Die Berliner Stadtbibliothek: Tradition und Perspektive

English summary translated by Martha Baker Berlin was a divided City until 1989. On both sides of the Wall there were large public libraries with scholarly collections. In the West, the American Memorial Library and in the East -the Capital of the former German Democratic Republic -the Berlin Municipal Library. Founded at the beginning of this Century, the latter today holds over 1.3 million Items. Christa Bunke Sketches the eventful history of this library, describes its multifarious tasks, divisions and valuable special collections. With the reunification of Germany and Berlin, the tasks of both libraries must now be redefined: the Senate of Berlin has already decided to merge the American Memorial Library and the Berlin Municipal Library.