Bibliotheks-ausbildung / Library Education

Whereas the 2009 ALISE conference in Denver started off in unusually mild weather, it is quite a bit colder in Boston in 2010. The snow we haven’t seen in New York for a while now is still visible here in front yards and on roadsides. But the sun is shining and the wintry chill suits Boston’s European charm.

The conference is taking place at the Plaza Hotel. Roughly 400 people are registered and the organizers have scheduled five to six parallel events per time slot, accompanied by the work sessions, poster presentations, vendor exhibits and job interviews that traditionally take place during such conferences. So, as expected, a podium discussion planned for 8:30 in the morning doesn’t draw a large crowd. But in addition to the presentation, this meeting also served as a means of informing each other on where we stand, six months after the Library and Information Science (LIS) study tour. And, actually, a great deal has taken place: the Stuttgart Media University has signed an agreement with Pratt Institute and Wayne State University, and the University of Applied Science Darmstadt has made an analogous memorandum of agreement with Rutgers University. At the faculty level, a similar agreement exists between the University of Applied Science Hamburg and Syracuse University. With this, Scott Nicholson has smoothed the way for a 2010 student exchange involving two students from each institution. The U.S. students will participate in the International Seminar that Hamburg offers from March to June. And two students from Hamburg can apply either to travel to Syracuse or to take part in an e-learning program there. In his part of the presentation, Scott Nicholson convincingly demonstrated that it is absolutely possible to overcome the problems presented by this type of exchange program: in order for the BA courses offered in Hamburg to be recognized by the Masters program in the U.S., the students must work up their experience beyond the class parameters. And Scott Nicholson also was able to work out for the American students the somewhat different system of credits they will receive for participating in the seminar. He even figured out the financial angle. This isn’t, of course, as simple as it sounds here, but in any case, it’s possible!
Joe Mika, of Wayne State University, also addressed concrete exchange projects. His plan is to take a group of 12 students to Germany in 2011, and Stuttgart and Berlin are definitely on the itinerary. Perhaps the prospective American librarians will even have the opportunity to attend the Bibliothekartag…Ragna Seidler de Alwis reported on how the University of Applied Science Cologne is making plans to interest more American students in its program and Ursula Georgy, also from Cologne, reported on a program of the UAS7 Group, made up of seven German universities of applied science: American students can apply for six months of study and a six-month paid(!) internship. A one-week orientation and three-week language course are included. Nancy Everhart reported on plans developed as part of the Goethe-Institut New York’s “Librarian in Residence” program, according to which two German school librarians would be invited for a professional stay in Florida. And finally, Debbie Rabina again summed up the 10 most important differences between the German and American library education systems, which she and Joe Mika are going to publish in the March issue of the German library magazine "Buch und Bibliothek". Everyone agreed: since the study tour, a number of initiatives and projects have been created. Reason enough to celebrate – and so the stimulating discussions between German and American colleagues continued that evening over a glass of wine at the Goethe-Institut Boston. Perhaps not surprisingly, guests numbered over three times those who attended the morning session. Conversation, in any case, was lively, and it was clear that in the library sphere, German-American exchange is on the right path.

Another topic of great interest to the American study tour participants is one that has no true equivalent in Germany, and that is education for school media librarians. Some states in the U.S. even issue state certification for school media librarians, something no German institution offers. As German schools and the German educational system continue to suffer under the PISA findings, it should be considered whether an initiative in Germany would be worthwhile. Nancy Everhart is president-elect of the American Association of School Librarians and as such would be very interested in such an initiative. Perhaps the agreement signed between the Library Associations of Germany and the United States in support of increasing professional exchange in this field would be a good starting point…

P.S.: A more visual impression of our study tour can be found here.

During the week-long trip that six representatives of various American universities took through Germany, and in discussions with colleagues from a total of seven German educational institutions, many ideas were gathered. All of those involved exhibited great interest in further cooperation, but also a healthy pragmatism in terms of judging what is possible.

The essential difference between the American and German systems is that in the U.S. librarianship is almost exclusively offered at the graduate level in Master’s courses. American students arrive with a BA in their chosen area and then complete a two-year MA course of study in order to be able to work in a library. The majority of library positions in the U.S. require a Master’s degree. In Germany, on the other hand, a BA in library science is the standard course of study and most positions are filled at this level. A Master’s is necessary only at the administrative level. American students as a rule study abroad during their undergraduate studies. Lengthy study abroad would be extremely difficult for American students, due to their tight schedule. A semester-long exchange would be viewed as rather unrealistic.

One possibility considered realistic by all was that of organizing summer schools, such as those offered in Stuttgart and Hamburg. If a student could earn at least six credit hours at summer school, American students could then apply for financial aid for a stay in Germany. It is also important that grades and credit points be awarded by the university of the respective home country. In this way, the problem of the difference in tuition structures in the U.S. and Germany could be avoided. A mixture of German BA students and American MA students in library science would not present a problem, as in terms of course material they are almost at the same level.

An entire string of collaborative possibilities was also considered at the level of direct contact between individual universities. Pratt Institute in New York and the University of Leipzig, for example, have a special emphasis on music and the fine arts. The collaboration between Pratt Institute, among others, and the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts could also be of interest to students from Leipzig.

Online programs and videoconferencing for students also seemed feasible to all. In this context, it would even be possible for a student to attend courses abroad and maintain contact with his home institution through an online program. After all, in the United States as well as in Germany entire courses of study are completed with minimal physical attendance.
Even if study abroad for a semester or a year presumably remains the exception, the possibility of receiving a grant through the DAAD or the Fulbright Program was mentioned.

Another possibility of particular interest to students from Germany is, of course, an internship in the United States. Especially if the internship is conducted with a special project in mind, which many universities expect from students at the advanced level of their training.

Another theme was faculty exchange. Generally, it is not viewed as problematic that guest lectures in Germany are held in English. The German colleagues would be particularly interested in their universities offering presentations not usually included in the curriculum. Especially intriguing, of course, was the idea of transatlantic themes, that is, students in both countries working on the same theme.

A third area of exchange, collaborative research projects, also engendered great enthusiasm. However, the focuses of research first must be ascertained, in order to better facilitate the „matching“ of projects.

In summary, everyone agreed that it would be truly interesting to initiate such projects. But a certain amount of lead time is called for. And, as with all good intentions, it’s important to stay on the ball. For this reason it was decided to create a mailing list, in order that participants can continue to exchange ideas and which should, of course, be open to colleagues who did not have the opportunity to participate in the study tour. In addition, it was decided to organize a videoconference for the fall, so that the American study tour members and their German colleagues, once they have all consulted with their own institutions, may again exchange thoughts on what potentially successful steps they would like to pursue next. A presentation is being planned for the next Association for Library and Information Science or ALISE Conference in January 2010, to present the group's ideas and outcomes to other institutions – for, after all, only 6 of the 57 American library schools were represented on the trip.