The story
The Library was founded in 1734, three years before the university. Its first director was Johann Matthias Gesner, who remained in the position until his death in 1763. It soon was considered one of the leading research libraries in Germany, pioneering cataloging systems (then in large bound volumes). Christian Gottlob Heyne's directorship (1763–1812) laid the basis for the library's status. However, a half century of reduced financing then weakened the library's status. Only in 1866, with official Prussian sponsorship, did the library again begin to flourish. Both Heinrich Heine and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe used and commented on the library in their time.
In 1992, a new central library building located just outside the city center (Altstadt) was opened. The previous main building, now the Historical Building, houses manuscripts, rare books and some other special collections. Meanwhile, department-specific collections are still held in facilities at various academic departments.
From Wikipedia’s article on Göttingen State and University Library, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4