By MARGRIT B. KREWSON
An important collection of microfiche from Germany is coming to the Library in several shipments.
When completed, this microfiche, valued at $20,000, will comprise a complete, full-text collection of German literature from the Middle Ages through the 19th century.
In the fall of 1990 the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany offered to the Library of Congress, as a gift, a forthcoming set of microfiche entitled Bibliothek der Deutschen Literatur to be published by K.G. Saur Publishers in Munich with the support of the Kulturstiftung der Deutschen L"nder (Cultural Foundation of the German States).
The first shipment of nearly 2,000 microfiche arrived in April 1991. More than 4,000 microfiche were delivered in June 1993, and more than 5,000 more in April 1994. The most recent shipment of nearly 3,000 microfiche has just arrived.
Included with this latest shipment was a reference work entitled Bibliographie und Register: Mikrofiche-Gesamtausgabe nach Angaben des Taschengoedeke, an index of the microfiche thus far produced. Information included in the bibliography is indexed by author's name, title of publication, era of publication (from the Middle Ages [before 1450] to the Age of Realism [1850-1900]) and geographic region of publication (by German state, or Land).
This bibliography will greatly ease use by scholars and researchers of this remarkable collection, which is available in the Microform Reading Room.
The Library of Congress is the only American library selected for this gift. Copies were also donated to the national libraries of France, Japan and Russia.
Margrit Krewson is the German/Dutch area specialist in the European Division.