Colonial contexts in Libraries in Germany and Austria

[in German] The (open access) Guideline, Koloniale Kontexte in Bibliotheken. Ein Leitfaden, is aimed at public and academic libraries in Germany and Austria. A contribution to reflective and responsible library practice. It advocates making colonial entanglements in collections visible, critically questioning existing routines, and further promoting professional exchange on how to deal with colonial contexts.

Holdings from colonial contexts can be found in many libraries. They include books, manuscripts, photographs, films, sound recordings, and archival materials that were created in connection with colonial rule, knowledge production, and cultural appropriation, or that document colonial perspectives and power relations.

This guide offers libraries a practice-oriented orientation for dealing with such holdings. It deals with questions of provenance research, collection presentation and digital provision, acquisition as well as cataloguing and metadata work.

Legal, ethical and organisational aspects are taken into account as well as the inclusion of different perspectives and the importance of international cooperation.

RM* thanks for the contribution to this item