Aim

The aim of the partnership between the Archives of Scientific Philosophy (ASP; University of Pittsburgh Library System) and the Philosophical Archive at the University of Konstanz (PAUK) is:

to enhance the pertinent archival holdings of the two universities, to facilitate access of these holdings by the international community of scholars, and to make readily available in the Federal Republic of Germany the philosophical patrimony of scientific philosophy, much of which is written in the German language.
(From the "Agreement of Archival Collaboration")

Archival cooperation

Thanks to the mutual cooperation between Pittsburgh and Konstanz, the PAUK holds microfilm copies of the estates of the following philosophers: Rudolf Carnap, Herbert Feigl, Bruno de Finetti, Frank P. Ramsey and Hans Reichenbach (see archival holdings).

The original estates remain in possession of the ASP.

Going digital

Transitioning the collections in the digital age is both a big challenge and opportunity for the archives.

While the ASP has already made significant progress in this regard – many of its archival documents are available as digital copies –, the digitization of the collections at Konstanz still remains to be done. Being part the Communication, Information, Media Centre (KIM) of the University of Konstanz, the PAUK can profit from KIM's emerging strategies to provide long-term digital preservation services. This will help to streamline the technical exchange for current and future archival holdings with Pittsburgh and will make the user experience more engaging and rewarding.