Training as a specialist for media and information services

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What does a media and information services specialist do at the University of Kassel?

Image: Kassel University Library

Information procurement and development

"Knowledge is power" - a phrase you take seriously. You are not just satisfied with the usual news, but are constantly on the lookout for more information. You also know your way around the media. For someone as inquisitive as you, training to become a media and information services specialist is just the thing.
As a specialist in media and information services, you will procure information, make it systematically accessible and prepare it in such a way that it is user-friendly.
Depending on which specialization you choose, you will of course also have specific tasks. In the library department, you will be involved in setting up and maintaining library collections, among other things. You will also be responsible for advising customers and procuring media.
During your training, you will get to know every department.

Acquire and record media

At Kassel University Library, you will mainly process specialist literature in the acquisitions department. You will prepare this specialist literature for the teaching staff and students by learning the individual steps - from acquisition to placing the item on the shelf or inserting the link to the electronic resource in the cataloging system. When cataloging, you will work according to an international set of rules for which you will receive detailed training.

Mediate and inform

On the one hand, you will get to know the collection much better and familiarize yourself with the systematics and classifications. You will also learn how to deal professionally with users when you answer library-specific questions at the service desk and provide information. You will also take part in database training and library tours.

In 3 years of training, you will get to know the various library locations - including the Landes- und Murhardsche Bibliothek, which not only stocks specialist literature but also fiction. You will spend your second year of training here, getting to know new colleagues and other work, as there is a reading room, a manuscript department and much more.

When does training as a media and information services specialist begin at the University of Kassel and where does it take place?

Training as a media and information services specialist begins on August 1 of each year and takes place in the University Library at Holländischer Platz at the University of Kassel.
The vocational school is the Stauffenbergsschule in Frankfurt/Main.

Svenja, trainee media and information services specialist, 3rd year of training

At comprehensive school, I did an internship at Kassel University Library and got to know working life for the first time. I was so lucky because my first internship showed me relatively quickly that this was my dream job. Before that, I had no idea what goes on behind the scenes in a library.

What is your motivation for this job?

I love providing information for everyone and being able to help with questions. It just makes me happy. My father once quoted Confucius and I think of that every time someone asks me about my motivation: "Choose a job you love and you'll never have to go to work again".

Are there moments or things that always impress you?

It's almost surreal how much money is regularly spent on media services - it never ceases to amaze me. If you buy a book privately, it's only a tiny fraction of what a library spends on an e-book package, for example.

Apply now for an apprenticeship as a specialist for media and information services at the University of Kassel

Application deadline: 30.09.2025

How do I apply?

Tips and hints

Application portal of the University of Kassel

Ask yourself beforehand whether you ...

are enthusiastic about books and other forms of media.
enjoy working with computers and people alike.
feel comfortable in libraries.
like to work independently.

or whether ...

you don't like working indoors.
administrative tasks are not your thing.
you have no sense of order.

Go-Link of this page: https://www.uni-kassel.de/go/ausbildung-fachangestellter-medien