Bücherei Eyachtal looks back proudly on a history of more than 90 years. Over that time the idea of Catholic library work has changed several times. Each time the library adapted to new circumstances and demands, and so always stayed fit for the future. That was only possible, though, through the tireless, committed voluntary work of many team members in their own time.

The Owingen parish house (1927-1972)

The beginning, and stagnation

It all began in the late summer of 1927 in the parish house built in 1775 by Father Kegelin (1763-1779). Here Father Riegger founded the library with a collection of 180 volumes. By the end of that year 360 loans to the then 45 readers had been recorded.

The library is the only church library left in Haigerloch out of an original 8 in the Haigerloch area (1927: Imnau, 1925: Gruol, 1937: Hart, 1925: Haigerloch, 1928: Heiligenzimmern, 1927: Stetten, 1925: Trillfingen, 1925: Weildorf). The parish house was demolished in May 2020 at the age of 245.

On 4 November 1927 the Borromäus association for the parish of Owingen was founded, setting itself the aim of supporting the library financially by supplying books to private individuals.

Like many institutions, the library was obstructed in the Third Reich. At the beginning of 1941 the books, apart from specifically religious literature, had to be handed over to the Gestapo, and finally the library had to stop lending in the years 1941-1945.

After the Second World War it was brought back to life in 1945 with a collection of 120 items and 27 readers.

In the 1960s the library was further built up by Father Langlotz. As early as 1962, nine volunteers looked after a collection of 325 books. In a small multi-purpose room in the parish house, the 173 readers could borrow books once a week for an hour and a half.

Alongside the book exhibitions, training the team is also a tradition. In November 1962, for instance, Helga Volm and Johanna Pfister took part in a course for library helpers in Beuron.

Setting out towards a modern library

Under Father Josef Kovacs, Hans Hebrank took over the then people's and youth library St. Jakobus in 1973. With the building of the new church the library now had a lending room of its own for what were by then 1,036 items, and opening hours could be extended to two hours a week.

As the collection grew and new kinds of item arrived from 1979 — magazines and games for young people and adults — an extension of the library into the parish hall became necessary in 1980.

In 1981 opening hours were extended to twice two hours a week and the collection further widened with audio cassettes.

Between 1982 and 1984, seven team members in all successfully attended further courses in Catholic library work in Germany.

In 1985 Franz Hebrank took over the running of the library together with Klara Henne. From 1986 to 1990 the library was headed by Adelheid Stifel.

From books to media, and the arrival of computers

Bernd Liener and Rüdiger Alich headed the library from 1990 to 2000. Since 1990 the library has been housed in rooms of its own in the parish house. Lending is now handled with the help of the library's own software, BVS. In 1991 lending was extended to three days a week.

In the new rooms the collection can be shown attractively. Since 1991 there have also been music CDs from many fields. With book exhibitions, activity days and author readings, the step from a „books only" library to a cultural institution in parish life has by now been taken, and rising loan figures reward it.

A particular event in the summer of 1994 was the setting up of a library at the ABAI children's village in Mandirituba, Brazil, by the library staff Carmen Edele, Bernd Liener and Rüdiger Alich.

Since November 1996 the library has been present on the internet with a website of its own, as the 3rd Catholic public library to do so (the website as of 9 June 2002). Since 1997 the library has offered its readers internet access on a PC, as the first Catholic public library in Germany. Since 2000 computer games can be borrowed as well.

In 2000 Johanna Pottyka took over the running of the library, and since 2002 the library has been run jointly by the team. In mid-2005 the library was completely refurbished and its floor space extended.

In May 2012 Bernd Liener took over the leadership again. Opening hours rose from 1 to 2 lending days a week. The number of team members rose from 4 to 12. The delivery service BibTaxi started.

Since January 2013 all pupils can take part in the reading programme Antolin. DVDs are now available to borrow too. A 3rd lending day was added. As the first Catholic public library, free internet over wi-fi is offered.

In the summer of 2014 the website was relaunched (the website as of 4 March 2016). Tablet computers are now available for browsing as well.

