Karl Geiger (librarian)

Karl Geiger (librarian) (1891)

Karl Wilhelm Geiger (born March 13, 1855 in Esslingen , † June 29, 1924 in Tübingen ) was a German Protestant theologian and librarian . From 1895 to 1920 he was head of the University Library of Tübingen .

Live and act

Karl Wilhelm Geiger was born as the son of a master craftsman in the machine factory in Esslingen Karl Heinrich Geiger (1827–1901) and his wife Pauline Luise born. Findeisen (1835–1911) was born. After attending school in Esslingen and Blaubeuren (1861–1873), he was accepted into the Evangelical Monastery of Tübingen in 1873 and studied Protestant theology at the University of Tübingen . In 1877 he passed the first theological service examination. From 1878 to 1879 he was vicar in Gschwend (Oberamt Gaildorf ) and from 1879 to 1881 repetition at the Protestant theological seminary in Urach. The doctorate to Dr. phil. took place in 1882 at the University of Tübingen with a dissertation, Die Gretchentragödie in Goethe's Faust . In 1881 he joined the Tübingen University Library as the third librarian, in 1883 he became second and in 1888 first librarian. From 1895 he was head of the Tübingen University Library (senior librarian, library director from 1919).

From 1895 to 1920, Karl Geiger was the first full-time librarian to head the Tübingen university library. During his tenure, the new building was planned and the library moved to the new library building designed by the architect Paul Bonatz on Wilhelmstrasse in Tübingen, which was inaugurated in November 1912. During his tenure, the library expanded both in terms of staff and its book inventory through expansion of the exchange relationships and the purchase of extensive private libraries, so that the number of volumes available in 1920 almost doubled compared to 1895.

Geiger was involved in the Association of German Librarians founded in 1900 , as well as in the Evangelical Union and the Society of Friends of Wilhelm Raabe .

Geiger was born in 1881 with Sophie. Kratz (1862–1953) married. The marriage had six children. He died on June 29, 1924 in Tübingen. His grave is in the Tübingen city cemetery .

literature

• Ludger Syré: The University Library of Tübingen on the way into the 20th century. The term of office of Karl Geiger (1895–1920) (= Contubernium. Volume 33). Mohr (Siebeck), Tübingen 1986, ISBN 3-16-445131-8 .
• Ralf Werner Wildermuth: The Bonatz building of the University Library Tübingen (= Contubernium. Volume 30). Mohr (Siebeck), Tübingen 1985, ISBN 3-16-444977-1 .
• Michael Wischnath: violinist, Karl Wilhelm . In: Württembergische biographies. Volume 2, Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 2011, ISBN 978-3-17-021530-6 , p. 71 f.
• Gabriele Zeller u. a. (Red.): 100 - 50 - 10. Texts and pictures for the anniversary of the university library. Gulde, Tübingen 2012.