ZBW publishes its 2025 annual review in Germany for policymakers and researchers; Open Access, data sovereignty gain Europe-wide

ZBW publishes its 2025 annual review in Germany for policymakers and researchers; Open Access, data sovereignty gain Europe-wide

ZBW Jahresbericht

ZBW Highlights from 2025 Annual Review by the ZBW The ZBW in 2025: Open Access Transformation: Publishing openly together. p. 22 Data sovereignty: When research data suddenly disappears. p. 28 Information organisation: The networked open library of 2035. p. 42 Topic: AI IN LIBRARIES: Metadata for Transparent AI Research and AI Use p. 16 (with a survey)

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ZBW Highlights from 2025

4 ZBW 2025 was a year of further development and tran­ sition for the ZBW. In an increasingly dynamic environment of digitalisation, artificial intelli­ gence and Open Science, we have further refined our role as a central infrastructure institution for economics. Our mission remains unchanged: in times of digital transformation, we not only or­ ganise information, but we also create the condi­ tions for reliable, transparent and increasingly digital science. The articles in this annual report demonstrate how we put this mission into practice. Our own research activities on and the use of artificial in­ telligence in libraries illustrate how closely re­ search-led innovation and scholarly practice are intertwined at the ZBW. This also applies to our strong commitment to generating and providing high-quality metadata, as well as to our contribu­ tions to the further development of Open Science, particularly in the areas of Open Access and open research data. At the same time, we are actively involved in science policy, where issues of data sovereignty and the sustainable and resilient availability of infrastructures – for example, for publications or research data – are becoming in­ creasingly important. We do not merely organise information. We cre­ ate the conditions for reliable, transparent and increasingly digital science. In addition to our national commitment, we place a particular focus on contributing to the further development of the European Research Area. The ZBW actively contributes its expertise to initia­ tives such as the European Open Science Cloud, thereby helping to strengthen reliable, sovereign and open scientific structures in Europe. Our ac­ tivities in the field of Open Economics and in sci­ ence communication also underline our commit­ ment to making knowledge openly accessible and to promoting dialogue with diverse communities. In addition to these key areas of focus, the report also documents the further development of our organisation. New ways of working, flexible and accessible working environments, and the con­ tinuous adaptation of our structures demonstrate how we, as an institution, are responding to the demands of modern science. This report provides an insight into the diversity of our activities and makes it clear that the ZBW is constantly expanding and adapting its role as a reliable partner for the economic sciences. Our special thanks go to our staff, whose ongoing commitment and professional expertise form the basis for the ZBW’s success. We would also like to thank the Foundation Board for the trust they have placed in us and their continuous support for our strategic development. Finally, we would like to thank the ZBW Advisory Board for their valuable input on content and their critical in­ sights. Lastly, we would like to express our sincere thanks to our former Library Director, Thorsten Meyer, who has successfully helped shape the de­ velopment of the ZBW over the past 21 years. He has since taken over the management of a univer­ sity library renowned throughout Germany. We hope you find this an inspiring read. Klaus Tochtermann, Axinia Braunisch, Christiane Müller Dear readers,

5 ZBW Highlights from 2025 „ We do not merely organise information. We create the conditions for reliable, transparent and increasingly digital science. “ FOREWORD

6 16 At the ZBW, metadata is updated continuously to provide a basis for collabora­ tive working processes. 20 “The concept of access for libraries is cur­ rently undergoing a shift.” Open Science in Europe page 31 OPEN ECONOMICS

Communicating Open Science Seite 33 Expedition Open Science Land page 38 INFORMATION ORGANISATION LORI – A foundation for trans­ parent rights information at the object level page 40 Networked Open Library 2035 page 42 From name to identity page 46 FROM RESEARCH ZBW researches structures of digital science page 48 From the ZBW to the EOSC page 50 Vision of the ZBW page 8 Mission of the ZBW page 9 ZBW 2025 in figures page 10 ZBW news in brief page 12 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN LIBRARIES Metadata for transparent AI research and AI use page 16 “We don’t just organise data; we safeguard scientific freedom of action.” page 20 OPEN ACCESS TRANS­FORMATION Publishing openly together page 22 Open Access and licence management page 26 DATA SOVEREIGNTY When research data suddenly disappears page 28 Content

7 ZBW Highlights from 2025 56 Several projects at the ZBW in 2025 demonstrated how interior design can be understood as part of the New Work movement. 38 The ZBW has made com­ munication with the business school a key focus through its “Expedition Open Science Land” initiative. KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER YES! – Young Economic Solutions 2015–2025 page 53 Knowledge transfer through dialogue page 54 THE ZBW WORKPLACE Zoned, flexible, accessible page 56 Green in concept, red in decision page 58 Flexible academic work page 59 EVENTS In dialogue with the communities page 60 APPENDIX Last but not least page 70

8 The ZBW sets ­national and international standards for ­modern information provision in economics. vision

9 ZBW Highlights from 2025 The ZBW collects and catalogues economic literature published worldwide. It offers com­ prehensive services that enable the efficient, effective and sustainable use of specialised economic information. It is a user-orientated scientific information infrastructure instituti­ on that is committed to modern and innovative requirements of information dissemination. Mission

