Training as an academic librarian

Theoretical training takes place parallel to practical training in the form of a postgraduate distance learning course in library and information science with fixed attendance components at the Institute for Library and Information Science at the Humboldt University in Berlin.

For all Hessian trainee librarians, practical courses are held both centrally and decentrally at the libraries of the Hessian library network.

The course concludes with the award of a Master of Arts (Library and Information Science) and the Hessian career examination for the higher civil service.

The close integration of theory and practice means that as a trainee librarian you will work in the various departments of Kassel University Library. You will also be taught specialist knowledge both on site by library staff and through distance learning in Berlin. While you will gain an insight into the work processes in the individual departments in the first year of training, you can set individual priorities in the second year of training, e.g. in the specialist department, in research-related services or in state library tasks. These can also be deepened as part of the Master's thesis.

As a trainee librarian, you will also gain special insights into the organizational processes as well as the content-related and structural development processes within the library and the university.

Trainee teachers are selected by the Kassel University Library. The job advertisements are published at the beginning of every second year; the recruitment date is October 1st of each year.

For the library traineeship, you should have completed a university degree (Master's, Magister, Diplom, state examination) in a suitable subject area. In addition, the requirements for appointment as a civil servant on revocation (e.g. maximum age of 40, EU citizenship) must be met. 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 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.

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

The field of work of academic librarians includes both academic and organizational tasks:

As a subject librarian, you are responsible for the selection, subject indexing and dissemination of specialist literature in a wide range of academic subjects, making you an important link between research and the library. You will also be responsible for imparting information skills to researchers and students. The field of research-related services is a growing area of responsibility for academic librarians.

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

Further information on training and career entry can be found on the website of the Association of German Librarians (VDB)

A library trainee librarian should enjoy offering and continuously developing services. As digital services are playing an increasingly important role in libraries, you should also have a certain level of media competence and IT affinity.