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Law Libraries and Law Collections in the Federal Republic of Germany

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 February 2019

Karl Kreuzer jur.
Karl Kreuzer jur.*
Affiliation:
Juristisches Seminar University of Freiburg/Germany and Federal Constitutional Court/Karlsruhe
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Extract

Law libraries are the stepchildren of legal and general library literature. This observation made by Kurt Schwerin a decade ago is still valid in the Federal Republic of Germany. No comprehensive publications exist to describe the history, current status or the prospective tasks of our law libraries. The few articles published on the topic describe only one library or one group of libraries. The reports published by juridical institutes often contain useful information on the respective libraries. Another source of information on law libraries may be found in the guides published by several law libraries to facilitate the use of their holdings.

Type
Research Article
Information
International Journal of Law Libraries , Volume 1 , Issue 2 , July 1973 , pp. 65 - 76
Copyright
Copyright © International Association of Law Libraries 1973 

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References

1 “Law Libraries and Foreign Law Collections in the USA”, International and Comparative Law Quarterly 11 (1962) 537 ff. (538).Google Scholar

2 Cf., for example, the contributions by H.-P. des Coudres, former director of the Max-Planck-Institute of Foreign Private and Private International Law, Hamburg, and J. Mackert, director of the Library of the German Federal Constitutional Court. Des Coudres (e.g.): “Die Bibliothek des Max-Planck-Institutes für ausländisches und internationales Privatrecht in Hamburg. Ihr Werden und ihre Stellung innerhalb verwandter Sammlungen”, in: Libris et litteris. Festschrift für Herman Tiemann zum 60. Geburtstag am 9. 1. 1959. Hamburg 1959, p. 50–60 (with further references) and: “The Juridical Institutes of the Max-Planck-Society for the Promotion of Learning and their Libraries, in: International Association of Law Libraries, Bulletin No. 17 (1966) p. 6–9. Mackert (e.g.): “Die Bibliothek des Bundesverfassungsgerichts. Stand 1970”, in: Das Bundesverfassungsgericht 1951/1971. Karlsruhe 1971, p. 7–14. Chr. Determann: “Das Juristische Seminar”, in: Festschrift der Universität zur Eröffnung des zweiten Kollegiengebäudes. Freiburg 1961, p. 33–44.Google Scholar

3 Cf., for example, Jescheck, H.-H., director of the (since 1966 Max-Planck-) Institute for Foreign and International Criminal Law: “Das Institut für ausländisches und internationales Strafrecht in Freiburg i. Br. 1938/1963”. Berlin 1963, and also the “Tätigkeitsberichte” of the Institute of International Law at the University of Kiel.Google Scholar

4 E.g., Dahlmanns, G., “Das Juristische Seminar der Universität Marburg” and H. Kadel, “Der Beitrag der Universitätsbibliothek zur juristischen Literaturversorgung”, both in: “Vom Umgang mit juristischer Literatur”, edited by Hans Georg Leser, Marburg 1971, p. 17–26 resp. 26–30. K. Kreuzer, “Das Turistische Seminar der Universität Freiburg i. Br.”, in: “Hinweise für Seminarbenutzung und Übungsarbeiten”, 3. Auflage. Freiburg 1966, p. 18–32. A more general introduction is given by W. Koschorreck: “Der Rechtsstudent und seine Universitätsbibliothek”. Düsseldorf-Wittlaer 1964, 30 p. (Studium und Praxis, Sonderheft).Google Scholar

5 See below N. 24.Google Scholar

6 We shall follow here the subdivision of the European Law Libraries Guide (E.L.L.G.).Google Scholar

7 See the “Verzeichnis der Parlaments- und Behördenbibliotheken in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland einschlie$Szlich Westberlin”. 2. Aufl. 1972 (Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Parlaments- und Behördenbibliotheken. Arbeitshefte, Nr. 25, November 1972).Google Scholar

8 “Deutsche Bibliographie. Verzeichnis amtlicher Druckschriften”. As to the depository privileges for government publications see the appropriate entry in the “Jahrbuch der Deutschen Bibliotheken”, hrsg. (edited) by the “Verein Deutscher Bibliothekare”.Google Scholar

