Portals to the past and to the future

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The digital age has prompted a reevaluation of libraries' future roles as either educational and cultural institutions or service centers. With diverse media collections, technological infrastructure, and expertise in information management, libraries are poised to navigate this balancing act. This revised English edition of "Portals to the Past and to the Future" by Jürgen Seefeldt and Ludger Syré provides a comprehensive report on contemporary German librarianship. Richly illustrated, it highlights the remarkable outcomes of nationwide cooperation while detailing the history and various types of German libraries. Readers will gain insights into the cultural and educational policies shaping the German library system and the organization of professional training in librarianship. Translated into multiple languages, this work has become a key reference on libraries in Germany, offering trainee librarians and the general public a clear understanding of how libraries collaborated after World War II to establish a flexible and effective decentralized network, adept at addressing the challenges of the 21st century.