University Collections in Germany: Research on their Holdings and History II

Nearly every German university possesses scientific collections and museums in various departments. Their functions are manifold: on the one hand, they establish a basis for research and education; on the other hand, they often serve as mediators of science to the general public. The exploration of these collections could reveal many valuable details regarding the history of science. However, university collections have not been considered an object of research in Germany to date and neither a complete survey of holdings, nor a fundamental interdisciplinary treatise on the history of university collections exists. The project intends to catalogue German universities' collections and to compile extensive data on the holdings and history of these collections, in order to form the basis of a specific investigation into the history of science and a historic analysis of collecting.