9 For depository privileges see E.L.L.G. No. D 6.Google Scholar

10 “Gesamtverzeichnis ausländischer Zeitschriften und Serien (GAZS)”.Google Scholar

11 For details see E.L.L.G. No. D 28.Google Scholar

12 Cf., E.L.L.G. No. D 22.Google Scholar

13 Cf., E.L.L.G. No. D 20, 21, 23–27. The same is true of various federal administrative offices or research institutions: cf. E.L.L.G. No. D 2–4, 136, 165, 176 resp. D 1, 106.Google Scholar

14 See, for example, E.L.L.G. No. D 5, 104, 177. As an example of a very specialized state office with legal materials see E.L.L.G. No. D 29, 43 (mining offices).Google Scholar

15 “Rechtsanwalt”. In Germany there is no division of the profession comparable to the English distinction between “Barristers” and “Solicitors”.Google Scholar

16 Actually the number of courts in the Federal Republic of Germany total more than 1100 (permanent, “full-time”) courts. All these courts have university-trained judges. However, there are strong political trends to reduce the number of (lower) courts.Google Scholar

17 E.g., ordinary courts (private and criminal matters); labor courts; administrative courts; social courts; financial (tax) courts; constitutional courts. These categories are the most important ones.Google Scholar

18 Cf., E.L.L.G. No. D 72 (60.000 volumes), founded 1879.Google Scholar

19 Cf., E.L.L.G. No. D 42 (120.000 volumes), founded 1711.Google Scholar

20 Cf., E.L.L.G. No. D 8 (more than 120.000 volumes), founded about the beginning of the 18th century. In 1890 a four-volume-work was published on the history of this court: “Holtze, Geschichte des Kammergerichts in Branden-burg-Preu$Szen”.Google Scholar

21 “Katalog der Bibliothek des Oberlandesgerichts in Celle. Bearbeitet von W. Schubert. Celle 1926 (covering the books published between 1700 and 1925)”.Google Scholar

“Katalog der Bibliothek des Königlichen Kammergerichts in Berlin. Neue Bearbeitung nach dem Stand vom 1. 2. 1913. 2 vols. Berlin 1913”.Google Scholar

The bi-lingual (English/German) “Bibliography of German Law” (Karlsruhe 1964) covers only the period beginning with 1920 until December 31, 1963 (supplement January 1st, 1964/December 31, 1968. Karlsruhe 1969).Google Scholar

22 Cf., E.L.L.G. No. D 9 resp. 151.Google Scholar

23 Cf., E.L.L.G. No. D 98 resp. 97.Google Scholar

24 Editors: Kirchner, H., Mackert, J., Schneider, F. (Beck-Verlag, München). Monthly (classified, author index) covering (mainly German) monographs and articles of (more than 675) periodicals and of relevant essays; annual subject and author indexes. A cumulative index volume covering the years 1965–1970 is in preparation (author and subject indexes).Google Scholar

25 Cf., E.L.L.G. No. D 7.Google Scholar

26 Cf., E.L.L.G. No. D 99 resp. 100.Google Scholar

27 Cf., E.L.L.G. No. D 137.Google Scholar

28 Cf., E.L.L.G. No. D 31.Google Scholar

29 Cf., E.L.L.G. No. D 93.Google Scholar

30 Cf., E.L.L.G. No. D 57, 66, 174.Google Scholar

31 Cf., E.L.L.G. No. D 164 resp. 50.Google Scholar

32 Cf., E.L.L.G. No. D 44, 101, 129.Google Scholar

33 Gie$Szen (1963; cf. E.L.L.G. No. D 64); Bochum (1965: “Zentrales Juristisches Seminar”; cf. E.L.L.G. No. D 19) and Mainz (1946: “Seminar für Rechts- und Wirtschaftswissenschaft”; cf. E.L.L.G. No. D 127).Google Scholar

