University Collections in Germany: Investigations into Their Holdings and History

Almost all German universities have scientific collections and museums with different disciplinary orientations. Their roles are diverse: they provide a basis for research and teaching, and often serve to communicate science and research to a wider audience. Research on these collections could reveal much valuable, detailed information on the history of science and scholarship. Yet university collections have been subject to little research to date in Germany. There is neither a complete overview of their holdings nor a basic, multidisciplinary study of the history of university collections.

The project aims to document all German university collections where possible and to consolidate detailed data on their holdings and history as the foundation for specialist investigations on the history of science and collections.

The university collections and museums studied to date have been compiled in an information system and published online: http://www.universitaetssammlungen.de/

Time frame: since 2004 (project funding from 2004 to 2009)

Project Director: Dr. Cornelia Weber