Research and Inventories
The Leopoldina's archive and library provide access to around 360 years of the academy's history and offer an extensive special collection on the history of natural sciences and medicine.
Last edited: 05. February 2026
Inventory overview
Archive
The archive preserves the Leopoldina's heritage and documents its history and administrative activities. The core holdings include the matriculation and protocol books as well as CVs, lists of publications and portraits of members. Correspondence series and the extensive administrative records are also archived here. In addition to the core holdings, around 80 estates of important academics are also stored. The holdings are supplemented by photographs on the history of the academy and science and art objects.
Library
The library's collections focus on publications on the history of science, in particular the natural sciences and medicine, as well as writings about and from scientific societies and associations. The holdings include an extensive collection of old prints (some dating back to the Academy's founding period). Thanks to donations from members, intensively cultivated, far-reaching exchange relationships and targeted stockpiling, the library's collection of sources and literature extends to recent literature.
Further research options
External Verification Systems
The Leopoldina library also lists its holdings in supraregional systems:
The Journal Database (ZDB) is the national bibliographic reference system for printed and digital journals and journal holdings in Germany and beyond.
The Electronic Journals Library (EZB) and the Database Information System (DBIS) allow users to search for journals and databases available online and the institutions that hold the respective licenses. Freely available titles are also listed.
The holdings of the Leopoldina library acquired before 1992 can also be found via the scanned central catalogs of Saxony-Anhalt. The library is listed there with the symbols Ha2 or SA 1.4.