History
2020
Prof. Dr. Gerard Meijer, Director of the Fritz Haber Institute (FHI) of the Max Planck Society, becomes the new Chairperson of the MPDL Advisory Board, relplacing Vice President Prof. Dr. Ferdi Schüth.
2014
The MPDL Advisory Board receives a new Chairperson with the change in the Presidency of the Max Planck Society. Vice President Prof. Dr. Ferdi Schütt replaces Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Wolfgang Schön as Chairperson.
2012
The MPDL becomes a permanent service unit of the MPS.
2010
The MPS Senate passes a resolution on the permanent establishment of the MPDL, effective January 1, 2012.
At the same time, a governing body to be known as the "MPDL Advisory Board" is created to advise the President on strategic issues relating to electronic scientific media and working tools and the open access policy. Vice President Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Wolfgang Schön becomes the first Chairperson of the MPDL Advisory Board.
In November 2010, Dr. Frank Sander is appointed head of the Max Planck Digital Library, replacing the temporary management which had been in place since October 2008.
2009
Grundversorgung now in place for 10 years.
The MPDL is reviewed four times by an external professional advisory board, the VP Schön Committee, a group of IT directors and the Steering Committee of the Scientific Information Services program (LA sInfo), in each case with extremely positive results.
2008
Leadership of the MPDL passes from Dr. Laurent Romary to a temporary board chaired by Prof. Dr. Kurt Mehlhorn, scientific member of the MPI for Informatics.
2007
The MPDL is launched in January at Amalienstrasse 33, Munich, merging the working groups of ZIM, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research project eSciDoc and the Administrative Headquarters Electronic Library department.
2006
In September 2006, Dr. Laurent Romary is appointed head of the MPDL.
In March 2006, the Senate of the Max Planck Society passes a resolution to set up the MPDL, initially for a 5-year period (2007-2011).
2004
The Federal Ministry of Education and Research project eSciDoc is launched.
The activities needed for Grundversorgung (basic provision) are set up as the "Electronic Library" department at the Society's Administrative Headquarters.
2003
An open access strategy initiative of the Max Planck Society starts under the patronage of President Peter Gruss, with the Berlin Declaration and the Berlin Conference series.
2001
The Heinz-Nixdorf-Zentrum für Informationsmanagement (ZIM; Heinz Nixdorf Center for Information Management), based at the IPP in Garching, is set up as a project group at the MPS, with support from the Nixdorf-Stiftung.
1999
The Max Planck Society enters central electronic information provision: the sections pass a resolution to set up a "Solidarity Fund" on the basis of equal contributions from the institutes and give a mandate for the design of "Grundversorgung", a basic provision of scientific information for the Max Planck Society.
An international conference of experts is held at Schloss Elmau, Bavaria, on the question of what form the Max Planck Society's information management should take in the digital age.