34 Cf., E.L.L.G. No. D 167 resp. 178.Google Scholar

35 Cf., E.L.L.G. No. D 12.Google Scholar

36 However, at least two exceptions are to be registered: Kiel and Heidelberg. The reason for the excellent collections of these libraries even for the earlier decades of the Century may be found in the personal interest of Professor Walter Jellinek, successively director of these libraries.Google Scholar

37 During my work on the German part of the E.L.L.G. I obtained information on the approximate foundationyear of 96 institute libraries. Five of these libraries have been founded before 1918.Google Scholar

38 See below N. 50.Google Scholar

39 All together the other 17 countries listed in the E.L.L.G. have less than half the German number of institute libraries. The only country with a relatively large number of this type of libraries seems to be Greece.Google Scholar

40 Cf., for example, Berlin (E.L.L.G. No. D 12) or Würzburg (E.L.L.G. No. D 178). In Freiburg recently the library of the Institute of Labor Law (E.L.L.G. No D 58) has merged with the “Juristisches Seminar” (E.L.L.G. No. D 57).Google Scholar

41 Our figures once more are: 1961: c. 45.000 vols.; 260 seats; 1972: c. 100.000 vols., 714 scats.Google Scholar

42 This seems to have happened in Munich and Cologne.Google Scholar

43 The university was founded in 1919, i.e., in the “institute-library-age”.Google Scholar

44 E. g., Augsburg, Bielefeld, Bremen, Konstanz Regensburg. The law collections of these universities have not been included in the E.L.L.G. because in 1967/63 the period in which the list of German libraries was compiled they were not yet founded or had not yet reached a status allowing exhaustive and overall research work. Bearing in mind that the E.L.L.G. was intended not only for national but international use, it was feared that it would eventually mislead foreign people entering such new libraries. On the other hand, nobody of the E.L.L.G.-team guessed that the preparation of the Guide for publication would take such a long time. Now most of the above-mentioned libraries already fulfill the criteria to be entered into the E.L.L.G. or will do so in the near future. The same will be true of the law library of the university of Mannheim. In this context a personal remark may be permitted: The part of the introduction of the E.L.L.G. saying that the original information was submitted to the contributing libraries for checking and revision towards the end of 1969 is not valid for Germany. None of the libraries that checked has received the original information for revision.Google Scholar

45 E.g., the University of Bielefeld.Google Scholar

46 E.g., Mainz (E.L.L.G. No. D 126, 127).Google Scholar

47 E.g., Hamburg (E.L.L.G. No. D 75 et seq.) (16 institute libraries listed in the E.L.L.G.).Google Scholar

48 This model exists e.g. in Berlin, Bonn, Frankfurt, Freiburg, Göttingen, Kiel, Köln, Marburg, München, Münster, Saarbrücken and Tübingen.Google Scholar

48a See Arbeitsgruppe Bibliotheksplan Baden-Württemberg. Gesamtplan für das wissenschaftliche Bibliothekswesen. I. Empfehlungen, 1. Universitäten. 1973. Cf. also Haenisck and Köttelwesch. Vom Strukturwandel deutscher Hochschulbibliotheken. Frankfurt 1973 (Zeitschrift für Bibliothekswesen und Bibliographie, Sonderheft 14).Google Scholar

49 Cf., the articles by H.-P. des Coudres, ibid (N. 2).Google Scholar

50 Cf., E.L.L.G. No. D 91, 74. A large part of the holdings of the Heidelberg-Institute, especially the section of public international law, was destroyed during the last war.Google Scholar

51 Cf., E.L.L.G. No. D 48.Google Scholar

52 Cf., E.L.L.G. No. D 55.Google Scholar

53 Cf., E.L.L.G. No. D 149.Google Scholar

54 Zeitschriftenverzeichnis der juristischen Max-Planck-Institute [ZVJM]. München 1969 (?).Google Scholar

55 Cf., E.L.L.G. No. D 10, 18, 73.Google Scholar

56 Cf., however, E.L.L.G. No. D 138.Google Scholar

57 “Arbeitsgemeinschaft für juristisches Bibliotheks- und Dokumentationswesen”. Cf. article by R. Lansky (supra p. 61).Google Scholar