The working group regards itself as a forum for scholars, librarians, bibliophiles and members of institutions who are interested in interdisciplinary discussions of issues surrounding library development and the history of books and media in connection with the history of knowledge and scholarship. It strives to achieve cooperation with all other institutions that pursue research in these areas. The working group organises annual conferences.

A committee is responsible for planning and preparing events. Its members are currently as follows: Dr. Julia Bangert (Mainz), Prof. Dr. Daniel Bellingradt (Augsburg), Dr. Julia Knödler (Halle), Dr. Saskia Limbach (Göttingen), Dr. Karen Limper-Herz (London), Dr. Joran Proot (Dilbeek/Brüssel), Prof. Dr. Bettina Wagner (Bamberg) - chair -, Prof. Dr. Nikolaus Weichselbaumer (Mainz) and the director of the Herzog August Bibliothek.

2020 annual conference (postponed until autumn 2021)
‘“Alles außer Lesen …” – Praxeologien des Buchgebrauchs’ / ‘“Everything but reading …” – Praxeologies of book use’
Annual conference of the Wolfenbütteler Arbeitskreis für Bibliotheks-, Buch- und Mediengeschichte at the Schloss Herrenhausen conference centre near Hanover
Organisation: Prof. Ursula Rautenberg, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg / Prof. Ute Schneider, JGU Mainz
16–18 September 2020

2019 annual conference
‘Window on eternity: The oldest libraries in the world’
Annual conference of the Wolfenbütteler Arbeitskreis für Bibliotheks-, Buch- und Mediengeschichte in the Erzabtei St. Peter, Salzburg
Organisation: Dr Cornel Dora, St. Gallen diocesan librarian, Sonja Führer, librarian at the Stiftsbibliothek St. Peter
26–28 September 2019, Erzabtei St. Peter, Salzburg (Austria)

2018 annual conference
‘The used book’

Coordinators: Prof. Ute Schneider (Mainz), Prof. Daniel Bellingradt (Erlangen)
24–26 September 2018

2017 annual conference
‘The Reformation and books: Centres of ideas, centres of book production’
Coordinators: Prof. Andrea Seidler (Vienna) and Prof. István Monok (Budapest)
25–27 September 2017

2016 annual conference
‘Books and libraries in the economic miracle: Lines of development, continuities and ruptures in Germany and Italy in the post-war era, 1949–1965’
Coordinator: Dr Sven Kuttner (Munich)
5–8 September 2016, Villa Vigoni (Loveno di Menaggio, Italy)

2015 annual conference
‘Public librarians in the Nazi era: Scope for action, continuities, patterns of interpretation’

Coordinator: Dr Sven Kuttner (Munich), Prof. Peter Vodosek (Stuttgart)
28–30 September 2015

2014 annual conference
‘Research into the history of books and the digital humanities’

Coordinator: Prof. Ursula Rautenberg (Nürnberg-Erlangen), Dr Oliver Duntze (Berlin)
29 September – 1 October 2014

‘Books as a medium: Interdisciplinary research at Wolfenbüttel’
Since 2019, the Wolfenbütteler Notizen zur Buchgeschichte has been published in a new format as Medium Buch, which appears once a year. Members of the working group receive the journal at a reduced price of 28 euros annually. The first edition came out in autumn 2019. You can find further information on the working group and the registration form for membership on the right-hand side in the ‘Download’ section.

Guest institutions

There are also several guest institutions based at the Herzog August Bibliothek. They are fully integrated into the site and close cooperation is maintained with them.

• Lessing-Akademie
• Deutsche Gesellschaft für die Erforschung des 18. Jahrhunderts (German Society for 18th-Century Studies, DGEJ)

The working group meets annually to address a broad spectrum of issues relating to the Middle Ages. Its tasks include the conducting of further research into the extensive holdings of manuscripts at the Herzog August Bibliothek and organising regular talks on medieval manuscript culture.

The working group’s scholarly activities are coordinated by a committee.

