Managing the ever growing production of mathematical research literature requires specific tools. Besides the digital libraries, of particular importance are the reference databases zbMATH and MathSciNet. Focusing on the former one we describe the remarkable historical developments and major events related to predecessors of zbMATH illustrating the gradual evolution of this tool and putting its current state in context. We describe some important features and functions of zbMATH and present the practical experience and the workflow used by the Prague Editorial Unit which contributes to the creation and maintenance of zbMATH.