiss Confederation, the canton of St Gallen and the city of St Gallen contribute financially to the preservation and maintenance of the library.
The organisational structure of the Abbey Library is divided into three areas: the library, the museum and scholarship. These form an indivisible operational unit, and they support each other in the care of the important heritage. The library conducts its public relations work independently and its activities are governed by the principles of freedom of programme and freedom of scholarship.
The Abbey Library upholds values such as human dignity, respect and tolerance, justice and fairness, honesty, credibility, responsibility, trust, sustainability, foresight and reliability. The employees uphold these values both internally and externally.
The Abbey Library works locally with the Abbey Archives of St Gall, the Diocese of St Gallen and the parishes of the Catholic Administration, the Abbey District World Heritage Association and the St Gallen–Lake Constance Tourism Organisation. Regionally, nationally and internationally, it cooperates with libraries, museums and archives and fosters collaboration with cultural, educational and research institutions in Switzerland and abroad. It also collaborates with World Heritage Sites as well as with tourism organisations and tour operators in Switzerland and beyond.
The complete document can be found here.
Annual reports
The Annual Reports of the St.Gallen Abbey Library provide information about the activities, research and business areas of the institution.
Annual report 2022 (in German)