Abstract
This lecture will give you an overview of the different types of art archives in Germany. Alongside the numerous administrative archives, there are also many smaller archives that specialize in collecting private records concerning matters of more specific genres or functions. By taking care of personal or institutional papers such as letters, diaries, concepts, photographs etc., they enrich the archival landscape in Germany. In addition to the common tasks of preservation, description, allocation and publication, these specialized archives have to do active acquisition. This lecture will focus on the art archives specifically related to fine arts. In Germany, there are several different types: archives of artists' personal papers, regional art archives, art archives focused on particular subjects, museum archives, archives for individual artists and documentation centers. There are many, varied types of Internet platforms in Germany which help the archives share their ideas with each other and provide the public with information of their holdings. This lecture shouldn't, however, merely inform about the current archive landscape in Germany, but should also disclose possible challenges for the future of the archives like standards of description, digitization of primary documents, archival processing of digital born material, long-term digital preservation or international networking.
