Focus on historical school libraries
School libraries with historical book collections have hardly been on the public radar so far – even though they hold cultural treasures of the highest order in many places. Their collections are not only impressive testimonies to the past, but also key sources for researching the history of education and knowledge. Nevertheless, the preservation of these libraries is more uncertain than ever, as schools lack the necessary funds, (specialist) staff and expertise.
On 18 and 19 September 2025, the Francke Foundations are inviting academics to an international conference. The focus will be on selected historical schoolbook collections from Germany, Hungary and Austria from the 18th and 19th centuries. The cooperation between the Francke Foundations in Halle, the Institute of Education at the Ruhr University Bochum and the Library for Educational History Research at the DIPF underlines the importance of this hitherto little-noticed research topic. The aim of the conference is to bring together representatives from libraries, schools and academia, to shed new light on the role of historical school libraries in the past and present, and to promote the establishment of a network dedicated to the preservation and research of these valuable collections.
The conference venue itself offers a unique setting for this: the Franckesche Stiftungen's Historical Kulissenbibliothek (Historical Backdrop Library) is one of the most important libraries of its time. Founded in 1698 by August Hermann Francke (1663–1727), the founder of the foundations, it grew so rapidly through donations, book exchanges and its own publications that within a few years it was already on a par with Germany's large university libraries. In 1728, it was given its own building – still the oldest surviving secular library building in Germany today.
The organisers invite you to a public evening lecture in the English Hall (House 26) on Thursday, 18 September 2025, at 7:30 p.m.: The books from the children's library of the Bürgerschule im Waisenhause zu Halle (Citizens' School in the Orphanage in Halle) from 1833 with Dr Sebastian Schmideler, Berlin.
