Director at Preußische Staatsbibliothek (now: Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin)

Important bibliographer of mathematics literature for the time 1445-1926.

His catalogue of mathematical manuscripts ("Allgemeine Mathematische Bibliographie") contained ca. 200.000 items, when he died.

Catalogue progress descriptions as given in "Jahrbuch": 1885, 1897, 1900, 1910

Valentin's activities are described in an article in "Jahrbuch über die Fortschritte der Mathematik 58 (1932), p. 44-45 (local copy)", which refers the content of a talk given by R. C. Archibald on the ICM 1928. Cf.: R. C. Archibald: Georg Hermann Valentin (1848--1926). Atti Congresso Bologna 6, 465-472).

Plans to publish the catalogue failed because of lack of money and because there was no suitable publisher available. The catalogue stayed - as a collection of handwritten cards -- at Preußischen Staatsbibliothek in Berlin and was (together with the library) destroyed by a fire in 1944 , probably caused by a bomb attack.

Apparently there are only fragmentary copies.

Question: How safe are the recent DML setups against catastrophic events?

Recall:

• Fire at Duchess Anna Amalia Library [ local copy ] Weimar Sept. 2004: Ca. 50,000 historical volumes lost, 62,000 vols severely damaged.
• Collapse of the historical Stadt-Archive at Cologne [ local copy ] in March 2009, Historical records since 922 AD are lost!

Worldwide DMLs should interact that way and mutually mirror their partners.