Around the 1990s: A “Wende” for Research Libraries

Abstract The aim of this paper is three-fold. First, it describes the situation of libraries in the years around 1990 from the perspective of international organisations, namely the Council of Europe and the European Commission. Second, it intends to show that this healthy situation already held the seeds of the future frailty of academic libraries. Third, it compares key debates in the Nineties with today’s challenges for research libraries and shows how key decisions taken in the Nineties had a long-term impact on future library trends.