The Digitization of the Rare Book Collection at the Leo Baeck Institute

The Rare Book Collection of the Leo Baeck Institute (LBI) consists of ca. 1,500 volumes primarily in the field of German Judaica, dating from the earliest period of printing in the 15th century and continuing through the annihilation of European Jewry under the Third Reich. Rich in rarities ranging from early 16th century writings to Moses Mendelssohn and Heinrich Heine, first editions and dedication copies of works by more recent prominent writers, many of its volumes were salvaged from famous Jewish libraries that were confiscated and dispersed by the Nazis. In many cases these primary sources cannot be found anywhere else in the world

Thanks to a generous grant of the Metropolitan New York Library Council (METRO) through the New York State Regional Bibliographic Databases Program an initial group of 38 titles was digitzed in 2006. This project is part of "Digital Metro New York," a collaborative project that funds history and cultural heritage projects related to New York City and Westchester County. Additional financial and technical help was provided through the Gruss Lipper Digital Laboratory at the Center for Jewish History. Newly digitized books are continually being added, bringing the total to 82 titles at the beginning of 2008. Selections are and will be based on demand, selections of scholars, funding, and preservation needs. Only works in the public domain will be considered. In 2008 we were awarded a new grant by the Metropolitan New York Library Council: we will concentrate on digitizing a selection of rare art and illustrated books in 2008.
	Browse the Digital LBI Rare Book Collection Website
	Browse or search the Digital Collections at the Center for Jewish History (CJH) This website provides various access points to the digital collections of the five partners at the Center for History: Browse by Genre Type (e.g. Books, Photos, Prints & Engravings, etc) Browse by Organization (AJHS, ASF, CJH, LBI, YIVO, YUM) Simple Search Advanced Search
	Search the Center for Jewish History (CJH) Online Catalog The shared online catalog of the Center for History provides information on all the collections of the partner organizations, currently around 300,000 records. The LBI Library and Archives contribute 70,000 books, 10,000 archival records, 30.000 photos, 1400 memoirs, and 800 periodicals. The catalog records for the digitzed books contain a link to the digitized version.

A beautifully illustrated description of Jewish religious ceremonies, rites of passage and feast days published in 1724.	An signed original print by Leo Michelson as part of an artists' portfolio published on the occasion of the 12th Zionist Congress in Karlsbad in 1921.	Account of a lawsuit brought by Zacharias Fraenckel from Fuerth against Friedrich Carl von Schoenborn (1674-1746), bishop of Bamberg and Wuerzburg.