AP - Archives, Libraries, Museums- 2002

2002

AP -- Archives, Libraries, Museums

Vademekum DDR-Forschung: ein Leitfaden zu Archiven, Forschungsinstituten, Bibliotheken, Einrichtungen der politischen Bildung, Vereinen, Museen und Gedenkstätten; eine Publikation der Stiftung zur Aufarbeitung der SED-Diktatur [Guide to GDR Studies: Archives, Research Centers, Libraries, Centers for Political Education, Associations, Museums, and Memorial Sites; A Publication of the Foundation to Process the Legacy of the SED Regime]. Ed. Ulrich Mählert. 3d ed. Berlin: Links, 2002. 315 p. 21 cm. (Forschungen zur DDR-Gesellschaft). Earlier eds. published by Verlag Leske + Budrich, Opladen. ISBN 3-86153-277-8: EUR 19.90 [02-2-232]

The first edition was published in 1997 (see RREA 4:67), and the second in 1999, followed now by this revised and augmented third edition that appears under the aegis of a scholarly foundation known for its publications on the German Democratic Republic. The information contained in this volume is again based on questionnaires. About 550 institutions are listed in the following chapters: “Archives,” “Libraries,” “Research Centers,” “Contemporary History Associations,” “Critical Reappraisal Initiatives and Victims’ Groups,” “Museums and Memorial Sites,” “Periodicals,” “Other Institutions.” Entries consist of address information and names of directors, as well as a brief description of the main emphasis of an institution. Some of the more important ones are described in greater detail in a separate chapter entitled “Self Portraits.” A subject index, suggested in the review of the first edition, is still lacking. The guide is searchable online at http://www.stiftung-aufarbeitung.de. [sh/rs]

Sigelverzeichnis für die Bibliotheken der Bundesrepublik Deutschland [Location Codes for Libraries in the Federal Republic of Germany]. Ed. Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin–Preußischer Kulturbesitz. 12th ed. München: Saur, 2001. 419 p. 29 cm. ISSN 0940-6921; ISBN 3-598-23467-8: EUR 68.00 [02-1-022]

This latest index of library codes covers 2,660 German libraries (last update June 15, 2001). Regional versions, as well as a supplement to the print version, can be accessed free of charge at http://www.sigel.spk-berlin.de. An electronic version searchable only by known code is also available there. A keyword option for library names and places is planned for a future release of the software. The structure of the print version follows that of previous editions: a thorough introduction to using the index, a list of place abbreviations, two main sections listing the symbols and the libraries organized by geographic location from A to Z, followed by a short section on virtual libraries. Branch libraries at universities are only partially represented; libraries subsumed by others are indicated. Unfortunately, unlike the online version, the print edition fails to indicate a library’s participation in ZDB (Zeitschriftendatenbank = Periodicals Database) or regional cooperative catalogs such as GBV (Gemeinsamer Bibliotheksverbund). As a working tool for Interlibrary Loan and Reference, which is outdated after less than two years, a paperback edition at a significantly lower price would have been preferable. [hoh/hsb]

Spezialbibliotheken in Deutschland [Special Libraries in Germany]. Ed. Petra Hauke. Bad Honnef: Bock und Herchen: 1996– . [02-1-023]

Vol. 5. Philosophie, Psychologie, Pädagogik, Religion: Verzeichnis der Bibliotheken in Stätten der Forschung und Lehre, in Museen und Archiven, in der Verwaltung sowie in kirchlichen Institutionen [Philosophy, Psychology, Pedagogy, Religion: Index of Libraries in Research and Teaching Institutions, Museums, Archives, Government, and Church Organizations]. Ed. Petra Hauke. 2002. xxi, 251 p. 25 cm. ISBN 3-88347-218-2: EUR 42.80

The series started in 1996 (see also RREA 2:56, RREA 4:66, and RREA 5:50). This latest volume lists 1,189 special libraries in the above-mentioned subjects, regardless of size. The information is based on questionnaires returned by members of various special library associations (the questionnaire is included on p. 184). Entries vary widely according to the size of the institution: address, administrators’ names, type of library, year of founding, staff and collection size, memberships, catalogs and library management system, participation in cooperative catalogs, special and subject collections, publications, etc. Descriptions of library organizations and some services are also included, as is a bibliography of both online and print library directories, organized by subject. As in previous editions, indexes are offered to the libraries by place name (marking the ones actively participating in interlibrary loan), persons named, library systems, membership organizations, and keywords. Like the other volumes in the series, this one primarily serves to facilitate contacts between the listed libraries. [sh/hsb]

Catalogo delle biblioteche d’Italia [Directory of Italian Libraries]. Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali; Ufficio Centrale per i Beni Librari, le Istituzioni Culturali e l’Editoria; Istituto Centrale per il Catalogo Unico delle Biblioteche Italiane e per le Informazioni Bibliographiche; together with regional agencies. Roma: ICCU; Milano: Editrice Bibliografica. ISBN 88-7107-030-5 (set)
Friuli-Venezia [Friuli-Venice]. 1999. x, 342 p. 24 cm. ISBN 88-7107-096-8: LIT 50,000 [02-1-024]
Calabria. 2001. x, 320 p. 24 cm. ISBN 88-7107-106-9: LIT 50,000 [02-1-025]
Puglia. 2000. x, 528 p. 24 cm. ISBN 88-7107-101-8: LIT 50,000 [02-1-026]

