Berlin School of Library and Information Science
| Type | Public |
|---|---|
| Dean | Michael Seadle (Director since 2006) |
|
Academic staff
|
5 full professors, 8 Akademische Mitarbeiter, 30 other |
| Students | about 500 |
| Location | Berlin, Germany |
| Campus | Urban |
| Website | www.ibi.hu-berlin.de |
The Berlin School of Library and Information Science at Humboldt Universität zu Berlin (in German, "Institut für Bibliotheks- und Informationswissenschaft") offers study programmes at three levels: bachelors, masters (both a standard program and a postgraduate distant learning program), and doctoral. It is the only institute in Germany with a doctoral programme and the right to award doctorates. Research methods are also an integral part of the pre-doctoral curriculum.
The Berlin School is part of a growing list of i-schools devoted to the study of information as a discipline. It is one of two members in Germany and the only one in the iCaucus group.
The Berlin School traces its roots back to the early 20th century. It was closed for a time during the Nazi era. After German reunification in 1990, the two library programs at the Free University of Berlin and at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin were combined. During the initial years of the 21st century the university had to decide whether to close the school or to transform it. The university decided on transformation and set about gathering the financial resources to make that happen.
In the past the School had offered a quality but fundamentally conventional German library program with a strong emphasis on history and the practical skills necessary to be effective in an entry-level position at a German library. The goal in 2006 became the creation of an internationally competitive “iSchool” on the explicit model of the School of Information at the University of Michigan. It was strengthened with the addition of Peter Schirmbacher and Michael Seadle as new professors at the highest (W3) rank. Schirmbacher brought a wealth of successful digital projects with him and Seadle brought experience with comparable projects plus US connections. Other new faculty included Stefan Gradmann (2008-2013) and Vivien Petras, both of whom led important parts of the Europeana project. Konrad Umlauf completes the spectrum as an expert on public libraries and library management.
Key elements of this transformation included a curriculum with significantly more emphasis on the digital future and the skills necessary to function within that environment. The curriculum put strong emphasis on research and research methods, partly because the Berlin School is the only library and information program at a research-oriented university in Germany, and partly because problem solving in the digital environment inherently involves research. The research emphasis was also intended to distinguish Humboldt's program from those of the “universities of applied sciences” (Fachhochschule).
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