Paper Bridges: Conservation, Restoration, Cataloguing and Digitization of German-language Newspapers from Southeastern Europe in a One-Person-Library

The Institute for German Culture and History of Southeastern Europe at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (IKGS) collects and researches the history of ethnic Germans in Southeastern Europe, with a focus on Romania and Hungary. After World War II, Eastern European countries expelled most Germans from their territories. Many of those had inhabited these lands for centuries, developing a unique culture. Between 12 and 16,5 million ethnic Germans and German citizens were expelled westwards, many of whom resettled in Germany. The IKGS library and archive preserve their written cultural heritage like books, writings and personal estate, including materials from about three centuries. The library holds one of the biggest collections of German-language newspapers and periodicals from Southeastern Europe in Germany. It consists of rare original materials and microfilms and covers the period from 1750 to the present. The collection is used by researchers from all over the world, mainly from Germany, Romania and Hungary, but also from the U. S. and Australia. Because of the fact that the library runs as an OPL, the conservation, restoration, cataloguing and digitization of the newspapers and periodicals can only be achieved with the help of cooperation partners and volunteers, due to financial and staff reasons. This paper intends to present the project “Paper Bridges” as a best-practice example of how also small libraries can preserve and digitize their newspaper collections.