German Metalworkers' Federation/ German Woodworkers' Federation
The Industrial Union of Metal Workers, IG Metall, gave five books from the property of the German Metalworkers’ Federation and the German Woodworkers’ Federation to the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek as a donation on 23 May 2019.
The German Metalworkers' Federation (Deutscher Metallarbeiter-Verband) was founded in 1891. Two years later, the foundation of the German Woodworkers' Federation (Deutscher Holzarbeiter-Verband) followed. Both federations were members of the Confederation of Trade Unions in Germany (Allgemeiner Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund, ADGB). Through the abolition of the trade unions on 2 May 1933, their property was transferred to the national socialist trade union organisation Deutsche Arbeitsfront. The trade unions' libraries were seized, taken over by the Deutsche Arbeitsfront or distributed to other NS institutions.
Three of the five works came from the library of the former NS education center Ordensburg Sonthofen. The book collection had been seized by the American military government and handed over to the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek in part in 1948. The two other works came to the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek in 1949 and 1964.
The German Metalworkers' Federation was the precursor organisation of the Industrial Union of Metal Workers (IG Metall) founded on 1 September 1949. The Trade Union of the Wood Industry (Gewerkschaft Holz, GH), which is regarded as the successor organisation of the German Woodworkers’ Federation, was founded in the same year. It joined the IG Metall in the year 2000.