Jahrbuch für Buch- und Bibliotheksgeschichte

With the emergence of writing around 5,000 years ago, institutions dedicated to the care and preservation of written materials also developed. If we group the material forms of written media under the name "book" and the various forms of their transmission institutions under the name "library," we see a symbiosis that has persisted ever since, the cultural and historical significance of which cannot be overstated.

The Yearbook for Book and Library History aims to explore this symbiosis within its historical scope, to build a bridge between (library) practice and (cultural studies) media theory and history, and to foster dialogue among all those interested in questions of book and library history. The editors hope that this will rekindle an awareness of how much every preserved historical fact not only changes our view of history itself, but also how well library practice, in its manifold everyday contexts, would be advised not to forget its roots and the relevance of its tradition.