300,000 Euros for New Books
Generous Support from Carl Friedrich von Siemens Foundation for Libraries at Freie Universität
№ 271/2014 from Jul 16, 2014
The Carl Friedrich von Siemens Stiftung is donating 300,000 euros for the acquisition of new books at Freie Universität Berlin. The purchase will benefit the Philological Library, the library of the Art History Institute, and the new library that is currently under construction. Once completed, the new library on Fabeck Strasse in Dahlem will comprise the libraries of the Department of Education and Psychology, the natural sciences, and several smaller disciplines. The donation will enable the acquisition of literature in numerous specialized fields, such as postcolonial studies, philosophy, Latin American studies, cognitive linguistics, area studies, didactics, art theory, art history, transculturality, and modern art. The additional funds will help to expand specialized fields and close existing gaps. Since 2001 the Carl Friedrich von Siemens Stiftung has given Freie Universität Berlin more than 1.5 million euros.
The conditions of the foundation require that the grant be used for the acquisition of additional books and not to compensate for lack of funds in the library budgets. According to the will of the donor, the university's acquisition budget for these subjects must not be reduced. Each book purchased with the donated funds will be given a bookplate designating the foundation as donor.
The Carl Friedrich von Siemens Stiftung is an independent institution for the advancement of science and research. Since 1960 it has been carrying out an extensive academic program in their Haus in Nymphenburg (ca. 9,000 visitors per year), awarding fellowships to outstanding scholars, and in recent years, assisting university libraries in Germany in the amount of more than 35 million euros for the acquisition of urgently needed academic literature.
The Carl Friedrich von Siemens Stiftung was established in 1958 by Ernst von Siemens (1903–1990), who used his private assets to generously equip the foundation. The Carl Friedrich von Siemens Stiftung, the Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung (founded in 1972), the Ernst von Siemens Kunststiftung (founded in 1983), and the Siemens Stiftung (founded in 2008 by the Siemens AG) are all separate foundations.
Further Information
Jiří Kende, Director, University Library, Freie Universität Berlin, Tel.: +49 30 838-54256, Email: kende@ub.fu-berlin.de