Library

• Public libraries: e.g. state libraries
• Academic libraries: e.g. university libraries

Here you will find regional examples of libraries that offer internships.

In the higher service (the area in libraries that is accessible with a university degree) there are two typical areas of activity: Subject librarianship and administration/management.

In the subject department, which is usually the subject area of your own degree program, you have the following tasks: Research and concept development for the procurement of literature, content indexing of the literature (making it accessible by keyword), systematization, cataloguing, advising users, maintaining the holdings, and often public relations work.
In administrative functions, university graduates primarily take on typical management tasks: Personnel matters, planning and monitoring work processes, recognizing developments and initiating changes. This area increasingly requires business management skills, which can usually also be acquired in the form of additional qualifications.

Management of scientific collections, fundraising or public relations/PR are also fields of work for humanities scholars in libraries. In the public sector, however, these are only accessible via the civil service career path, i.e. via the library traineeship or a specific master's degree program in documentation.

Work as a

• student assistant in a library
• Intern:in libraries or in knowledge management
• Student representative in the library commission

Requirements for starting your career

• Experience with specific electronic and digital databases
• Skills in dealing with legal requirements
• Journalistic experience is also welcome

A doctorate is not necessary, but useful. Entry into the higher civil service is almost exclusively possible with a library traineeship after a Master's degree/the 1st state examination or a doctorate. Unfortunately, places for a traineeship are rare and are tied to the required subjects (20-25 throughout Germany each year, 3-6 of which are in Hesse).
There are also externally funded projects, particularly in the digital field, where a traineeship is desired but not mandatory.

Unfortunately, experience in the book trade is not helpful due to the different approaches to the subject matter.

Archives, documentation, positions in the non-profit sector and in companies related to systematization, consulting, fundraising, public relations/ PR

Caution: There are regular positions for qualified librarians (in the upper civil service; often still under the heading of graduate librarian). However, this requires an explicit degree in librarianship; another university degree is not an entry requirement.