Corporate library

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A company library is the library maintained by a company , which is usually only used for internal company purposes, the procurement of the literature required for employees, and is not publicly accessible.

Company libraries are usually organized as a one-person library , i.e. only have one librarian .

From the works library to the specialist library

The formerly popular form of the work (s) library , which, in addition to the scientifically oriented specialist libraries, served the reading interests of the employees (and sometimes also performed the functions of a public library) is hardly represented anymore . In them, employees could borrow works of fiction and non-fiction in the form of a lending library . Even large companies hardly face such cultural tasks anymore. On April 1, 2005, for example, the traditional Bayer works library in Leverkusen (last with 13 employees) closed. The publicly accessible Kekulé library was opened on September 1, 1901 as the third works library in Germany; the scientific part is still available in the Bayer plant, but is only accessible within the company.

On August 9, 2005, the Zürcher Oberlander reported that more and more German companies were giving the fiction parts of their corporate libraries to public libraries . The community library of Blankenfelde-Mahlow, south of Berlin, received 13,500 books, videos and language courses from Degussa , some of which were given away to their users.

Historical

In 1899 , Friedrich Alfred Krupp founded the Krupp book hall as a works library.

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, maintains a works library that still exists today . It was given to employees and retirees in 1908 on the occasion of Emanuel Merck's 25th company anniversary "for entertainment and instruction" (currently over 3,100 readers).

A library-related diploma thesis on the works library system of the Ruhr coal mining industry was able to determine that works libraries could win 30 to 50 percent of the workforce as readers.

From 1936 to 1942 it published its own magazine, "Die Werkbücherei". Bulletin of the Reichsarbeitsgemeinschaft Deutscher Werkbüchereien in the Reichsschrifttumskammer.

Copyright

Copyright lawyers have repeatedly dealt with works libraries and corporate libraries when it came to the question of whether such libraries may also enjoy the privileges granted to publicly accessible facilities. The Federal Court was deciding "works library" in 1972 ( BGHZ 58, 270) believes works libraries were "indirectly acquiring interests of the company" because it should help to "promote industrial peace and the joy of working". At the same time, however, a clear difference to commercial rental libraries was seen and the will of the legislature recognized to exempt works libraries from copyright payments.

Cooperation and public relations

Section 8 of the German Library Association continues to operate under the name “Works libraries, patient libraries and prison libraries”, although no works library is kept as a member.

In Germany there is no separate working group for corporate libraries. Corporate librarians are usually networked through the Commission for One-Person Librarians at the Information Library Association.

Up until now, corporate libraries have been presented almost exclusively on the company's intranet . Large companies like Siemens AG even maintain their own virtual libraries there .

software

BIBIS and NOS are library management software products that are mainly used by corporate libraries. Librario is another corporate literature and library management solution that is offered online as a service .

literature

  • Kurt Busse: Manual of the works library. Verlag Mensch und Arbeit, Munich 1955.

Web links and evidence

Individual evidence

  1. https://www.leverkusen.com/guide/index.php?view=00250