This census of Italian research and public libraries, excluding school and parish libraries, began in 1993 (see RREA 5:54–57). Lately progress has slowed. Three new volumes bring the total coverage to 17 of 20 regions. Still missing are Lombardy with Milan, Emilia-Romagna with Bologna, and Campania with Naples. As can be expected, the number of libraries varies significantly from region to region, especially with regard to the percentage of academic versus public libraries. The structure of the individual entries remains the same: arranged by province and then alphabetically by name, each includes address; sponsor; year of foundation; buildings of note; type of library; hours; services; holdings, including special collections; catalogs; cooperative agreements; state of automation; and a detailed list of publications about the library, if available. Indexes cover library names, places, special collections, and subject specializations. It was hoped that the missing regions would be published during 2002, to allow the ambitious enterprise to be completed within a decade. [sh/hsb]

Bibliographie der Festschriften und Festschriftenbeiträge zum Buch- und Bibliothekswesen: Deutschland, Österreich, Schweiz; 1976–2000 [A Bibliography of Festschriften and Contributions to Them Concerning Books and Libraries: Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, 1976–2000]. Rudolf Jung. Köln: Greven, 2002. 304 p. 21 cm. (Kölner Arbeiten zum Bibliotheks- und Dokumentationswesen, 27). ISBN 3-7743-0581-1: EUR 21.90 [02-1-027]

Librarians (and German ones above all), more than other professionals, have kept the art of the Festschrift alive the longest. This claim can be proved by consulting J. Periam Danton’s Index to Festschriften in Librarianship, p. xvii–xix (New York, 1970), where of the titles published between 1845 and 1975, Germany takes first place with 136, far ahead of the United States, in second place with only 39.

Danton’s international bibliography has not found a successor, but his Cologne colleague Rudolf Jung here gives us an exemplary bibliography of Festschriften from German-speaking lands in the succeeding quarter-century: 177 in all—more than in the preceding 130 years put together. Quite a record! In all, 2,488 contributions are analyzed into 30 categories and many sub-categories. Jung follows Danton in including from Festschriften devoted to broader themes only those contributions that concern books and libraries. Jung lists authors according to their latest forms of entry in the VDB-Jahrbuch, and, since each contribution appears in only one category, provides useful indexes under headings for people, corporate bodies, and subjects. Sampling these excellent indexes shows that the author has read more than the titles of the articles treated.

Unfortunately, the physical production of the book is lamentable: it can only be opened by main force, and a glued binding allows the pages to detach readily.

Because of the arbitrary cut-off date (2000, to make an even quarter-century), many of the most readily remembered Festschriften of the last few years are unaccounted for. It would be a fine thing if some younger colleague chose to continue Jung’s work. Who knows? He might even begin with a Festschrift dedicated to the bibliographer whose retirement gift to the profession is the work under review: Jung turned 65 in October 2002. [sh/dss]

Die Bibliothek der Deutschen Sozialisten Cleveland/Ohio: kommentierter Katalog des historischen Buchbestandes [The Library of the German Socialists in Cleveland, Ohio: Annotated Catalog of the Historic Book Collection]. Ed. Christopher Frey. Wien: Antiquariat Inlibris, 2001. 328 p. ill. 25 cm. (Catalog-Antiquariat Inlibris, 10). ISBN 3-9500813-6-4: EUR 48.00 (Antiquariat Inlibris, Rathausstraße 19/1/27, A-1010 Wien, fax [43 1] 409 61 90 9, e-mail: office@inlibris.at) [02-1-028]

This catalog documents the contents of a 600-volume library of German socialists that existed between 1850 and 1925 in Cleveland, Ohio. The library contained not only classic socialist texts but also numerous publications of German-speaking socialists in the United States that until now have remained unknown. Even the circulation slips for these books have been preserved, representing a valuable indication of the reception of the works. The catalog retains the original classification scheme of the library and contains essays concerning the discovery of the library and its historical significance. There are also reprints of 14 essays from Echo, a publication of the Cleveland socialists that is now extremely rare. The accuracy and detail of the bibliographical entries are impressive. The catalog will be a valued reference work in specialized libraries. [ab/ldl]

Museen in Schwaben: ein Führer zu 190 Sammlungen, Schlössern und Gedenkstätten zwischen Bodensee und Ries [Museums in Swabia: A Guide to 190 Collections, Castles, and Memorial Places]. Ed. Hans Frei. 3d rev. and expanded ed. Lindenberg: Fink, 2001. 240 p. ill. maps, 21 cm. ISBN 3-933784-81-6: EUR 10.00 [02-1-029]

This third edition of a guide to museums in the Swabian region of southwest Germany contains substantially more material than the previous editions. For each museum there is a photograph and a detailed entry describing the museum’s location, hours of service, significance, and proximity to major tourist attractions. The index is somewhat weak, because it relies on keywords from the titles of the museums rather than a proper subject classification system. The accompanying maps do not contain street names. [sh/ldl]

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