Five aspects of current trends in German library science

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Steierwald, Ulrike

Affiliations: Hochschule Darmstadt, University of Applied Sciences, Fachbereich Informations- und Wissensmanagement, Information Science and Engineering, Bibliotheksmanagement/Library Science, Campus Dieburg, Max-Planck-Str. 2, D-64807 Dieburg, Germany. Tel.: +49 06151 16 9418; Fax: +49 06151 16 9413

Abstract: The specialisation Library Science at the Hochschule Darmstadt/University of Applied Science Darmstadt is the newest academic program in Germany for the higher education of librarians. Five current trends in library science in Germany reflect the new "Darmstadt Model": 1. The delimitation of a specific professional field 'library' is obsolete, so it might be a chance to redefine library science "out of the spirit of information science". 2. Information science and library science become a fundamental component of scientific thought in times of perceived crises in education and comprehensive educational reforms. 3. Library science is playing a major role in the current redefinition of the function of libraries: the re-establishment of libraries as educational and cultural institutions will depend to a decisive degree on premises of educational policy. 4. The academic profiling of the profession has not been completed yet: the process of specialization and of simultaneous extension of the responsibilities of the job should be considered as an ongoing challenge. 5. Library science in Germany is no longer conceivable without international interaction.

DOI: 10.3233/EFI-2006-24402

Journal: Education for Information, vol. 24, no. 4, pp. 193-200, 2006