Winds of Change Are Blowing Hard: German Libraries after the Unification

The German re-unification has had an enormous affect on all social, political and economic aspects of life. For libraries in the ex-GDR, today (almost) nothing remains the way it used to be. Shortly after the events of 1989 and 1990, changes took place so quickly, that descriptions of the development were continually out-dated. Now that things have slowed down, it is possible to give a report on what happened and on what the results have been for libraries. Although four years have passcd since the Wall caine down, it is still not easy to describe the Situation of German libraries: The situations of libraries in eastern and western Germany, both public and academic, differ to such a large extent, that they can hardly be compared. Whereas the libraries in the East have undergone a fundamental process of development since 1989 that is by no means completed at present, libraries in the West are only now beginning to feel the consequences of the unification and its economical pressures. Nevertheless an attempt will be made here to describe the major areas of change that libraries in East Germany are currently confronted with. Many Problems have been solved through the co-operation of librarians from both parts of the country. There are developments, however, which libraries in the West will not be able to ignore: they may not have to cope with completely new administrative structures, values and working methods, but they won't be able to avoid the necessity of working more efficiently with fewer resources.