Training as an academic librarian

For the library traineeship, you should have completed a university degree (Master's, Magister, Diplom, state examination) in a suitable subject area. In addition, you must meet the requirements for appointment as a civil servant on revocation (e.g. maximum age 40, EU citizenship). Media skills, service orientation and organizational skills as well as IT skills are also desirable.

The legal basis for training in Hesse is the training and examination regulations for the higher academic service at academic libraries in the state of Hesse.

The remuneration is based on the Hessian salary for candidates in the higher service (HBesG AW A13).

The working time is 41 hours per week. The employees of the University Library participate in flexitime, so that individual working hours can be flexibly arranged within the framework of the flexitime regulations.

Thanks to the close integration of theory and practice, as a trainee you will rotate through the various departments of the Kassel University Library. While you’ll gain insight into the work processes in the individual Departments during your first year of training, in your second year you’ll be able to focus on specific areas of interest, such as subject specialization, research-related services, or state library tasks. You can also explore these areas in greater depth as part of your master’s thesis.

The continuing education master’s program in Library and Information Science, offered as a distance learning program, is provided by the Institute for Library and Information Science at Humboldt University of Berlin as a combination of targeted self-study modules and in-person sessions. Classes are held on 5–6 weekends per semester (Friday and Saturday, all day each day). Participants can attend in person in Berlin, remotely via videoconference, or at a later time from home. The standard duration of the program is four semesters.

For more information, visit: https://www.ibi.hu-berlin.de/de/studium/studiengaenge/fernstudium/interessierte

The scope of work for academic librarians includes both subject-specific and organizational tasks:

As a subject specialist, you are responsible for selecting, cataloging, and promoting scholarly literature across a wide range of academic disciplines, making you a vital link between research and the library. Teaching information literacy to researchers and students is also part of your job. The field of research-related services offers a growing scope of responsibilities for academic librarians.

As an academic librarian, you will also take on leadership responsibilities, develop new concepts and services, and carry out projects.

You can find more information on training and career entry on the website of the Association of German Librarians (VDB).