The Maecenata Library was founded in 1997 by the Maecenata Insitute.  It was a pioneer in the systematic collection of literature and resources relating to the research and knowledge area civil society.

From 2007 until 2014 it was governed under the auspices of the Humboldt-Viadrina School of Governance. Alongside specialised collections for civil society and philanthropy, there was also an emphasis placed on (Global) Governance, Leadership, Management and Strategy Development during this time.

In 2016 the library was reacquired by the Maecenata Foundation and assigned to the Tocqueville Forum. Since then, the library’s collection has steadily grown and now includes approximately 16,000 resources.

Alongside books and specialised magazines, there are also yearly reports from civil society organisations, unpublished theses (at the Bachelor and Master levels), material collections, relevant online documents, conference documents included in the library’s collection, as well as references to electronic resources.

The only specialist classification in Germany to date on civil society, civic engagement, philanthropy and foundations was developed for the list. The system has been taken over by other institutions.

The collection is documented online under the library’s online catalogue (OPAC), together with links to electronic resources.  You can also access the catalogues from the Gemeinsamen Bibliotheksverbundes (GBV), the GBV’s regional catalogue for Berlin/ Brandenburg and the Karlsruher Virtuellen Katalog (KVK).

Furthermore, the library has links with universities, institutes, reseach centres, initiatives and specialised information institutes at the national and international levels.

KEY AREAS OF FOCUS

• Working society
• Civic engagement
• Civil Society
• Corporate Citizenship / Corporate Social Responsibility
• Fundraising, Foundations and Sponsoring
• Global Governance
• Non-Profit Management
• Non-Profit-Sector
• Philanthropy and Patronage
• Politics und Law
• Foundations
• Clubs, associations

 SERVICES AVAILABLE

• Academic consultancy for library users
• Supervision of research stays for academics from Germany and abroad
• Processing of inquiries
• Regular information about new publications and information sources
• Creation of subject-specific bibliographies
• Creation of specialist research
• Support for thesis
• Workspaces with internet access

The library itself is a civil society initiative. Since its establishment, the development of its inventory and ist operations have been made possible through donations and supporters.