10 255 employees from 14 count funding €2,064,625 in total e 12 ongoing externally funded tions with universities (natio 1,131 collaborations with non and service institutions 5,65 21,750,092 downloads of digi metadata records in EconBiz collection, 94 per cent of whi vidual digital documents on o long-term archived media ite media items

ZBW Highlights from 2025 11 tries €26,226,000 in core external funding d projects 3,144 collabora- onal & international) n-university research 54,167 virtual visitors ital full texts 13,075,037 z 23,597 journals held in the ich are digital 919,484 indi- our own servers 1,013,102 ems 30,078 retro-digitised ZBW 2025 in figures

12 ZBW Open Science Conference Around 100 participants on site and 118 online participants from 27 coun­ tries accepted the invitation from ZBW and the Leibniz Strategy Forum Open Science to attend the International Open Science Conference in Hamburg on 8 and 9 October. The conference explored how Open Science can help make AI systems more transparent, traceable and thus more trustworthy. Researchers, infrastructure providers and policy-makers exchanged views on opportunities, challenges and concrete solutions to further strengthen open­ ness and traceability, including in the context of AI. EOSC Symposium 2025 The EOSC Symposium 2025, which took place for the first time with ZBW Director Klaus Tochtermann as Presi­ dent of the EOSC Association, brought around 500 participants from 36 coun­ tries to Brussels in early November with the aim of establishing a common European research data infrastruc­ ture. Speakers such as Marc Lemaître, Director-General for Research and Innovation at the European Commis­ sion, and Robbert Dijkgraaf, Pres­ ident of the International Council for Science, emphasised the need for global cooperation, digital sovereignty and Open Science. Practical examples demonstrated how researchers can al­ ready utilise interoperable data, artifi­ cial intelligence and scientific services via the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC). A highlight was the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding by Klaus Tochtermann, marking the official establishment of the EOSC Federation. New EconBiz partner country: Colombia with CESA In July 2025, the EconBiz Partner Network welcomed CESA – Colegio de Estudios Superiores de Adminis­ tración as a new partner in Colombia. This means that the Americas are now represented by a further institu­ tion in the network, which now spans eight countries. The EconBiz Part­ ner Network supports international exchange in the economic and social sciences. The aim is to provide access to high-quality specialist information and to facilitate the exchange of in­ formation on current services for our communities. A complete overview of all partner countries is available on the EconBiz website. ZBW strengthens trustworthy AI ­research and use with high-quality metadata Anyone working with AI methods in research requires high-quality, well-structured data as a reliable foundation. The ZBW will therefore specifically expand its role as a central provider of economic metadata and was able to secure funding for this strategic project in 2025 under a special provi­ sion. In autumn 2025, the GWK ap­ proved funding for the project amount­ ing to 7.5 million euros for the period 2027 to 2030, thereby clearing the decisive hurdle in a highly competitive and science-led selection process. With its long-standing and multidisciplinary expertise in the AI-based creation and processing of metadata, as well as its role as the central information infra­ structure for economic science content in Germany, the ZBW will fundamen­ tally transform its metadata produc­ tion and maintenance processes using AI methods in future. Dorit Stenke, Minister for General and Vocational Education, Science, Research and Cul­ ture of the State of Schleswig-Holstein, emphasised: “With this project, the ZBW is demonstrating how digitalisa­ tion and artificial intelligence can be used responsibly in academia.”

13 ZBW Highlights from 2025 NEWS IN BRIEF ZBW supports the open access launch of the “Vierteljahreshefte zur Arbeits- und Wirtschaftsforschung” via OLEcon Since 2025, the ZBW has been sup­ porting the open access transforma­ tion of the newly founded journal “Vierteljahreshefte zur Arbeits- und Wirtschaftsforschung” (VAW). This was made possible by Open Library Eco­ nomics (OLEcon) and the OLEKonsort project, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. From 2025, the journal will be published under Diamond Open Access. There are no costs for authors or readers. The journal “Vierteljahreshefte zur Arbeits- und Wirtschaftsforschung” is a peer-re­ viewed journal focusing on labour and economic policy topics. It continues the editorial focus of the former “Viertel­ jahreshefte zur Wirtschaftsforschung” and has been published since 2024. More on the topic of open access trans­ formation on p. 20. ZBW once again awarded the “audit berufundfamilie” certificate

In 2025, the ZBW was once again award­ ed the ‘audit berufundfamilie’ certificate. Following a successful re-audit, beru­ fundfamilie Service GmbH confirmed the organisation’s exemplary measures to support the balance between work, family and personal life, as well as the further development of future objec­ tives. The reconciliation of professional demands with family and personal needs has been firmly embedded in the ZBW’s organisational culture for decades and is continuously being developed. Key elements of the family-friendly HR policy include, in particular, flexible working time models and opportunities for loca­ tion-independent work. Klaus Tochtermann took part in the Falling Walls Executive Table On 8 November 2025, ZBW Director Klaus Tochtermann was invited to the Falling Walls Executive Table. Under the title “Dat