Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

Library and Information Science

Degree

Combined bachelor, Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), please also see the ‘Bachelor’s and master’s courses at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin’ FAQ.

Standard time for completing course

6 semesters

Start of study and Entry Restriction

Cf. course catalogue

Combinations

Library and Information Science is offered as

Core subject:  120 Credit points (CP*), with a secondary subject to be selected from the ‘Combined bachelor without teacher training’ course catalogue.
Second subject: 60 CP, for a bachelor’s core subject from the ‘Combined bachelor without teacher training’ course catalogue (not possible with Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Deaf Studies, Geography, History, Mathematics, Philosophy/Ethics, Physics, Special Needs Education and Sport Science).

* One credit point (CP) is calculated to equate to a workload of 25 to max. 30 hours for preparation, follow-up and attendance at lectures.

Course content

The best place to find information about course content are the study regulations (www.amb.hu-berlin.de, no. 42/2017) and the annotated university calendar (hu.berlin/vorlesungsverzeichnis). The Counselling Services are also available to help you (see below).

Core subject Library and Information Science with 120 CP

Mandatory modules (80 CP)

Module BP1: Introduction into Library and Information Science, 10 CP
Module BP2: Information and Communication Technology, 10 CP
Module BP3: Information Production and Management, 10 CP
Module BP4: Metadata Design and Information Organization, 10 CP
Module BP5: Human Information Behavior, 10 CP
Module BP6: Project Module, 10 CP
Module BP7: Practical Training, 10 CP
Module BP8: Bachelor's Thesis, 10 CP

Mandatory elective modules (40 CP)

Select 2 of the following 5 elective modules:

Module BWP1: Information Literacy, 10 CP
Module BWP2: Information Processing and Storage, 10 CP
Module BWP3: Information and Society, 10 CP
Module BWP4: Human-Computer-Interaction , 10 CP
Module BWP5: Management of Information Organizations, 10 CP

The remaining 15 CP may be selected from other annotated university calendars.
In addition to specialised study, Students acquire subject-specific, non-specialist and interdisciplinary key qualifications of 20 CP. The general elective modules can be chosen from the module catalogues of other subjects or central institutions (see: http://agnes.hu-berlin.de/).

Second subject Library and Information Science with 60 CP

Modules BP1 to BP5 of the bachelor core subject mandatory modules, 50 CP together
Modul BP7 of the bachelor core subject mandatory modules, 10 CP

General elective course offerings for Students coming from other Courses of Studies

Module BP2: Information and Communication Technology, 10 CP
Module BP3: Information Production and Management, 10 CP
Module BP4: Information Editing and Organization, 10 CP
Module BP5: Human Information Behavior, 10 CP
Module BP6: Project Module, 10 CP
Module BWP2: Information Processing and Storage, 10 CP
Module BWP3: Information and Society, 10 CP
Module BWP4: Human-Computer-Interaction , 10 CP
Module BWP5: The Basics of Economics within the Sector of Information Science, 10 CP

Studies abroad

We strongly recommend study visits abroad, and learning agreements may be concluded for this purpose.

Master

Graduates of the Bachelor of Arts in Library and Information Science program can study a Information Science master’s course at the consecutive master’s department (www.amb.hu-berlin.de, no. 19/2014). You’ll find other HU programs in the Post-graduate degree course catalogue.

Why study the subject at HU?

Information in all its forms plays and will continue to play a vital role in every area of knowledge society. The subject is shaped by terms such as ‘networking’, ‘information literacy’, ‘long-term archiving’, ‘media diversity’, ‘open access’, ‘electronic publishing’, ‘copyright’, etc. All of these are closely related to the concept of the ‘digital library’, as well as to documentation and archiving.
Students on this course become qualified to make independent use of the scientific methods of Library and Information Science and adapt them to specific practical situations, as well as to open up new fields of knowledge on their own.
In addition to supporting the ability to do independent academic work, the aim of the course is to acquire knowledge regarding functions, structures and working methods as well as the capacity to organise knowledge and information processes.
There is an extremely broad range of professional possibilities in knowledge society for graduates of this bachelor’s course. These range from classical fields of work in library, document and information institutions of all kinds, to activities in areas such as information, content and knowledge management.

The secondary subject course qualifies students for work in positions that require library and information science skills and also technical expertise, such as specialised libraries, technical information institutions, publishing houses and research institutes. This is one of the elements which sets HU students apart from graduates of library-related university courses.

The bachelor’s course offers special preparation for the research-orientated Library and Information Science master’s course, and may be followed by a doctorate at HU.

Important addresses

Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Department of Library and Information Science: www.ibi.hu-berlin.de, Dorotheenstr. 26, Tel. +49 30 2093-46195
Study Counselling and approval and classification in higher semester: Dr. Gäde, Tel. +49 30 2093-46195, maria.gaede@ibi.hu-berlin.de
Applications: www.hu-berlin.de/interessierte
Links to job market:careers information centre (http://www.arbeitsagentur.de/web/content/DE/BuergerinnenUndBuerger/ArbeitundBeruf/Berufswahl/Berufsinformationszentren/index.htm) , employment market reports (http://statistik.arbeitsagentur.de/Navigation/Statistik/Arbeitsmarktberichte/Akademiker/Akademiker-Nav.html), Federal Employment Office Berufenet (http://berufenet.arbeitsagentur.de/berufe/)

Version: March 2019


Contact for questions or feedback regarding this page: studienberatung@uv.hu-berlin.de

Information according to EU-DSGVO

 

When contacting facilities of the study department, personal data are partly collected and processed. The processing of personal data, such as the name, address, e-mail address, or telephone number shall always be in line with the General Data Protection Regulation (EU-DSGVO) and in accordance with the Berlin Data Protection Act (BlnDSG). Further information on this, your rights and options can be found at https://www.hu-berlin.de/de/hu/impressum/datenschutzerklaerung