Research Catalog

Public libraries in Nazi Germany

Title: Public libraries in Nazi Germany / Margaret F. Stieg.
Author: Dalton, Margaret Stieg, 1942-
Publication: Tuscaloosa : University of Alabama Press, ©1992.

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Status	Format	Access	Call Number	Item Location
Request for On-site Use Request Scan How do I pick up this item and when will it be ready?	Text	Use in library	Z801.A1 S924 1991	Off-site

Details

Description

xvi, 347 pages : illustrations; 24 cm

Summary

In 1938 the Nazi party announced the opening of 30 new libraries in the Rhenish border district. It was their active policy to encourage the spread of libraries to rural areas and to institute and enforce public, local-government funding of book collections. That such a policy could co-exist with censorship and book-burning is a reflection of the Nazi concept of education and culture: That which could not be eradicated must be bent to serve the political aim of creating the "new German." The central theme of Public Libraries in Nazi Germany is the attempt of the National Socialist state to convert an essentially cultural institution to political purposes. It examines issues of major importance to all societies, such as the role of culture in a society and the responsibilities of a profession. Significant questions about Nazi Germany are examined from the point of view of the public library: Was national socialism an aberration from traditional German values or was it a logical development of those traditions? Did the Nazi state carry through a true revolution or did revolutionary rhetoric merely camouflage a power grab? What relationships existed between local governments and the central government? What role did the party play? The book also provides a detailed analysis of the administrative organization, policies, and programs of German public libraries between 1933 and 1945, treating the subject on its own terms. The Nazi period was dramatic and destructive, yet was a critical phase in the development of German public libraries. To serve the ends of national socialism, the new regime brought an institution adrift in a backwater into the mainstream. It ignored the past, erased traditions, and challenged professional values; public librarianship was redirected and transformed. At the same time, many positive achievements can be credited to this period. For the first time, the principle that public libraries were a public responsibility was established. Public Libraries in Nazi Germany is an important contribution both to librarianship and to history. It provides information on major historiographical issues in library history that have been studied previously only in an American context, such as the social functions of libraries and librarianship as a feminine profession. It offers a comparative perspective on two of the most crucial concerns and frequently debated topics of the profession--censorship and professional ethics. Recent events in Eastern Europe and elsewhere have reminded us of the tremendous value individuals place on intellectual freedom. Public Libraries in Nazi Germany can be read as a cautionary tale by librarians and library users, demonstrating what can happen if such freedoms are insufficiently appreciated and protected.

Subject

Genre/Form

History

Bibliography (note)

Includes bibliographical references (p. 307-334) and index.

Contents

1. Introduction -- 2. Nazi Idea of the Public Library -- 3. Politics, People, and the Takeover of the Profession -- 4. National Administrative Organization of Public Librarianship -- 5. Library Collections and Collection Policy -- 6. Provincial Beratungsstellen -- 7. Library Development Program -- 8. Library and Its Readers -- 9. Librarians and Their Jobs -- 10. Public Librarianship and the Catholic Church -- 11. Defending German Culture: Public Libraries on the Borders of the Reich and Across -- 12. War Years -- 13. Nazi Legacy.

ISBN

0817305564
9780817305567

LCCN

90046771

OCLC

ocm22422611
22422611
SCSB-9552027

Owning Institutions

Princeton University Library