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Dissertation Information for Marta Leszlei Dosa

NAME:
- Marta Leszlei Dosa
- (Alias) Marta Dosa

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- Library and Information Science

SCHOOL:
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (USA) (1971)

ADVISORS:
- Wallace J. Bonk

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- Anthony T. Kruzas
- Otto G. Graf
- Russell E. Bidlack

MPACT Status: Fully Complete

Title: SCHOLARSHIP, LIBRARIES, POLITICS IN THE LIFE AND WORK OF GEORG LEYH

Abstract: George Leyh, 1877-1968, attained distinction in German and international librarianship as library historian, philosopher and administrator. His career and attitudes reflected the integration of creative scholarship with user oriented research library practice. During the first half of the twentieth century his works and opinions helped to mold theoretical thinking and organizational patterns in the library profession. His life spanned five phases of German history. The Bismark era, the regime of Emperor William II, the Weimar Republic, the years of National Socialism and the political ideological division of the country since 1945. Each of these eras brought profound changes to individuals and institutions. For most of his life Georg Leyh identified himself with the German research library. Consequently, the trends and events which affected the availability, dissemination, and use of information also affected the course of his professional pursuits.

The study seeks to portray Geogr Leyh's professional activities and his major contributions to the literature of librarianship. The political and sociocultural background is delineated to the extent that it influenced his intellectual development, endeavors and leadership of political events, institutional changes and the individual. Primarily it explored the psychological causes of some of Leyh's professional actions. At the secondary level it tried to show the influence of politics on librarianship. No attempt was made to present a comprehensive biography of Georg Leyh or a critical evaluation of his published work.

The Leyh Archives in the Manuscript Division, State Library of the Foundation for Prussian Cultural Proerty (Handscriftenabteilung, Staatsbibliothek der Stiftung Preussischer Kulturbesitz) in West Berlin and papers in the possession of the Leyh family in Lubeck formed the principal source of research. The study is based mainly on an analysis of Georg Leyh's voluminous correspondence and to a lesser extent on printed materials and personal interviews with Georg Leyh and persons who knew him.

The arrangement of the paper is partly chronological, partly topical. A brief historical chapter traces major cultural influences upon Leyh's thought. The next chapters give an account of his education in philology, history and library science at the universities of Munich, Stuttgart, Tubingen and Gottingen, of his service in several German university libraries and at the Prussian Historical Institute in Rome. His association with other scholars and leaders of librarianship, involvement in German and international professional organizations and themes of his literary activity are examined.

A director f the Tubingen University Library, 1921-1947 he guided that institution through the post war economic crisis, the National Socialist era and world war II. As administrator, author of numerous papers and editor of the Zentralblatt fur Bibliothekswesen and the Handbuch der Bibliothekswissenschaft he maintained a resolute struggle for the freedom of information and scholarship and encountered censorship problems on numerous occasions. President of the national professional association from 1936 to 1937, he was forced by governmental and party authorities to resign.

In his septugenarian years, following the collapse of National Socialism in 1945, Leyh concentrated his effort on the revivla of professional life and cooperation and the rebuilding of international connections. His endeavor to restore unity to German librarianship was bound to fail because of the political division of the country. The last chapter is devoted to Leyh's most prominent works on the theory and philosophy of librarianship and library education.

The study concludes that Georg Leyh's distinguished career and leadership was marred by tensions and problems caused, to a great extent, by the conflict of professional commitments and the political environment.

MPACT Scores for Marta Leszlei Dosa

A = 2
C = 8
A+C = 10
T = 2
G = 1
W = 2
TD = 2
TA = 0
calculated 2009-06-25 04:07:35

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