Topic 4 – Post-War Period
Following the end of the Second World War, the Administrative Library was reintegrated into the Federal Chancellery and once again functioned as the central administrative library for all federal ministries, as well as federal, state, and local authorities, in accordance with the Authorities Transition Act (Behörden-UG, StGBl. No. 94/1945).
In 1945, Guido Mayr-Werchota was reinstated as Head of the Administrative Library. Upon his retirement in 1948, he was succeeded by Emil Hoeper. After Hoeper's death in 1957, Maria Matt became the first woman to lead the institution.
In 1958, on Maria Matt's initiative, the Working Group of Official and Public Authority Libraries was re-established. A year later, the Commission for Official and Public Authority Libraries was founded within the Association of Austrian Librarians (VÖB), with Matt serving as chair until 1968. In 1966, she also assumed leadership of the Commission for Legal Questions.
Catalog Modernization
Under Maria Matt's direction, the entire catalog system of the library underwent a major revision.
Holdings that had still been cataloged under the old subject-based shelf mark system – dating back to Constantin Wurzbach – were renumbered and reorganized using a numerus currens system.
The handwritten capsule catalog (maintained until 1941) was merged with machine-recorded catalog cards introduced that same year, creating a unified and standardized arrangement.
This printed card catalog remained in use until the introduction of the electronic library system Aleph in 2000.
Reorganization of Documentation Services
Beginning in September 1957, the Administrative Library issued a monthly list of new acquisitions along with an overview of current journal articles organized by subject area.
In 1958, the library launched 2 key indexing projects:
- An index of the provincial law gazettes
- An index of the stenographic minutes of the National Assembly
Both were maintained for a decade and subsequently replaced in 1969 by the more comprehensive Austrian Legal Documentation.
From 1970 to 2017, the library published the Index of the Austrian Imperial, State, and Federal Law Gazette, widely known as the "Stefanowicz Index" – named after its first editor. This monumental reference work provided a complete overview of all Austrian legal gazettes published since 1848, and its 43rd and final edition appeared in 2021.
Another important publication, the Index of Federal Law (BGBl-Index) – a systematic guide to current Austrian federal law – was first printed in 1985 and was last published in its 37th edition, also in 2021.
Dissolution of the Fiction Collection
As a legal deposit library, the Administrative Library also acquired works of fiction. On the recommendation of the Court of Audit, this collection was dissolved in 1967. Depending on their condition, fiction titles were either transferred to other libraries or deaccessioned.
European Cooperation and Legal Documentation
In June 1967, the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers passed a resolution promoting cooperation between European legal libraries. The Administrative Library was subsequently commissioned to develop a national Austrian legal documentation.
New organizational guidelines for both the Administrative Library and the Austrian Legal Documentation within the Federal Chancellery took effect on January 1, 1969.
Since 1852, the legal deposit requirement under the Press Act (PreßG 1852, § 4) has mandated that one copy of every printed work published or printed in the Austrian crown lands and intended for sale be deposited in the Administrative Library.
