About GEI-DZS

The GEI-DZS database lists all textbooks and atlases approved in the learning area “social sciences” for

• geography,
• history and
• social studies (politics)

teaching in German state schools since the 2009/2010 academic year.

Entries are verified by consulting the most up-to-date version of the ministerial approval lists available for each Federal state at the time the database is compiled each year. These lists are the single authoritative source. The textbooks are recorded in the edition specified there. Later published, unchanged reprints with the same ISBN are not considered. The database therefore does not provide a comprehensive overview of all current textbook editions.

In the social science subjects (politics, civics, social studies) only those textbooks that are closely associated with this field are listed. Vocational studies, business studies, rights education and sociology are not included or are only considered as part of larger subject groups (e.g. politics/economics in Lower Saxony or civic studies/rights education in Saxony).

GEI-DZS is maintained by a team from the Georg Eckert Institute (GEI) research library and is primarily a source of information for textbook researchers and education practitioners.

Approval information is available as PDF documents as far back as the 2002/2003 academic year. The printed directories published annually by the research library between 1988 and 2009 are available to view in the library.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions we would be delighted to hear from you:
Kerstin Schattenberg
Annette Uphoff
gei-dzs [at] leibniz-gei.de