Libraries in Germany – Expert Discussion

Besides the university education route, students can also take a three-year course within the dual system of vocational training to become specialists in media and information services. Specialists in media and information services can specialise in archives, libraries, information and documentation, picture agencies and medical documentation. Additional training to become a “certified senior specialist in information services” (a Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) examination) will also be available in the future.

Changes in university education

Universities throughout the whole of Europe, not only in Germany, are undergoing radical structural reform processes, driven by the initiative known as the Bologna Process. These primarily comprise the creation of international university degrees, Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, and the introduction of credit points. As a rule, 60 credit points, or 30 per semester, are awarded per academic year, with one credit point entailing a student work load of 30 hours of attendance and private study. At least 180 ECTS points are needed for a Bachelor’s degree and the consecutive Master’s degree requires a total of 300 ECTS points, including those achieved in the initial degree course.

Bachelor’s and Master’s degree courses have to be accredited. The purpose of an accreditation process is to ensure minimum academic standards and to verify the vocational relevance of the degrees. Accreditation processes are primarily carried out by specialist or regional accreditation agencies.

A Master’s degree course can either be »more practice-oriented« or »more research-oriented«. Such degree courses can be designed as a direct continuation of a previous Bachelor degree programme or diploma course (known as a consecutive Master’s programme), or as a postgraduate study course. Those wishing to take a postgraduate Master’s programme (Weiterbildungsmaster) must have worked in a practical vocational environment for at least a year, fees are generally charged, and part-time study courses are also offered. Certain average grades in the student’s first degree are required for admittance to a Master’s degree course, and the study programme generally takes between one and two years, depending on the course. According to the agreement now in force that was concluded at the Standing Conference of the Interior Ministers of the Länder in December 2007, Master’s programme graduates from universities of applied sciences may be appointed to the higher level of the civil service. These degrees confer the same entitlements as diploma and Master’s degrees from universities and colleges with university status, which means that graduates are also entitled to study for a doctoral degree. A broad range of Master’s degree courses is expected in the medium term.

Changes in university education for librarians

University education for librarians in Germany has changed significantly in the last few years, both in terms of the institutions involved and the course contents. Some universities (e. g. Bonn) have been closed down or merged with other universities (Frankfurt, Stuttgart). The library school (Bibliotheksschule) at Frankfurt was dissolved and integrated into the Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences (Fachhochschule Darmstadt). The University of Applied Sciences for Library and Information Science (Hochschule für Bibliotheks- und Informationswesen) in Stuttgart was merged with the University of Applied Sciences for Print and Media Technology (Fachhochschule für Druck und Medien) to become Stuttgart Media University (Hochschule der Medien). Furthermore, other formerly independent departments have either been merged with other departments or formed into faculties (Cologne, Hamburg, Leipzig).

It is also apparent that courses have diversified. New courses have sprung up alongside the traditional courses for librarians. These have similar contents but focus on different areas, such as information design or information management.

University education for librarians is traditionally offered by universities of applied sciences. Library-oriented studies are currently available at eight universities of applied sciences and one university. There are also many courses with a strong focus on information science.

Most universities have already converted their diploma courses into Bachelor’s (BA) degree courses, or are in the process of doing so. The majority of universities have opted for a six- or seven-semester BA course that already includes a practical phase, generally lasting six months. The Humboldt University of Berlin is the only one to implement a short – i.e. a seven-week – practical work placement.

For a long time now, the contents of training courses for librarians have been centred around the different fields of activity rather than institutions such as the public or academic libraries. Core themes include information technology, information research, knowledge organisation, information and media management, public management, cultural and media work, the information society and information structures, target group-oriented services and the development of information literacy.

A great deal of value is placed on project work during the study programmes, and there is usually a large interdisciplinary project during which a team works on everyday professional issues, often with colleagues who are already working in the profession. This should above all cultivate the key skills expected from students, such as flexibility, creativity, the ability to work in a team, and the capacity to transfer their theoretical knowledge and apply it to practical situations etc.

Specific Master’s degree courses in Germany

In the meantime, various Master’s degree courses have either been developed in Germany or are at the planning stage. Cologne University of Applied Sciences (Fachhochschule Köln) offers a “Master of Library and Information Science” qualification as a postgraduate study programme; however this course does not currently accept students with degrees from universities of applied sciences. This supplementary Master’s study programme will shortly be adapted to the new framework conditions, especially in terms of the formal structures relating to the Bologna Process and the changes to the law governing public services careers in North Rhine-Westphalia. No fees are charged for this non-consecutive Master’s study programme as it is considered a necessary second degree by the law regulating the profession. Humboldt University offers a postgraduate “Library and Information Science” distance learning programme costing EUR 1,250 per semester, and is also planning a full-time MA study programme in “Library and Information Science” (from winter semester 08/09). Stuttgart Media University – HdM Stuttgart (since winter semester 07/08) and Hamburg University of Applied Sciences – HAW Hamburg (from winter semester 08/09) also offer MA study programmes in library and information management in their winter semesters. The University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Hanover (FH Hannover), on the other hand, offers a postgraduate Master’s programme (Weiterbildungsmaster) in information and knowledge management, which is designed as a part-time course. It takes three semesters, costs EUR 1,500 per semester, and is offered every 2 years.

Alongside Germany’s Master’s study programmes, postgraduate studies can also be taken within the civil service. The Bavarian Library School (Bayerische Bibliotheksschule) in Munich offers this two-year course as an in-house programme, and Humboldt University also recently started to offer practical professional training with state examinations qualifying librarians to work in the higher service.

The job market

Bachelor study programmes train students for responsible positions in middle management, like the successful diploma courses before them. BA graduates work in a problem-oriented way as often practised in the applied research projects during their studies. The Master’s programmes offer further qualifications for management roles and give students the opportunity to specialise in cultural, media and information facilities as well as libraries. The key aspects of the study programmes already taken in the BA courses are explored more deeply in the MA study programmes and/or new specialist fields are taught. The career goal of the MA graduate is to be appointed to a specialist position with more responsibility, or one involving special tasks or projects. Examples of such projects could include long-term archiving, automatic indexing, library education, music information management or the development of new service portfolios.