Two faces of German librarians in Poland during the 1939–1945 occupation Cover Image

Dwa oblicza niemieckich bibliotekarzy w Polsce podczas okupacji 1939–1945
Two faces of German librarians in Poland during the 1939–1945 occupation

Author(s): Andrzej Mężyński
Subject(s): History, Geography, Regional studies, Library and Information Science
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: German occupation in Poland 1939–1945; scientific libraries in Poland; Central Library Board (Poland – 1940–1945); German librarians

Summary/Abstract: In 1940, on the initiative of the authorities of the General Government, the scientific libraries in the Warsaw. Krakow, Lublin and Lviv into a network of state libraries. This network was managed by the Central Library Board in Krakow under the direction of Gustav Abba and the supervision of the authorities in Berlin. To General Government, Berlin delegated a dozen German librarians who took up successive managerial positions in these libraries. The German library managers, although loyal functionaries of the Third Reich, undoubtedly protected the library collections totaling some 6 million volumes from dispersal, as well as preserving some 300 jobs for Polish librarians.

  • Issue Year: 16/2022
  • Issue No: 3
  • Page Range: 393-406
  • Page Count: 13
  • Language: Polish