The library of the pastoral care unit Eyachtal-Haigerloch St. Anna

Since 2015 the Roman Catholic parish of Eyachtal-Haigerloch St. Anna has been the library's governing body. There are now profiles on the social networks Facebook and Twitter. PS3 console games can be borrowed. For the first time in the library's existence the number of team members passed 20. Carmen Edele successfully completed her training as a church library assistant (KiBüAs).

In July 2015 the Friends of the Library were founded. A comprehensive digital collection (Brockhaus, DUDEN and Munzinger) is now available too. At the same time Saturday was added as a 4th weekly lending day. The library now has member status with the Österreichisches Bibliothekswerk.

In October 2015 the online collection was extended with e-items (Onleihe), and Patricia Kelly (of the Kelly Family) gave a benefit concert for the library.

In January 2016 the digital collection was extended with the BROCKHAUS knowledge service. A YouTube channel was set up. Current news is available through the Telegram channel OBIKA.

In March 2016 the digital collection was extended with DUDEN Basiswissen Schule. The regular events were extended with a library breakfast, a book club and a knitting and crochet group.

The anniversary year 2017

In January 2017 the digital collection was extended with TigerBooks. Bücherei Eyachtal was the first library in southern Germany and the first Catholic public library nationwide to offer it, and was among the very first overall alongside Bücherhallen Hamburg, Stadtbibliothek Essen, Stadtbibliothek Spandau, Stadt- und Landesbibliothek Dortmund, Zentral- und Landesbibliothek Berlin, Heinrich von Kleist Bibliothek Berlin and Stadtbibliothek Berlin-Mitte.

To mark the library's 90th anniversary, a library lottery with attractive prizes was held. The Antolin reading club was also brought into being. Since the autumn book weeks of 2017 there has been a profile on Instagram as well. The anniversary year 2017 was the most successful year in a row since the library came into being.

Saturday 13 January 2018, 4.26 am: the FRITZ!Box reports that from this moment there is no longer a connection to the "FRITZ!DECT 200 - loans desk" socket, and the unthinkable takes its course... Although the fire was only outside on the façade, the damage (not counting the parish house) was immense: 150,000 €. The insurance covered only around 2/3 of it. The library's future hung by a thread.

Rebuilding, and uncertainty

On 1 January 2019 came the fresh start in the parish house in the neighbouring village of Stetten. One and three quarter years after the devastating catastrophe, the library was officially reopened on 29 September 2019.

Lending is now handled by RFID. At the entrance and in the lending rooms there is a digital visitor information system developed in-house. The number of team members has risen to 26 and Kuti is available to all visitors. The first makerspace offering: the 3D printing service. From March to May 2020 the library had to close for 8 weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Thanks to the Friends of the Library, PressReader has been available since November 2020, and in December 2020 the website was relaunched again.

From 2022 the library is headed by a management team. There is very close cooperation with the Kreismedienzentrum Zollernalbkreis. A market of possibilities is held. filmfriend is offered.

Since 2026 the Roman Catholic parish of Zollern has been the library's governing body.

2026 - a step into the future

Eight years after the fire, and still in temporary premises, the library team deliberately decided on a fresh start: the Owingen Library is in future called „Bücherei Eyachtal". The previous name led to misunderstandings again and again, since the library is in fact in Stetten. At the same time its role has changed: with the closure of Haigerloch town library it is today the only public library in the whole Haigerloch area.

Source: the Owingen local history book and the library archive.

The priests responsible for us

1919-1960: Josef Riegger of Schlatt (*1886, ordained 1911, †1971). A successful local historian.

1960-1961: Karl Schlehr of Baden-Baden (*1927, ordained 1954, †1973).

1961-1974: Günter Langlotz of Donaueschingen (*1904, ordained 1936 as a Benedictine in Beuron, †1998).

1974-1984: József Kovács of Soroksár, Hungary (*1921, ordained 1948, †1992).

1984-1992 : Ulrich Schleicher (*1956, ordained 1982).

1992-2003: Peter Seibt of Zell im Wiesental (*1960, ordained 1988)

2003-2015: Dieter Mayer of Rielasingen-Arlen (*1951, ordained 1981)

2015-2025: Michael Storost of Bad Griesbach im Renchtal (*1964, ordained 1994).

since 2026: Thomas Fürst of the Hegau (*1962, ordained 1991).

Source: the Hohenzollern Historical Society and the library archive.