The first chapters describe the various kinds of bibliographical source materials available for studying the history of German literature from the middle ages to the present. Numerous examples of the types of bibliography are analysed and the historical development of the different forms of bibliography is outlined. This comprehensive survey is followed by detailed critical analyses of contemporary bibliographies of scholarly works in Germanic Studies. In conclusion, on the grounds that contemporary bibliographical aids are inadequate, proposals are made for a comprehensive bibliographical system based on modern computer technology; and the attempt is made to place bibliographies within the general frameworks of information science.weiterlesen