This page provides an overview of my collections and areas of interest of collection…
Everyday culture
The main focus of my collection is on different everyday culture related artifacts from the 20th century. Since this is a quite broad area, here is a list of more particular topics:
Artifacts
Optical devices and toys
Consumer electronics
Tape recorders
Projectors
Hangers
Airplane cutlery
Ceramic, glass and porcelain objects
Books and printed matter
(mainly between 1890 and 1945)
Advisory literature (especially with regard to transported role models)
Letter-writer’s guides
Entertainment
Health / Medicine
Personal hygiene
Sex education
Memory training
Beautiful children’s books
Scrap books
Photo books (especially in rotogravure printing)
Interior decoration
Atlases and maps
Advertising
Commercial art
Typography
Magazines
Entertainment
Fashion
Architecture
Technology
Art
Graphic arts and prints
Media
Tapes
Films (e.g. Super 8)
Slides
3D images / Viewmaster
My goal is not to cover any these topics even halfway complete, but to depict a (not necessarily representative) cross-section.
An (incomplete) catalog of my books is available at Librarything.
Donations
Every now and then I also find things that may be of interest to archives, museums or widely known collectors. In such cases, I contact the institution that I think is the most suitable.
Activist Donor
Similar to an “Activist shareholder” I see myself as an activist donor, which means that it is not only important to me that an artifact or a medium is preserved, but also that access to it is possible by up to date (digital) means for the general public.
This is of course due to my professional background and is simply a necessity in preserving cultural heritage. If your institution is not able to do this, I would be happy to support you.
Therefore, I expect the institution to be prepared to meet the following of conditions:
Cataloging
The object will be placed in your publicly and online accessible record system (catalogue, etc.) at short notice. The record can be retrieved at least via a persistent URL in HTML format. The catalog entry is not subject to any restrictions on subsequent re-use (e.g. CC0). The provenance (i.e. the donor) part of the catalogue entry.
Ideally, the catalogue record is also available in machine-readable form in an internationally recognised file format for the respective object type via an interface.
Exhibition or lending of the shall take place with mention of the provenance.
Digitisation
The object is digitized and the resulting files (including raw data) are made available to me for presentation - the license should allow the widest possible reuse - ideally CC0.
Presentation in your online portal
The digitized material is presented in the context of your other digitised objects, regardless of whether the presentation takes place directly in your institution or in a (library) network.
Publication in a supra-regional portal
You upload or reference the digitised object including metadata into a research portal with at least a nationwide reach (for archive material, for example Archivportal D, for printed items the Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek).
Research / Classification / Contextualization
The catalogue record is enriched with further information known to them. In the process, cross-references are formed, e.g. via norm data, the object is described and (organisation-specific) keywords are added.
The whole process should ideally take no longer than 12 months.
I also lend items from my collections for exhibitions.
The conditions to be fulfilled are listed here:
Mention of the lender
The object is presented with mentioning my name as lender and the monogram symbol.
If links are used in the exhibition (e.g. QR codes or via app), this page should be linked.
Permanent access / free admission
Admission to the exhibition is free of charge for me and my companion. You invite me to the opening / vernissage.
Additional requirements for online exhibitions
Online exhibitions, accompanying websites and press releases presenting the object must also mention my name. However, this can be realised implicitly (e.g. mouseover or alternative text).
I am granted the right to present corresponding screenshots online.
Specimen copy / -photo
If there is a catalogue for the exhibition in which the object is shown, please send me a specimen copy.
A photo of the object in the context of the exhibition will be provided and I will be granted the rights to present it online.
Other conditions
Depending on the object, further conditions may apply, e.g. with regard to presentation conditions and insurance.
Previous loans
Here is a selection of the objects lent to date:
Using materials and guidance
The source materials of my blogs as well as my printed materials can be used for your own work. Regardless of whether plan on doing a scientific work (master’s theses, doctoral theses, other publications), try to realise some creative idea (fonts, photos, etc.) or your own web project (such as a blog, etc.), please do not hesitate to contact me. And if you are interested in one topic and still lack the right project, I will be happy to help as well.