Subject librarian
Kathleen Smith
About the Germanic Studies collection
The Germanic collections at Stanford Libraries provide resources for research and instruction for a variety of research topics and disciplines, in formats ranging from books, manuscripts, ephemera, microfilm, data files, and online services to research support and supplementary information on the use of those collections. With a central emphasis on language, literature, and history, the collections focus primarily on the culture, society, and politics of Germany, Austria, and German-speaking Switzerland. The geographic scope of the collections also includes the Netherlands, the Flemish-speaking areas of Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Norway, and Iceland.
The Germanic studies collections serve a wide range of programs and institutes, such as the Department of German Studies, the Department of History, the Department of Comparative Literature, the Center for Medieval and Early Modern Studies, and the Stanford Humanities Center, as well as scholars in other departments and research centers in the humanities and social sciences. Germanic materials also play a significant role in disciplines within the scope of other bibliographers, notably the Department of Theater and Performance Studies, Philosophy, and Religious Studies.
As the curator for the Germanic collections, I select new materials and provide reference assistance; I also work with faculty and students to help them find the materials that they need for their research and teaching.
Featured collections
National United Committee to Free Angela Davis records, circa 1970-1972
View the collectionThe records of the National United Committee to Free Angela Davis consists overwhelmingly of support letters, most sent from East Germany and the Soviet Union, which the group used to demonstrate global opinion about her conspiracy trial in California. The collection also contains some of the organization's administrative records and publications and correspondence with a variety of other political organizations. There is a small amount of material by Davis herself.
Janos Frecot Collection
View the collectionThis collection consists of books and periodicals dedicated to the social and reform movements in Germany ("Lebensreform") from the library of Janos Frecot, Berlin.