The Library of German Chemical Society: History, provenance, and current status

Abstract

The Library for Natural Science of the Russian Academy of Sciences embraces publications from the Library of German Chemical Society (Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker). The Library was established all at the same time as the Society, in 1867. The outstanding collection of chemical literature was being developed over decades. The Library was receiving books and journals from Russia owing to close ties between Russian, Soviet and German colleagues. By the beginning of the World War II, the collection comprised 300 periodical titles, along with monographs, reference books, dissertations and chemical patents. After the war, the library was displaced to the USSR and transferred to the special libraries of the Academy’s of Sciences institutions. In 1956, the monographs were returned to the Society in the Federal Republic of Germany. Today, they are deposited in Humboldt University in Berlin. The periodicals are stored in the RAS Library for Natural Sciences. The publications have played significant role in Soviet chemistry information support and are still relevant. The favorable storage environment is maintained.