History of the Library

When Fritz Valjavec joined the Institute in 1935, the foundations for a specialist academic library were laid. He regarded this as a prerequisite for the research activities of the Institute. Budgetary considerations meant that, from the beginning, the exchange with other libraries had priority over purchases. When the Institute had to leave Munich in 1944 because of the allied bombings, the library consisted of just 4 000 bibliographical items, which at that time where distributed among four different places. Only around 15% of the collection survived the War.

In the 1950s, these losses were, however, through purchases and gifts almost completely replaced. In this period, the estates of Carl Patsch (1956), Friedrich Wilhelm Stenner (1957, sold to Braşov in 2006), Franz von Scheiger (1962) and Fritz Valjavec (1965/66) were added to the collection. Following the period of reconstruction there was a phase of stagnation in the 1970s. However, the collection increased greatly in the two subsequent decades. As well as the great number of exchanges, purchases were increased particularly due to the sponsoring of the current affairs department by the Foreign Office and regular grants from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. The relocation of the current affairs research to Berlin in 2000/01 and the impending move of the Institute to Regensburg meant an end to the subsidies from third parties, however.

A new phase began for the library with its move to Regensburg in 2007, distinguished by the cooperation with the partner institutes in the Research Centre for East and South East Europe and with Regensburg University Library under the auspices of the Regensburg Library Assocation (Regensburger Bibliotheksverbund: RBV). The continuing numerous exchanges and an increased acquisitions budget is allowing once again the continued growth of the library. Endowments such as that of the estate of the Greek scholar Gerassimos Kaklamanis in 2008 (Collections) have added to it. Since 2007, the library has been particularly active in developing its role as a unique special library, no longer in the shadow of the Bavarian State Library as before within Munich.