The current members of the committee are:

• Prof. Dr. Alessandra Beccarisi, Geschichte der Philosophie, Mittelalterliche Geschichte - Universita di Foggia, Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici, Lettere, Beni Culturali, Scienze della Formazione
• Prof. Dr. Carmen Cardelle de Hartmann, Lateinische Philologie des Mittelalters und der Neuzeit - Universität Zürich, Seminar für Griechische und Lateinische Philologie
• Prof. Dr. Regula Forster, Islamische Geschichte und Kultur - Universität Tübingen, Abteilung Orient- und Islamwissenschaft
• Prof. Dr. Martina Giese, Mittelalterliche Geschichte und Historische Grundwissenschaften - Universität Würzburg, Institut für Geschichte
• Prof. Dr. Sabine Griese, Germanistische Mediävistik, Vorsitzende des Arbeitskreises - Universität Leipzig, Institut für Germanistik
• Prof. Dr. Michael Klaper, Musikwissenschaft/Ältere Musikgeschichte, Stellvertretender Vorsitzender des Arbeitskreises - Universität Jena/Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt, Institut für Musikwissenschaft Weimar-Jena
• Prof. Dr. Claudine Moulin, Germanistik/Ältere deutsche Philologie - Historische Linguistik des Deutschen - Universität Trier
• Prof. Dr. Peter Schmidt, Kunstgeschichte des Mittelalters - Universität Hamburg, Kunstgeschichtliches Seminar

Planned events:

Registerkulturen 2024

Sommerkurs 2023

Annual conference 2019
Workshop ‘A transdisciplinary perspective on current issues’
Conference report in H/Soz/Kult

Annual conference 2018
‘Medieval cultures of citation’

Annual conference 2016
Workshop ‘Digital editions’

Annual conference 2015
‘Medieval cultures of reference’
Verweiskulturen des Mittelalters – HAB

Annual conference 2013
‘Consequences of Digitisation’
Plus Claudine Moulin in annot@tio

Annual conference 2011
‘A research perspective on digitising medieval manuscripts’, position paper printed in ZfdA 114, 2011, pp. 416–420, online)

Further information on the conference programmes can be found on the right-hand side in the ‘Download’ section.

Guest institutions

There are also several guest institutions based at the Herzog August Bibliothek. They are fully integrated into the site and close cooperation is maintained with them.

• Lessing-Akademie
• Deutsche Gesellschaft für die Erforschung des 18. Jahrhunderts (German Society for 18th-Century Studies, DGEJ)

With this goal in mind, the Arbeitskreis Frühneuzeitforschung was set up in 2019 as a merger of the two Wolfenbüttel working groups focusing on Renaissance research and Baroque research. The core aspects of its programme – interdisciplinarity, interepochality and internationality – are foregrounded at its regular conferences, which cover a broad range of themes.

The current members of the committee are:

• Tobias Bulang, German Studies – Universität Heidelberg, German Studies Seminar
• Peter Burschel, History – Herzog August Bibliothek Wolfenbüttel / Universität Göttingen, Seminar of Medieval and Modern History
• Lejla Demiri, Islamic Doctrine - Universität Tübingen, Center for Islamic Theology
• Karl Enenkel, Middle and Neo-Latin Philology – Universität Münster, Seminar for Middle and Neo-Latin Philology
• Marc Föcking, Romance Studies – Universität Hamburg, Institute of Romance Languages and Literature
• Mariacarla Gadebusch Bondio, History of Medicine – Universität Bonn, Institute for Medical Humanities
• Andreas Mahler, chair of the working group, English Studies – Freie Universität Berlin, Institute of English Language and Literature
• Ulrich Pfisterer, Art History – Zentralinstitut Kunstgeschichte (Central Institute for Art History), Munich / Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Institute of Art History
• Anja Wolkenhauer, Latin Philology – Universität Tübingen, Department of Classics
• Cornel Zwierlein, History – Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Historisches Institut

The Symposium for the Inauguration of the Wolfenbütteler Arbeitskreis Frühneuzeitforschung focused on the issue of Labelling Times: The ‘Early Modern’ – European Past and Global Now. It was held as an online event from 30 June to 2 July 2021 with Andreas Mahler and Cornel Zwierlein (both of whom are at FU Berlin) in charge. You can access the programme and the conference report in the ‘Download’ section.

Guest institutions

There are also several guest institutions based at the Herzog August Bibliothek. They are fully integrated into the site and close cooperation is maintained with them.

• Lessing-Akademie
• Deutsche Gesellschaft für die Erforschung des 18. Jahrhunderts (German Society for 18th-Century Studies, DGEJ)