About Us


Postal address:

Campus der Universität Wien, Hof 1
Spitalgasse 2-4
1090 Wien

T: +43-1-4277-16711 (Informationsschalter)
F: +43-1-277-16719
E: fb-zeitgeschichte.ub@univie.ac.at


History

With the founding of the Institute for Contemporary History of the University of Vienna in 1966, a library was set up. Since 1982 it is a special library and it also includes the holdings of the library of the Austrian Society for Contemporary History (ÖGZ - Österreichische Gesellschaft für Zeitgeschichte).

From 2004 to 2013, the special library for Contemporary History was combined with the special library for Eastern European History forming the special library for Contemporary History and Eastern European History.

In 2010, the library was converted into public reference library. Barrier-free access and additional new workplaces have been created for the users.

In 2013, the special library for Contemporary History and Eastern European History was dissolved. The Contemporary History Library remained unchanged and the Library for Eastern European History was merged with the Library for Slavic Studies forming the special library for Eastern European History and Slavic Studies.

The Contemporary History Library is an information and documentation institution with a focus on Austrian / European contemporary history, fascism, National Socialism and the Holocaust, history of science, gender studies, visual contemporary and cultural history. The collections of the library reflect not only the changes in theory and method of scientific research, but also the interests as well as the changes in European and Austrian political-social historical consciousness.

Since the library is used in particular as an information institution, the bibliographic books of reference, historical compendiums, general desk books and biographical literature form an important emphasis of the library collection. NS literature is one of the main emphases of the "historical" collection.