The Exchange Association of the German Book Trade, Börsenverein honored  Elisabeth Niggemann with  the plaque “The Sponsor of the Book” in recognition of her exceptional commitment. Elisabeth Niggemann acted as an outstanding mediator between the actors and played a key role in shaping the digital transformation within the libraries. The award ceremony took place during her farewell as General Director of the German National Library (DNB).

“Elisabeth Niggemann has carefully, conscientiously shaped the change of the German National Library into the digital age and acted as an intermediary between authors, publishers, libraries and collective societies – the implementation of digitization of orphaned and out-of-print works is one many examples. Despite her future orientation, she never lost sight of the book as a cultural asset and the importance of its materiality and aesthetics, ”said Karin Schmidt-Friderichs, head of the Börsenverein.

Elisabeth Niggemann was appointed director general of the German National Library in 1999 after her time as director of the University and State Library in Düsseldorf. In 2009 she received the Julius Campe Prize for her services to books and libraries. In 2018 she was honored with the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres of the Republic of France. At the beginning of this year she also received the 1st Class Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.

With the plaque “The Sponsor of the Book” or “The Sponsor of the Book”, the Börsenverein honors personalities from public life who are particularly connected to the world of the book. Since 2009, Frank Schirrmacher, Norbert Lammert, Petra Roth, Richard von Weizsäcker, Bernd Neumann, Rachel Salamander, Roland Reuß and Volker Kauder have been awarded the honor.