GMS Medizin – Bibliothek – Information (Jan 2008)
Opfer des NS-Bücherraubes – 10 Fälle aus medizinischen Bibliotheken in Wien: Provenienzforschungsprojekt an der Universitätsbibliothek der Medizinischen Universität Wien / Victims of book expropriation during nazi regime – 10 examples from medical libraries in Vienna: provenance research project at the university library at the Medical University Vienna
Abstract
Since 2007 the university library at the Medical University Vienna runs a provenance research project. Books, stolen between 1938 and 1945, were acquired by at that time discrete libraries at institutions and clinics of the former medical faculty at Vienna University. A systematic survey of the now centralised book collection should bring to light these misgotten book acquisitions. Aim of the project is to document such cases and to restitute books to their lawful owners or their legal successors. Until Novemver 2008 about 80,000 volumes were scrutinised directly at the shelves by so-called autopsy. So far about 200 definitely stolen books and approximately 1800 suspicious books were dedected. This paper describes the initial position, method and hitherto existing results of the provenance research project. Ten cases of such book theft, recorded in the now centralised collection of the university library of the Medical University Vienna (former medical faculty), should depict victims of book expropiation during nazi regime. These cases include second-hand bookshops (Alois Fantl, Hans Peter Kraus), an university professor from the former medical faculty at Vienna University (Markus Hajek), general practitioners not associated with the former medical faculty (Adolf Kronfeld, Richard Löwi), private persons (Lily Fuchs, Raoul Fernand Jellinek-Mercedes) and books from public and private libraries (Akademischer Verein jüdischer Mediziner, Bibliothek Sassenbach, Ortskrankenkasse Dresden).
