Engelbert Plassmann Books

Libraries and the Information Society in Germany presents, for the first time, the contemporary German library system not from a library insider’s view, but rather from a comprehensively societal perspective. The roles and functions of libraries are analyzed and assessed from this vantage point. The authors – both researchers and practitioners – identify historical developments, describe current trends taking into account sociostructural contexts, and outline options for action. The changes that libraries and library science can embrace and have already embraced in part include, in addition to functional changes and systematic networking, possibly approaching other segments of the information sector or even merging with them. This edition represents a thorough update to the most recent German edition. Several chapters expanded in parts in order to address developments such as Library 2.0, the Semantic Web, Linked Open Data, or Electronic Resource Management.

The introduction of a single European currency marks a significant instance of internationalizing monetary policy. This book explores whether a similar internationalization can be found in the econometric foundations of monetary policy. It employs a data-driven approach to econometric modeling and a generalized method for cross-sectional aggregation. The empirical findings reveal a data-consistent structural money demand function identified within a dynamic macroeconomic system for Europe. The book originated from a research project within the former Sonderforschungsbereich SFB 178 "Internationalization of the Economy" at the University of Konstanz. Completing this work involves expressing gratitude to various individuals and institutions. Special thanks are due to my academic supervisor, Professor Dr. Nikolaus Laufer, for his inspiration and thorough review of the results, and to Professor Dr. Winfried Pohlmeier, whose insights provided valuable confidence bounds for an earlier draft. Their contributions significantly shaped the book. I also acknowledge the University of Konstanz, particularly its Faculty of Economics and Statistics, for fostering an excellent research environment, and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft in Bonn for their generous funding of the former SFB. Finally, I appreciate the understanding of Dresdner Bank AG Frankfurt, Risk Methodology Trading, during the manuscript preparation.