Niedersächsische Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Göttingen
After its foundation in 1734, the State and University Library in Göttingen (SUB Göttingen) quickly developed into an important research library of the Enlightenment era. Through purposeful funding, well-established international relationships and considerable expertise, it succeeded from the beginning in becoming a model instrument of research.
Today, the library not only serves as the central library for Georg August Universität and as the library of the Academy of Sciences at Göttingen, but also as the State Library for Lower Saxony. Sixteen special collection areas which are based on already existing strengths in the collection are administered with the support of the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft).
Göttingen State and University Library is one of the largest libraries in Germany, at present with 4,3 million volumes, 1,5 million microforms, 313,000 maps and plans, 12,000 current journal subscriptions, 14,000 manuscripts, about 3,100 incunabula and more than 390 scholarly and literary estates, as well as extensive digital holdings. The library co-operates with numerous partners in many different projects nationally and internationally.
The period from 1701 - 1800
In some respects, the 18th century, the Age of Enlightenment, was the period in which the roots for the development of our modern world were laid. In the period between 1700 and 1800 the belief gained acceptance that the world functions according to rationally perceptible laws and that man as a rational being can be educated to recognize and to shape his own world. If this led to an immense production of educational literature for members of all social classes, then it also brought along with it a flood of publications in the (natural) sciences which document the growth of knowledge during that time, gained through theoretical study and practical experiment.
The project of collecting 18th century literature pays particular attention to both of these phenomena of the Age of Enlightenment. In addition, gaps are closed in so-called »light fiction« and in the types of publications of the 18th century that often do not survive, such as broadsides, leaflets and occasional papers.
Cataloguing
All acquisitions of the Sammlung Deutscher Drucke 1701-1800 are catalogued and entered into the library's online catalogue, into the GVK Union Catalogue and the union catalogue of serials (Zeitschriftendatenbank). In this way, the acquisitions of the project and, indeed, information about the entire holdings of the library dating from the 18 th century, are not only available locally, but can also be accessed worldwide through the Internet. In addition, Göttingen holdings are entered in Heritage of the Printed Book Database (HPB) of the Consortium of European Research Libraries (CERL). Beyond that, all acquisitions are subject-indexed and therefore can be traced in the catalogue via subject searches.
Contact:
Dr. Christian Fieseler
Abteilung Spezialsammlungen und Bestandserhaltung
Papendiek 14
D - 37073 Göttingen
Phone: +49 551 39-25236 or -25674
Fax: +49 551 39-25674
