The North Rhine-Westphalian Library Service Centre (Hochschulbibliothekszentrum NRW, hbz) is a central service and development institution for the academic libraries in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate. In this role, the hbz supports and initiates the national restructuring of information services which has become necessary due to the rapid technological changes seen in recent years. Central services of the hbz include network services, the Digitale Bibliothek (DigiBib), interlibrary loans, digital content, portal technology and library statistics. Further key areas of the hbz include Open Access, Linked Open Data, digitisation and long-term preservation. The hbz falls within the remit of the Ministry of Culture and Science of the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia. Based on its years of experience and competence it cooperates with a wide range of external partners for the success-oriented implementation of projects together with its clients.
