In 1871, he became head librarian at the University of Freiburg, where he also obtained his habilitation the same year. After a brief stint as a schoolteacher in Karlsruhe, he was appointed director of the university library at Breslau (1872). Here, he headed a comprehensive reorganization of the library that included rules for a new alphabetical card catalog that became a model for the Preußische Instruktionen. From 1886 until his death, he was director of the university library and professor of library science at the University of Göttingen.[2]
With educator Friedrich Althoff, he strove for reforms pertaining to academic librarianship during the latter part of the 19th century. At Göttingen, he was instrumental in the creation of a professional librarian association (initially a section within the Philologenverbande (Philology Association). Also, he made significant contributions in the fields of "Gutenberg research" and incunabula studies,[2] that included a complete incunabula catalog[1]
De prologis Plautinis et Terentianis quaestiones selectae (dissertation) Bonn 1863.
Ausgewählte Komödien des P. Terentius Afer : zur Einführung in die Lektüre der altlateinischen Lustspiele. Teubner, Leipzig 1874ff. (viele Neuauflagen) – Selected comedies of P. Terentius Afer: Introduction to the reading of Old Latin comedies.
P. Terenti Afri Comoediae. Tauchnitz. second edition, Leipzig 1884.
Instruction für die Ordnung der Titel im Alphabetischen Zettelkatalog der Königlichen und Universitäts-Bibliothek zu Breslau. Asher, Berlin 1886 – Instruction for the order of titles in the alphabetical card catalog of the Royal Library and the University of Breslau.
Beiträge zur Gutenbergfrage. Asher, Berlin 1889 – Contributions to the Gutenberg question.
Gutenbergs früheste Druckerpraxis. Asher, Berlin 1890.– Gutenberg's earliest printing practice.
Entwickelung und gegenwärtiger Stand der wissenschaftlichen Bibliotheken Deutschlands mit besonderer Berücksichtigung Preußens. Spirgatis, Leipzig 1893 – Development and current state of academic libraries: with special consideration to Prussia.
Untersuchungen über ausgewählte Kapitel des antiken Buchwesens. Teubner, Leipzig 1900 – Studies on selected chapters of the ancient bibliology.
Das neue Fragment der Περικειρομένη [Perikeiromene] des Menander. Leipzig: Teubner, 1900 (=Sonderdruck aus dem XXVII. Supplementband der Jahrbücher für classische Philologie, Festschrift C. F. W. Müller, S. 123–134) – A new fragment of Perikeiromene by Menander.[3]