German Language Humanities : Library Catalogs
A guide to research materials in the areas of Germanic languages and literature
UW and WorldCat Catalogs
Search for holdings in libraries across the U.S. and worldwide in OCLC WorldCat
...or use WorldCat First Search, a legacy catalog (Recommended, as this will also show UW-Madison holdings in the search results)
Search holdings for UW-Madison Libraries
Catalogs for Germanists
To look for books on a subject, start first with WorldCat or UW-Madison's Library Catalog (see box above)
It is useful to search "union" catalogs (i.e. large catalog databases that include multiple libraries's materials) as well as bibliographies. Books and materials that are not held at UW-Madison or the UW system can be requested through Interlibrary Loan. You may also make a purchase request to ask the library to purchase a copy for the collection
- Center for Research Libraries (CRL)The Center for Research Libraries (CRL) is an international consortium of university, college, and independent research libraries. CRL supports advanced research and teaching in the humanities, sciences, and social sciences by preserving and making available to scholars the primary source material critical to those disciplines. Paper and microform materials can be borrowed through Interlibrary Loan
- CERL Portal: Manuscripts and Early Printed MaterialProvides access to descriptions of manuscripts of all periods and early printed materials (up to 1830) in collections in Europe, the United States, and Australia. The Portal searches these collections simultaneously and offers the search results grouped by library. The full display will offer you the most important details, but not the entire record. For the full records, please follow the link to the original database provided in each record; in many cases the source database will include access to digitized images
- The European LibraryDesigned to meet the needs of researchers worldwide, this online portal offers access to the collections of 48 National Libraries of Europe and leading European Research Libraries. The default search is limited to The European Library’s full-partner libraries (the "Advanced Search" provides a full list). Click on "Collections" to hand-pick collections for your search
- Gesamtkatalog der Wiegendrucke (GW)The Gesamtkatalog der Wiegendrucke provides a union catalog of incunabula (1450-1500). This online database is more up to date than the print edition of the catalog
- Incunabula Short Title Catalogue (ISTC)International database of 15th-century European imprints for nearly every item printed from movable type before 1501. Includes some 16th-century items previously assigned incorrectly to the 15th century. Information on each item includes authors, short titles, the language of the text, printer, place and date of printing, and format. Locations are noted if they have been verified. Links are provided to online digital facsimiles wherever possible
- Inkunabelkatalog INKAINKA permits to search most repositories holding incunables in Germany through one interface. Contains data from the ISTC
- KVK: Der Karlsruher Virtuelle KatalogA major union catalog of European libraries, this database contains records for over 500 million books, newspapers, and other media in libraries and other book catalogs worldwide
- Schweizer ZeitschriftenportalThe Swiss periodicals catalog (SZP) documents holdings of periodicals in Swiss libraries (including Liechtenstein). Shows which library holds volumes of a specific magazine or newspaper in Switzerland
- Verzeichnis der im deutschen Sprachbereich erschienenen Drucke des 16. Jahrhunderts: VD 16Database of printed works published in the German-speaking world during the 16th century
- Verzeichnis der im deutschen Sprachraum erschienenen Drucke des 17. Jahrhunderts: VD 17Collection of printed works published in the German-speaking World during the 17th century
- Verzeichnis der im deutschen Sprachraum erschienenen Drucke des 18. Jahrhunderts: VD 18Repertory of printed works published in the German-speaking World during the 18th century
Increasingly, all materials indexed in the VD16, VD17, and VD18 are being digitized to form a national German digital library
- WorldCatWorldCat is a union or collective catalog of records of any type of material (books, periodicals, scores, films, recordings, etc.) cataloged by over 41,000 OCLC (Online Computer Library Center) member libraries, primarily but not exclusively, from libraries in the United States, but extending to 82 other nations. WorldCat First Search, the legacy catalog, provides search results with a clear indication of which materials are held at UW-Madison (books and materials held at other libraries usually can be requested through Interlibrary Loan)
- Zeitschriftendatenbank (ZDB)The union catalog of periodicals in Germany, the ZDB lists the titles of serials (such as magazines, newspapers, eJournals, etc.) held in German libraries from all countries, in all languages
- Zentrales Verzeichnis Digitalisierter Drucke (ZVDD)The ZVDD registers and provides keyword and subject access to digital versions of print works in Germany from the 15th century to the present